Let me start by saying unequivocally that this production provides the perfect opportunity to introduce your kids to the ballet. If you have waffled about cost and/or show length in the past, waver no further.
Pacific Northwest Ballet has created a delightful one-hour show based on the familiar tale, The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi. Performed by 60 students from Pacific Northwest Ballet School, the hour sweeps by in a swirl of color and sound and even the wiggliest toddler will engage time and again throughout the show.
To begin at the beginning, make sure you come at least 30 minutes prior to the show. Pre-ballet activities in the lobby include an arts and crafts table, where you get to make Pinocchio's hat, and circle time with a storyteller, who describes the tale of Pinocchio and the methods of conveying a story by dance. Bright ballet costumes are on display and don't forget to grab a free booster seat for your little one; they run out quickly.
The musical introduction is sweet and thankfully short and the curtain lifts to a colorful scene of an assortment of puppets practicing for an evening performance. Their puppeteer reads them the story of Pinocchio and subsequently becomes the narrator for the hour-long show. While he doesn't speak through the entire performance, his timely narration helps explain the action on stage and keeps the little kids in the audience engaged and expecting his commentary.
A grown-up Pinocchio is the first main character we meet onstage, and the cast of characters that come next are from the memories of his childhood. The Cricket, Fox and Cat, Geppetto and the Blue Fairy appear to him through his reflection in a mirror and he is transported back in time to reenact his tale of becoming a real boy.
My 9-year-old loved the Fox and Cat costumes, my 7-year-old loved the way the Cricket jumped onstage with chirping music accompanying him, and my 4-year-old thought the other puppets dressed in bright solid colors looked like a rainbow. I appreciated that the scenes changed quickly and that my 4-year-old actually stayed in his seat for 40 minutes before becoming a little restless.
We wished for a larger scene as Pinocchio rescued Geppetto from the whale, but the water scenes with Neptune and his fish people were beautiful.
There are only a couple of opportunities to see this magical production this season. And since we absorbed the moral of the tale of Pinocchio while enjoying the ballet, no noses will grow when I say, you don't want to miss this show.
IF YOU GO
Where: Pacific Northwest Ballet at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St., Seattle.
When: Friday, March 21 at 10:30 a.m.(this is a student matinee, so you must have a minimum group size of 15 to attend) and Saturday, March 22 at 3:30 p.m.
Cost: Tickets range from $25-$68.
Contact: 206-441-2424; www.pnb.org.
Erika Lee Bigelow lives, plays, explores and writes in Seattle with her husband and three kids. She is the editor of the “Erika’s Picks” weekly feature for Seattle’s Child.
