Stanley Falls Flat

Remember Flat Stanley–the kid who gets flattened when his bulletin board falls on him while he’s sleeping, which leads to many exciting adventures? Well, Stanley has been musicalized. Blocking my memories of the horror that was Dora the Explorer: Pirate Adventure, I bid for and won five tickets to The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley at our school’s silent-auction fundraiser, and dragged the whole family out for an evening. (My conversation this afternoon with Tom: (Tom) “I could be going out tonight.” (Me) “I’m sorry. But there were five tickets. It was perfect!” (Tom) “No, four tickets would be perfect.”)

So, how was the show? Well, let me give you a clue: here’s the touring company’s website. I dare you to find an actor listed anywhere. The first fifteen minutes were squirmingly bad, but after that it was tolerable. I don’t think it was that the show got any better as it went along–it was Owen’s rapt attention as he sat on my lap. At 5, he’s smack in their demographic.

At 12, Emma is unfortunately not in their demographic–she made it clear afterwards that this was an hour of her life she was never going to get back–and even Alice at 9 was a bit beyond it. I have to give the actors credit, though. I can’t imagine that performing in the touring company of a musical based on an early chapter book is any aspiring actor’s dream, but there was energy and perkiness to spare on that stage. Stanley got mailed to Hollywood, Washington D.C., Paris, and Hawaii, smiling and singing all the way. And for the under-6 crowd, at least, it was a magical musical adventure.