PLAY REVIEW
VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University Theatre and Dance presents a wonderful, remarkable, so good, very good play with “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
Michael Elliott directs a funny, fast-paced, refreshing piece of theatre that entertains audiences of all ages. This play is based on Judith Viorst’s children’s book of the same name. It is about a boy named Alexander who wakes up one morning to nothing but trouble, from gum in his hair to the wrong pair of shoes.
The play captures the book’s universal charm and adds to it through lively songs, colorful costumes and inventive staging.
The cast is a marvel.
Colby Hall plays the trouble-plagued Alexander throughout the show. He brings empathy to the character while capturing a real childlike quality. Alexander joyfully sings off key. He mopes about his unwanted white tennis shoes. He mourns the loss of his best friend. He kvetches about finding no prize in his cereal box. A bad day can seem like the end of the world to a child, and Hall captures the full catastrophe that is Alexander’s “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”
The rest of the cast plays several characters throughout this one-hour performance. Laura Wright, Luke Newsome, Ashley Anderson, Casey Harney, Renita James, Tim Olivar, and Chance Wall are remarkable as they play brothers, other children, parents, shoe-store clerks, kangaroos, koalas, and, if not a kitchen sink, at least a bathroom sink. This cast keeps “Alexander” fresh and funny throughout the performance.
This show’s public performances have concluded; however, the VSU Theatre and Dance group is traveling to schools throughout South Georgia and North Florida, performing “Alexander” during the next several weeks. If your school’s not on the list, you might want to see if there are more openings available.
The best review of this children’s show can be found in Saturday morning’s sold-out audience.
VSU filled the seats. The show started a few minutes late as additional seats were found for an overflow of audience members. Still, during the performance’s entire hour, only one child had to be excused to use the restroom. Children usually have to be escorted to the restroom in droves during a live show.
But for “Alexander,” only one child. Anyone familiar with children’s theatre knows that is something like a standing ovation.
This review is based on Saturday morning’s performance.