The teens of the Helen Hocker Center for the Performing Arts' Bath House Players will offer their audiences a crash course on the essential skills of childhood when they present the musical revue "How to Eat Like a Child and Other Lessons in Not Being a Grown-up."
The dozen 14- to 18-year-old actors, singers and dancers of this summer's Bath House Players will stage the musical adaptation of Delia Ephron's humor book of the same title for two weekends with performances at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 5 in the Helen Hocker Theater in Gage Park.
Tickets, which are $10, can be purchased at the door, or in advance in the center offices south of the theater, or by calling 368-0191.
Most of the songs and skits of "How to Eat Like a Child" originated in a television special that first aired Sept. 22, 1981, on the NBC network. The television adaptation by Judith Kahan with songs by John Forster starred Dick Van Dyke as the resident "grown-up" alongside 15 children, including Corey Feldman, Billy Jacoby and Georg Olden.
The television script was expanded into a theatrical production that offers two dozen "lessons" about childhood, many of them accompanied by a song.
Among the lessons is one about "How to Understand Your Parents," which includes the many ways adults say "no": "'We'll see' means 'no'; 'Not now' means 'no'; 'Ask your father' means 'no'..."
There are lessons about "How to Stay Home from School," "How to Watch More Television," "How to Torture Your Sister," "How to Act After Being Sent to Your Room" and "How to Ride in a Car," which includes asking on several occasions, "Are we there yet?"
Performing the lessons is an ensemble cast with Bailey Carter, Michael Duncan, Victoria Everett, Jordan Hayes, Lydeah Kearse, Jessi Kennedy, Caitlyn Lambrecht, Krista Pojman, Sage Pourmirza, Katie Schieferecke, Bryce Stallons and CJ Williams-Herrera.
Jo Huseman directs the show, with music direction by Pat Gibson, who accompanies the cast. Sally Glassman, assisted by Alayne Weber, choreographed the production, the set and lighting of which were designed by Aaron Kennedy. Sharon L. Sullivan and Samantha Heath served as costumers, and Logan Best serves as stage manager.
