Halloween is just around the corner and SecondStory Repertory's Bunnicula is the perfect rainy day outing to get your little terrors in the spirit of the season.
Bunnicula brings the first story in the popular children's book series about an unusual rabbit by James and Deborah Howe to the stage. The comfortable lives of Harold, the family dog, and Chester, a slightly paranoid house cat, are changed forever when their family brings home a pet bunny they found at a screening of Dracula.
It's not long before mysterious things start to happen. Is Bunnicula draining the life out of the family's vegetables? Imagine the horror of finding a desiccated white tomato or zucchini on your kitchen counter!
While my kids adore Halloween, they are not big fans of being scared. I worried that this play might be too much for my little fraidy cats, but unlike the family in the play, I had nothing to fear. SecondStory Rep was way ahead of me.
Before the show starts, a cast member welcomes kids to the theater and shows them a picture of Bunnicula so that they can see they have nothing to be afraid of. She also demonstrates the thunder and lightning effects that are part of the show. Fears alleviated, my 6-year-old crawled out of my lap to her own chair and settled in to enjoy the show.
While my 10-year-old was on the older side for this production, she enjoyed the sibling rivalry between the family's two boys and the bickering between the dog and cat. She had also read the book and was intrigued by how the story was brought to the stage.
The cast members have strong voices, which made the musical numbers enjoyable. Bunnicula himself is a puppet, brought to life by a puppeteer clad in black. After the show, the cast greets audience members in the lobby. My kids made a beeline to Bunnicula so that they could pat him on the nose.
Anything that sparks a desire to read is a plus in my book. My girls are now eager to devour the rest of the Bunnicula adventures. The play certainly made an impression; when it came time to pick out a pumpkin, the kids chose a white one because it looked like Bunnicula had gotten a hold of it!
IF YOU GO
Where: SecondStory Repertory at Redmond Town Center, 16587 N.E. 74th St., Redmond.
When: Now through Oct. 13. Saturdays and Sundays, 1 and 3 p.m.
Age Recommendation: The Theater for Young Audiences series at SecondStory Rep is appropriate for grade school-aged children. Families with younger children are encouraged to attend the all-ages shows on Sundays.
Admission: $10 for all ages. The Sunday discount is $5 for kids ages 1-3 and free for children younger than 1.
Contact: 425-881-6777, www.SecondStoryRep.org.
Laura Spruce Wight is a Seattle-area freelance writer and mother of two.
