Nick Edwards plays Harold the dog and Ellen Dessler plays Chester the Cat in Second Story Repertory's production of the classic children's book Bunnicula showing now through Nov. 15 at Redmond Town Center.
On our way home from the theater, my son asked if we could see it again. In fact, he asked if we could see Second Story Repertory's Bunnicula every day. This is high praise from an experienced 7-year-old theater-goer – he's never before asked for a repeat performance. I agree with him: Bunnicula, playing now through Nov. 15 at the Redmond theater, is worth seeing a second time.
Second Story Repertory has staged a terrific production of the classic children's book. The 70-minute play uses a cast of actors and some clever puppetry to convey Bunnicula, the new pet bunny in the Monroe household, that longtime pets Harold, the dog, and Chester, the cat, believe is a vampire. It's not just sibling rivalry at work. There are weird happenings at night, and in the morning, the vegetables are white – as if they've been drained of their juice. Chester is convinced that the bunny is a vampire, and creates all kinds of trouble for himself and Harold.
At Second Story Repertory, kids are invited to sit on a carpet down front to get close to the action, and I saw a lot of enthralled youngsters on opening night. Kids as young as 2 were following right along with the high energy storytelling and the upbeat songs. My son is still singing the chorus of the sing-a-long song, “Poor Cat,” at home.
There's plenty for adults to enjoy, too, including references to other children's literature like Pat the Bunny, a nod to the “Bacon! Bacon!” commercial, and very recognizable child and pet behaviors. Chester, played by Ellen Dessler, has the musical heavy lifting, and she handles it beautifully. The animal characters are brilliantly directed by Jim Lapan. When the dog yells, “Hey! Hey, hey, hey!” the audience can tell that it represents barking without it being too on-the-nose.
Bunnicula represents the very best of children's theater, including “what happens next” suspense, catchy songs, high energy acting, and lovable characters. “This was the best show I've seen. It's even better than robots!” my second grader gushed on.
Now we just need to figure out when we can go again.
IF YOU GO:
Where: Second Story Repertory Theatre, 16587 N.E. 74th St., in Redmond Town Center.
When: Through Nov. 15. Fridays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
