Toyland Toyland, Little girl and boy land!
Saturday night, my kids and I headed up to Manasquan, New Jersey to The Algonquin Arts Theater for the opening night of “Babes in Toyland”. The play featured 23 members of the Algonquin Youth Ensemble. What a talented group of kids. My children never took their eyes off the stage following their favorite nursery rhyme characters and were full of smiles during the whole show.
Upon arrival at the Algonquin Arts Theater we were quite impressed. There was a full house that night but we did not feel cramped while waiting in the lobby. When the doors were opened we were led to our seats. The kids eyes opened as wide as saucers. The theater while quite large was not overwhelming. There was not a bad seat in the house. Familiar Christmas songs played to keep everyone entertained while we waited for the show to start. The stage was full of brightly colored backdrops that intrigued the kids imagination about what the village was and who lived there. Was it a princess or maybe a Knight? Could it be a Toymaker and his wife. They couldn’t wait to find out.
The delightful Algonquin Youth Ensemble Cast for Babes in Toyland Photo Courtesy of the Algonquin Arts Facebook page.
When you dwell within it, you are ever happy there.
From the first note of Hail to Christmas, we were enthralled. We were about to embark on a journey through Mother Goose Village and Toyland with our favorite characters from beloved nursery rhymes. The villainous Barnaby had taken control of the toy factory from his nephew and niece Alan and Jane’s, who have inherited it from their parents. Uncle Barnaby is determined to keep the factory for himself and hires Roderigo and Gonzorga to lose the children at sea. What Barnaby does not realize is that Jane and Alan overheard his plan and are determined to make Barnaby’s attempts fail. With the help of Tom Tom, the oldest son of Mother Goose they take off on an adventure through Mother Goose Village, on a ship out at sea, the spooky spider forest, and the magical Toyland.
Will Barnaby be able to lose the children? Will Mother Goose find her children who disappeared long ago? Will Jane find her missing parakeet, and most importantly will Barnaby keep control of the toy factory? These were the questions that kept my children in suspense for the 75 minute performance. To answer your questions, with the quick wit of Alan, Tom Tom, and the children find their way back. Jane’s kind heart in the spider forest not only brings her parakeet home but also the missing children of Mother Goose, and mean ole Uncle Barnaby gets exactly what is coming to him when the Master Toymaker aka Santa Claus shows up and banishes him from Toyland.
While based on the original operetta by Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough the contemporary spin that Ruth Perry and Ann Smith added some unique charm. Parents will smile at some of the adult humor and kids will giggle during songs by Little Bo-Peep. Everyone in the audience erupted into applause when the infamous “March of the Toys” was performed. The acting, dancing, and singing by the Youth Ensemble was a pleasure to watch. We are looking forward to attending many more performances at the Algonquin Arts Theatre.
In full disclosure, this post is sponsored in part by Algonquin Arts Theater who provided Jersey Family Fun writers with tickets to make our review possible. As always our opinions are our own and honest based on our experiences at Babes in Toyland.
