NCT kicked off the 2015 season with Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play! Most famous for his book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, author and playwright Willems wrote the script and lyrics to this silly, moving musical that is “appropriate for children of all ages,” according to NCT.
Elephant Gerald and his best friend, Piggie, dance their way through several predicaments and surprising situations. While the play included many parts from the book series and had the audience in tears of laughter at times, my two year old was less than impressed and confused by the lack of, well…an elephant and a piggy. The main characters did a phenomenal acting job, but I wish we had known ahead of time that the animals in the story would be depicted as humans. Elephant Gerald’s costume consisted of a man in a grey suit wearing a scarf, and Piggie was wearing a pink leotard, tutu, and patchwork leggings. The stage set was also minimal with one piece of scaffolding that the characters climbed on a few times. The audience was pulled into the action toward the end of the play, which was a delightful interactive experience for all in attendance.
In my opinion, while the content is appropriate for children of all ages, it is likely most appreciated by children of upper preschool to elementary ages. If you take a younger child, have a conversation ahead of time about the play’s main characters being portrayed as humans to spare the “Where is the elephant? Where is the piggy?” questions being asked more than a dozen times. Be sure to arrive early to enjoy craft time in the lobby!
Elephant & Piggie’s We’re in a Play! runs on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm through February 8.
Thank you, Sophia for helping us out with this review! Sophia has 1.99 kids :) She is due next Tuesday with baby boy #2. She has been in Nashville 9 years. She’s a mom, freelance editor, and dōTERRA wellness advocate. She enjoys reading, traveling, Predators hockey, arts & crafts, and especially time with my boys. She sometimes writes over at www.alittlebirdwelltoldme.com.