Brent Nicastro
Kelsey Davison and Joshua David Atkins are sent to Lauren Hoeft's Beaverland.
What do you get when you take a 1937 Federal Theatre Project production for children about oppressed beavers, then toss in some rubber teeth, galoshes falling from the sky, a tinsel-bedazzled robot, a Black Eyed Peas song and messages of social justice and environmentalism? A somewhat kooky but ultimately endearing and entertaining performance of The Revolt of the Beavers by Squabbling siblings, feeling the impact of a poor economy, make a wish on a four-leaf clover, inadvertently summoning the Wind, who sends them to Beaverland where they encounter four worker beavers who have been forced by the evil Chief Beaver to strip bark for her under threat of arrest even as their perks and resources diminish. The kids rightly assess the situation as being unfair and convince the skittish and downtrodden worker beavers to challenge the chief, and ultimately, freedom rings. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." Kelsey Davison as Hannah strikes the right tone as the bossy and impulsive older sister, while Joshua David Atkins as her brother Michael achieves a believable naveté and sweetness and is impressively exuberant in the final scenes. I imagine Davison and Atkins will probably work past some jitters and learn to gauge their timing with the audience's reactions. Chris Morrison throws himself into his role of Windy, swirling his flowy costume with abandon while he convinces the kids that he controls the weather. As the menacing Chief Beaver, Liz Foster-Shaner lords it over the worker beavers in a spectacular robot costume she has used to convince the drones that she is a powerful super beaver. The four worker beavers have a good chemistry and play off each other quite well. My favorites were Blake Henderson as Blubber Beaver, who brings a loose-limbed goofiness to his part, and Ashley McHose as the spunky and petite Beanpole Beaver, who tries to stand up to Chief Beaver. It's an attractive production, from the stylish poster to the smart set from Joe Varga, which manages to look modern even with childlike touches. Costume designer Ari Lebowitz obviously had fun with the robot costume, achieving a perfect marriage of glam rock and a kid's homemade Transformer. Choreographer Cindy Severt is responsible for some great moments -- the beavers' percussive stepping and the beavers' happy song. The small Hemsley Theatre was sold out Friday night, partly due to UW class assignments that required attendance at the play. Most of the audience seemed to be game for the experience with the exception of the annoying young women sitting in front of me laughing uncomfortably and furtively applying nail polish. The show is part of the department's Theatre for Youth, Program, and the playbill includes Madlibs and a nature scavenger hunt for young attendees. After the performance the audience was invited to stick around for a talk-back session with the cast that included activities for kids, but my daughter, a third grader, suddenly became shy. On the way home I asked for her feedback. Me: "What did you think of the play" Lily: "I liked it." Me: "Would you recommend it to your friends?" Lily: "Yes." Me: "What do think the message was?" Lily: "Don't let anyone boss you around. I think I got it all, but why was 'Let's Get it Started' in it?"
