A Utah Theater Review by Shannon Eden
The Scera Theater for the Arts, located just off of State St. in Orem, is home to many venues – the latest being their production of The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, put on by their Theater for Young Audiences and directed by Julie Nevin. In the heart of the city, the theater is easily accessible and easy to find. The seats are assigned, which makes finding an ideal spot convenient and simple, but make sure you’re on time so you don’t have to climb over too many legs! There are the regular house seats, as well as a balcony option and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. I brought my family along, and – thought we were meant to sit front and center – we opted for a side row with easy access to the aisle, just in case my 18-month-old made it necessary to take advantage of their cry room (a quiet room, set in the back corner with glass walls so that moms can take care of those other-than-quiet children and still enjoy the show – genius! I always appreciate when accomodations are made for families). We could see and hear everything quite clearly. Not only were my six- and three-year-olds on the edge of their seats, listening intently through the entire production, but little britches was completely captivated as well! So, I didn’t get a chance to use the cry room after all.
The play opens with an introduction to the Lambchop family: Stanley (Shawn M. Mortensen), his delightfully nerdy brother Arthur (Andrew Walsh), and Mom (Cathy Frisby) and Dad (Mark Pulham) Lambchop, and the other characters that live in the neighborhood (Samantha Frisby, Marshall Madsen, Mikayla Smith, Jerry Elison). All the roles are played by adults, but they had a nice balance regardless – playing with childish voice inflections and phrasing, but not pushing it so far as to make you cringe and question “Why is a grown man wearing a Superman onesie?” I found the song, “I Wish I Were,” sung by Stanley and Arthur, to be fun and entertaining. Covering dreams from Harry Potter to Star Wars, they portrayed two silly boys playing make-believe bedtime games very enjoyably.
Here’s where I have to start mentioning the genius set, designed by Nat Reed. It was perfect! Cartoonish and fun, lots of lights and whimsy. I loved the glow-in-the-dark bulletin board which ultimately grants Stanley’s (Mortensen) wish to see the world and have new adventures by smashing him flat and otherwise malleable. The seemingly random pieces of paper and memorabilia morphed into a mouth, nose, and blinking eyes that made me think of the trees of the Forrest of No Return from Babes and Toyland. (Does that date me a little?) As the show progressed, each scene change ran smoothly and quietly and a little red dot appeared on the globe that served as a universal backdrop, showing where in the world Stanley’s adventures were taking him. It was also fun to watch all the little arms shoot into the air, trying to catch the falling confetti that burst from the envelope every time Stanley was ‘delivered.’ From the Eiffel Tower, to the simple bedroom of two boys, I applaud all those who constructed and carried out the functionalities of a smart set.
The costuming was overseen by Kelsey Seaver. I, personally, was extremely curious to see how on earth they were going to pull off making someone ‘flat.’ The solution? Color on front (plus a little stretched and wrinkly looking), black on back. Pretty darn creative if you ask me. My six-year-old leaned over and said, “Mom, he doesn’t look flat!” No, you cannot magically transform a three-dimensional being into a piece of paper, but I think Seaver did a good job trying. From the side and the front it works well. When Stanley turns his back, I lost the illusion and even found it to be a bit distracting, but I don’t think I could come up with anything better. So, I say, well done.
Now to the actors. I asked my girls who their favorites were, and my six-year-old, without hesitation said, “The mail girl!” Samantha Frisby did an excellent job both vocally and with her characters. She was natural and engaging whether delivering the mail, posing as the famed Mona Lisa, or surfing on Stanley the Surfboard. My only complaint (and it’s a silly one!)? Bangs. As a fellow bang-wearer, I sympathize with the unruly bang, but they kept covering her lovely face. An extra squirt or two – or ten – of hairspray might do the trick, or just pin them back all together. I enjoyed the performances of both Mr.Lambchop (Pulham) and Arthur (Walsh) very much, but found Mrs. Lambchop (Frisby) to be a little under the others’ performances. Though she did well, I kept waiting for a little more animation from her. The ensemble was versatile in their many roles, drawing out loud laughter from my kids during the Sneak Thief scene wherein Stanley saves precious pieces of art from being stolen from the Louvre. Elison delivered his lines with dry humor that I appreciated. Stanley himself had a boyish charm and an excellent voice that he transitioned well from child-like to more musical. He was also responsible for the choreography of the show. For opening night, I was impressed at the lack of snags the cast ran into. I noticed only one late costume change, which was covered well by Mortensen, turning those agonizing seconds that seem like hours to an actor into a moment of wonder for Stanley as he takes in the first stop of his adventures. Kudos.
All in all, great show for the entire family. It kept all of my kids thoroughly engaged and entertained throughout the entire production – my greatest difficulty being keeping my 18-month-old from squealing too loud in her delight. The dancing is fun, the characters are engaging, and it is only a little over an hour, making it the perfect length for those whose attention tends to waver after sitting too long. This is a show geared towards younger audiences, but the kids were outnumbered by adults on opening night, so don’t be afraid to check it out even if you don’t have little ones to take.
A Theatre for Young Audiences Presents:
The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley
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