“Cinderella” taught children to never give up, “Charlotte’s Web” contained lessons on friendship and humility and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” taught kids about the consequences of lying.
Children’s stories have been a sneaky way to teach life lessons for years, so it’s no surprise that the latest kid’s show to hit the stage at Steamer No. 10 Theatre teaches kids that things are not always as they may appear.
Director Janet Hurley-Kimlicko said the message in the show is loud and clear: don’t judge a book by its cover.
IF YOU GO
What:
“Lyle the Crocodile”
When: Nov. 15-17
Where: Steamer No. 10 Theatre, 500 Western Ave., Albany
How much: $15
Info: www.steamer10theatre.org or 438-5503
“Underneath might be something really good,” she said.
“Lyle the Crocodile” is a story about a crocodile who is abandoned in a bathtub in an apartment on 88th Street in Manhattan. Lyle isn’t your typical fierce crocodile, but rather a very likeable reptile who is discovered by a lonely boy named Joshua Primm, who was uprooted from his home and moved to the big city. It doesn’t take long for Joshua and the rest of the Primm family to accept Lyle and take him in.
“He ingratiates himself by finding Mr. Primm’s pipe, which was lost in the move, cleaning, dusting, setting the table, cooking and all these fantastic things that suddenly make him an indispensable part of the household,” said Ric Chesser, executive director at Steamer No. 10 Theatre.
Not everyone is as accepting as the Primms, however. Lyle is threatened by a crabby neighbor with a very fitting name, Mr. Grumps, played by Joe Philips, a seasoned actor who has starred in a number of productions, the most recent being a musical piece about the making of the Erie Canal called “Clinton’s Ditch.”
Philips said Mr. Grumps is a man who is set in his ways and doesn’t like anything that is different.
“When he learns that he is living next door to a crocodile, he is not happy and makes some trouble for Lyle,” Philips said.
The show is based on the popular children’s books, “The House on East 88th Street” and “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile,” by Bernard Waber.
When Waber introduced Lyle to his readers in 1962 in “The House on East 88th Street,” it was the beginning of a series about life lessons on acceptance.
Hurley-Kimlicko said a few changes were made to the original story, but the overall message and the “storybook-feel” remains the same in the theatrical adaptation.
She added that one element of the show makes it different from most children’s stage shows.
“Its message is really nice for kids,” she said, “but when the music is added, it has such a jazzy kind of feel that it makes it really feel like a New York piece.”
Chesser said the show features a pit orchestra and has a score that is along the lines of a swing jazz.
“Very seldom do kid’s musicals go in that direction,” he said.
Philips added that the lyrics include a lot of lingo from the 1950s, which he said can be a bit advanced for some of the younger members of the cast.
The show is one of Steamer No. 10’s Kids’ Fare Series, which casts young kids alongside professional actors.
“When you have a cast of eight professional actors with varying levels of professional experience and a handful of very young kids with the mixture of people, it’s been challenging to try and put this together fast,” Philips said.
Still, he finds children’s theater gratifying.
“I love working with kids in the theater. I have done quite a lot of directing in community theater that involves children. I’ve worked with a theater program out of RPI and coached young children on stage, so this is right up my alley,” he said.
“Lyle the Crocodile” casts eight professional actors and eight students from area high schools.
The role of Joshua Primm is played by Justin Jasiewicz, a high school student at Loudonville Christian School.
“He was in ‘Pippi Longstocking’ last year with kind of a non-descript role, but did well with it. During the summer we had him in ‘Grease’ as Eugene and he just created this fantastic character enough that during scene changes when it was kind of half-light, he and this other actor would come out and just continue their characters,” Chesser said. “The audience never really realized this was just stuff that these two were making up as they went along and not part of the actual show.”
Chesser said “Lyle the Crocodile” is a show for all audiences.
“The Lyle series is the kind of book that young kids would probably read, but our shows reach out to families,” he said.
In the end, good will and courage win out when Mr. Grumps learns to appreciate Lyle for who he is.
“People who are different have a lot to offer. I think that’s kind of the overall lesson of this show. A lot of people are put off by meeting a crocodile, but when they learn he is versatile, entertaining and has a lot of talents and just a plain good guy, they learn to accept him,” Philips said. “Essentially, he is just an ordinary person who happens to be big and green.”
“Lyle the Crocodile” is on stage Nov. 9, 10, 16, 17 at 3 p.m.; Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Steamer No. 10 Theatre, 500 Western Ave., Albany. Tickets are $15. Tickets can be purchased online at www.steamer10theatre.org. For more information, call 438-5503.