Don Darryl Rivera wrote and stars in this musical version of "Harold and the Purple Crayon." I was thrilled to be invited to attend and review this show at the Children's Theatre in Minneapolis. This is one of my favorite children's books. I read it over and over as a child. Well, I suppose my mom had to read it over and over. Then, I did. And, I shared it with my own kids. I loved that purple crayon. I wanted to take my big box of crayons and have as many grand adventures as Harold.
The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis partners with the Seattle Children's Theatre to bring their shows to a wide range of audiences. "Harold and the Purple Crayon" comes to us from Seattle and the creative team; lyrics by Rob Burgess, music by Auston James, text by Don Darryl Rivera, and directed by Rita Giomi. Also in the cast are Khanh Doan and Caety Sagoian as the Storytellers, or crayons. My son thought they were Harold's crayons. They help bring the story to life.
The best part about attending this production was hearing the giggles and exclamations from the kids in the audience. The use of lighting, colors, dance, and puppetry draw us in. This is a show full of surprises.
To read more and see photos from the production, provided by the Children's Theatre, go to my writing blog www.maryaalgaard.blogspot.com. Visit www.childrenstheatre.org for tickets and show times.
