The Experience: Our family has seen nary an episode of the legendary Scholastic TV show “The Magic Schoolbus,” but that didn’t stop us from being mesmerized by the Oregon Children’s Theatre’s live stage adaptation, The Magic Schoolbus Live: The Climate Challenge.
From the moment Ms. Frizzle and her class of curious kids board the bus for their first adventure, we and all the other kids in this packed audience were agape. (Literally – I looked down the row and saw nothing but open-mouthed faces and riveted eyes.)
The class travels around the globe to figure out why the weather’s so wacky these days, and in the course learn about habitats, animals and the relationship between people, our actions and the changes we can see in the seas or feel in the weather.
It’s a cautionary tale, to be sure, but it’s fraught not just with evergreen messages like, “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,” but also fresh additions like “Rethink” how you do things and “Small Things Matter” (small people, it seems to imply, do too). And even this relatively educated adult appreciated the refresher on the science of the greenhouse effect.
Bottom line? Take the time to catch this bus. You’ll walk away with lots to think about, to be sure. But between the show’s catchy songs and fast-moving dialogue, lively staging, creative sets and imaginative use of simple effects to pull it all together, you’ll never even know you’re learning something.
Inside information: The Magic Schoolbus runs about an hour, with no intermission. Booster seats for smaller kids can help ensure their view; get yours at the coat check room.
The 411
Performance dates: Runs Saturdays at 2pm and 5pm; Sundays at 2pm thorough Feb. 19. Tickets: $16 to $30 adults, $13 to $26 youth, plus charges. Location: Newmark Theatre at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts’ Hatfield Hall, 1111 SW Broadway Contact: 503-228-9751; octc.org/onstage/magicschoolbus.
— Sarah Pagliasotti
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