Click Clack Moo just plain fun

WESTON – Theater for children often leaves the parents bored, but that is not always the case.

“Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type,” presented by the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company June 18-July 6 at the Weston Rod and Gun Club, is not only thoroughly entertaining for young children, there are enough double entendres and wisecracks to keep the adults happy. Sunday’s performance by the WPTC Young Company was well-cast, well-sung, fast-paced and just plain fun. There were even a few touching moments.

The musical comedy is based on the book by Doreen Cronin, the story of barnyard animals who feel that their barn is too cold for comfort. They attempt to communicate with Farmer Brown, but he can’t understand cow’s moos, the cackle of chickens or the quack of the duck. They discover a typewriter among the barn’s junk, and, after consulting George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” proceed to fight for what they see is right.

The charming script by James E. Grote made the duck the narrator and gave him a TV remote to control the action – including rewinds. The music, by George Howe, was also charming, though not terribly memorable – except the “Click, Clack, Moo,” theme, which many of the children were singing as they left the performance. Howe was also the music director and accompanied the performance ably on electronic piano.

The cast was just fine, and clearly had a lot of fun with their roles. Michael Howell’s Duck was delightfully goofy. Tara Novie was passionate as Cow 2 who wants to overthrow Farmer Brown, while Rachael Cain was perfectly earnest as Cow 1 who preaches non-violence. Hannah Jane McMurray as Hen and A.J. Holmes as Calf were a riot with their adolescent bickering. Paul Rawlings was suitably perplexed, and not always nice, as the beleaguered Farmer Brown.

The WPTC Young Company is composed of actors who are no more than three years out of a conservatory or undergraduate theater program. They spend the summer in the intensive summer program working as apprentices with Weston’s professional team.

Directed by Frances Limoncelli, the high-quality production benefited from delightful choreography by Terrie Robinson, charming costumes by Amy Elizabeth Johnson, a simple but effective set by Blair Mielnik, sound design by Kimberly Fuhr, and dramatic lighting by Nelson Emig.

Weston’s “Click, Clack, Moo” is jut plain funny.

by Jim Lowe