By Alisha and Jason Hagey
The Utah premiere of Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” is happening at Salt Lake Acting Company in Salt Lake City. Elephant and Piggie are the creation of Mo Willems (Book and Lyrics), the play (an adaptation of six of Willems’ twenty-five popular beginning reader books) is by Willems and Deborah Wicks La Puma (Music). Elephant and Piggie are a beloved pair of friends who, throughout the run of the short play, navigate the ups and downs of their relationship. Like the funny books, the play handles issues of jealousy, forgiving, sharing, and trying new things.
From the outset, elephant Gerald admits to Piggie that he is worried something could go wrong that would end their friendship. Piggie is not worried, believing anything is possible when they are together. The wonderful series of vignettes that make up the events of their day kicks off with an invitation to a party hosted by the Squirrelles, a singing and dancing trio of squirrels.
The whole of the play is set on what feels like an old-fashioned, vaudeville stage, with footlights at the end of the stage, a red velvet curtain, and visible stagehands working in the wings. In the back, the production uses a scrim to hearken back to the books’ reading roots with word bubbles that jump up at different moments throughout the play saying things like, “Zip” and “Zap” and “Tha-wonk.”
Wendy Joseph (Piggie) brings the joy of childhood into the role. Her Piggie is full of love and excitement. She readily embodies the carefree feelings of being a kid. Matthew Rudolph (Gerald) brings the counterpoint as his elephant is worried, full of sincere puns, and all the fears that kids (and frankly, adults) feel when entering new situations. Together the two are delightful and full of imagination. Madison Archibald (Squirelle and Pengu), Talia Heiss (Squirelle), and Eva Merrill (Squirelle and Dog) round out the rest of the cast by dancing and singing into the hearts of the audience as the fun-loving and fancy squirrels.
Penelope Caywood’s direction and choreography are self-aware, whimsical, and perfectly in keeping with the books. Michael Leavitt (Music Director) keeps the music and vocal characterizations lively and fun. Erik Reichert’s scenic design and props work well to create a playful world in tandem with Jesse Portillo’s colorful lighting and Aaron Swenson’s delightful costumes. Kenny Riches (The Davey Foundation) deftly takes on the enormous task of making this production available via video for a remote audience.
The elephant in the room is that Elephant & Piggie is a wonderful way to introduce the littles in your life to the theatre. Families can enjoy this lighthearted offering from the comfort of their own homes. Whether you are familiar with these books or any of the other Willem creations (and we must admit that Willems is the picture book king in our home), this show can only help encourage and excite emerging readers. Together you can zip and zap and dance along with the captivating characters and world of Mo Willems as presented by Salt Lake Acting Company.
Salt Lake Acting Company Presents Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” by Mo WIllems and Deborah Wicks La Puma.
Salt Lake Acting Company – 168 West 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84103
Online: December 26, 2021 – January 9, 2022
Ticket Cost: $10 per household for a 48-hour viewing window
SLAC Digital URL: SLACDigital.AtHomeArts.org
Box Office Phone: 801.363.7522
Box Office Email: info@saltlakeactingcompany.org
Open 11am – 5pm, Mon – Fri
www.saltlakeactingcompany.org
SLAC Website
SLAC Facebook Page
0 Comments