All too often, kids’ entertainment means that, while the little ones have a great time, parents are abandoned to hour-long series of boredom. Not so at the New Victory Theatre. With Mr. Popper’s Penguins, director Emma Earle presents fun that actually delivers for the whole family.
Pins and Needles Productions’ adaptation of Richard and Florence Atwater’s classic children’s book follows Mr. Popper (Russell Morton), a house painter in the little town of Stillwater who dreams of bigger things. Chiefly, he dreams of traveling the world, and making it to the South Pole, a place that holds for him the greatest fascination. He reads every new book on the Antarctic he can find, he’s seen all the relevant movies and documentaries, and he listens religiously to Admiral Drake’s (Lucy Grattan) radio broadcasts from his South Pole-bound expedition. However, as a house painter, he contents himself with daydreaming over his buckets of paint. That is, until one day when Admiral Drake, in response to a letter from Mr. Popper, sends him a special gift from the South Pole: a penguin. Mr. Popper’s beloved new pet, named Captain Cook, changes Mr. and Mrs. Popper’s (Roxanne Palmer) lives forever.
In Earle’s capable hands, Mr. Popper’s Penguins shines as a show that kept the kids in the audience enthralled without forgetting about their parents. Morton’s performance nails the show’s whimsical tone, while Palmer keeps the story grounded with Mrs. Popper’s more pragmatic take on the situation. Together, the two make Captain Cook’s antics entertaining as ever, bringing the novel to a new life on the stage with incredible success.
Music by composer Luke Bateman and lyricist Richy Hughes helped the show pop, capturing at once the show’s yearning, love, and whimsy. Whether it’s Mr. Popper singing about is desire to travel the world and reaching the South Pole, or he and his wife singing about having the “chills” for each other as they turn their home into a wintry wonderland for their new penguin friend, Bateman and Hughes turn the novel’s greatest moments into catchy and clever musical intervals.
The most obvious problem of turning the classic novel into a play is, of course, the penguins. Caroline Bowman, Ivan Thorley, Beth Tarbutt, Oli Simonon, and Hugh Purves, the show’s puppet makers, create a sparkling and adorable solution that brightens the stage. Operated by Toby Manley, the puppeted Captain Cook brings a lively energy to the stage. Nothing can beat the cuteness of the dance sequence performed by Mr. and Mrs. Popper, Captain Cook and Greta, and their eight penguin babies – unless of course we’re counting the post-show dance off for the kids in the audience led by the cast.
