On Saturday I had the privilege of taking two children, a boy aged 12 and his sister aged 11, to their first experience attending live theater. I cannot even remember the first time I set foot in a theater, as there is one local theater that has been a second home to me since I can remember.
The Glendale Centre Theatre in Glendale, CA (northeast of Los Angeles and next to Pasadena), is the oldest continuously- operating theater in the round in the United States and is now in its 72nd season and its fourth generation of owners. Ruth and Nathan Hale opened the theater in 1947 after Ruth discovered that the men in Hollywood were not interested in putting on plays and musicals written by a woman. To fight against this sexism, the couple decided to create their own theater, where over the years they produced more than 100 of Ruth’s plays and musicals. I still remember laughing at and singing with many of her shows as a teen.
The oldest continuously- operating theater in the round in the country
The theater will put on 9 plays and musicals this year as part of their regular season, in addition to its locally famous annual rendition of A Christmas Carol in December, each year inserting a new twist on the great classic with a unique script each Christmas season. The GCT just concluded an incredible run of the famous Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Pirates of Penzance.
But in addition to family-friendly adult shows (to demonstrate this theater’s commitment to clean entertainment, the GCT was just forced to reschedule one show they planned to stage later this year because the copyright holder wouldn’t allow them to drop the bad language that would make it stronger than the G- rated rating they insist on limiting their shows to) the GCT holds theater with the goal of introducing children to theater, using their own angle in retelling traditional children’s stories. This is a great way to introduce the joy of live theater to children of all ages, and I took delight in getting to introduce my two young friends to the same theater that made me fall in love with live theater myself.
The Cheshire Cat
Picking up my children friends at 9 a.m., we went to the theater to watch a new musical version of Alice in Wonderland. In this version, Alice is a 16- year-old girl who does not want to do what she is expected in her school and certainly doesn’t want to have to obey her mother. Her wish for something different comes true when she meets the white rabbit and falls down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. In this mystical place, Alice meets some unusual creatures such as the Tweedles (women in this version), the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar, and Maddy Hatter.
Alice and the entire cast
The Red Queen
In the process of traveling through Wonderland to find the White Rabbit, Alice begins to learn to believe in herself and appreciate her life. But before she can get home, Alice must face the Red Queen, who was by far the favorite character of my 11-year-old friend. It will make our readers happy to know that while the Red Queen is the villainess of the play, she will not scare the little ones who attend, and the only ones she kills are playing cards, not any people.
The Tweedles
Alice in Wonderland is not just a play but a musical. It incorporates many different styles of music and dance to connect with the children and help them come to appreciate live theater and musicals. No expert in dance, I spotted many styles being used though I can’t name them other than tap dancing, the caterpillar (of course done by the Caterpillar), and break dancing. I even spotted everyone doing the Floss for just a moment.
Maddy Hatter
The children I took to the theater clearly had a great time in their first experience with live theater. The girl alternated between sitting mesmerized by the show and beaming in pure joy at her excitement over the show. Her brother, who is usually much harder to interest, smiled throughout most of the musical. What especially surprised me was that I noticed him clapping along with the audience as the actors sang “It’s a Mad Tea Party.” He actually got the point of the show! What is more, he and his sister both eagerly said they would love to get to attend the next play or musical put on by the Glendale Centre Theatre.
One final tradition of the children’s shows at the Glendale Centre Theatre is that all the actors convene in the lobby when the show is over to meet the children, take pictures with them, and sign their programs under the names of their characters. The girl I took to the play pretty eagerly took to the process of getting signatures. And before long, I was following both children around the theater lobby as each eagerly raced to get 0signatures from everyone.
I highly recommend that everyone in the area use the opportunity to take all the children in your life to see this delightful play at this marvelous theater. I gained so much being taken to the children’s plays as birthday gifts from my aunt, and now I am thrilled to get to pass on the torch to my two young friends.
To get tickets, call the box office at (818) 244-8481 or email the theater at [email protected]
