Tom Klingele
Max Vitale as Alex in "The Velveteen Rabbit."
Children’s Theater of Madison is finishing the 2014-15 season with The Velveteen Rabbit, a play geared toward the littlest theatergoers. The hour-long show, complete with several opportunities for audience interaction, is an entertaining way to introduce youngsters to live theater. But parents and older children may be disappointed in the play’s lack of emotional resonance. Although the story talks repeatedly about making a connection with the things you love, it does little to evoke affection for any of the characters.
The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams, is a classic children’s story about a stuffed animal who learns what it is to become “real” — to love and be loved by a child. When he is finally worn out — his velveteen fur torn and patched, his tail and eyes hanging on by threads, and his ears dirty and drooped, the toy fairy whisks him away to start a new life as a “real” bunny — living near the home of his boy, Alex.
In the adaptation by Phil Grecian, Fluffy the velveteen rabbit is joined in Alex’s house by a wind-up mouse (played with spunk by Lily Mefford), a perennially dust-covered patchwork dog (Reggie Kellum), a sneezy, yarn-trimmed lion (Mitch Taylor) and a wise-but-worn old skin horse who had entertained Alex’s father when he was a boy (Greg Hudson). Initially suspicious and jealous of the new plaything, they eventually explain the rules of nursery life to Fluffy (Teddy Warren) and ultimately work together to save the boy.
Tom Klingele
Teddy Warren as Fluffy.
Alex, played with energy by Max Vitale, fills his days with adventures accompanied by his toys, because his human playmates are confined to their homes due to a scarlet fever epidemic. But the toys, overall, are a screechy and dour bunch, and their banter comes off as nasty bickering. Comic bits are overwrought instead of funny.
The adults in the play inhabit much more interesting, three-dimensional characters. As Nana, Terry Kiss-Frank is the ultimate caregiver: She’s a playmate and a devoted nanny who understands a young boy’s need for toys to love and comfort him. She’s even willing to tramp out into the garden in the middle of the night to retrieve a lost stuffed animal.
As the Doctor, Dave Pausch is both a serious authority figure and a whimsical accomplice to Nana as she struggles to understand a message from the toys. Fortunately, the young audience is also able to help, shouting out the plea to “find the rabbit!”
There is some stage magic to delight the youngest audience members – toys pop out of a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, the toy box and other hiding places on the stage with regularity. But other effects fall flat. The swirling stars lighting and burst of fog when the toy fairy appears seem amateurish. The representation of scarlet fever as a glowing red light looks neither menacing nor particularly focused. When Alex gets sick, characters on stage talk about the disease growing stronger, and then fading away, but it’s not convincingly carried out in the visual effects.
The elaborate set, designed by Joe Varga, is a lovely Victorian house surrounded by trees and bushes covered with intricate, folded paper flowers. The small yard, lined with more paper daisies in full bloom is a perfect place for both boys and bunnies to frolic. The set is meticulously constructed and enchanting, but many of the costumes — specifically the bunnies — seemed hastily slapped together with random pieces of faux fur tacked on to gloves, shoes and beige clothing. As a result, the “real” animals looked anything but.
Directed by CTM Artistic Director Roseann Sheridan, The Velveteen Rabbit has many moments that young children will enjoy. But like the rabbit stuffed with sawdust, it doesn’t have quite enough heart.
