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Tired of the wacky wet weather? Economy got you down? Time for a trip to the south of Italy, where the sun shines on the cobblestones of the village square and the pasta pot is always full.
"Strega Nona" is onstage through Sunday, June 7, at Adventure Theatre (AT), and a visit to Calabria — the land brought to life by children's author Tomie DePaola — has never been easier to arrange.
"I think Italy, and the magic that's in this show, lends itself to singing," says Michael J. Bobbitt, AT's producing artistic director. "It's more music than we've ever seen in a show since I've been here, but when ‘Strega Nona' the musical popped onto my desk, I thought, ‘That makes perfect sense!'"
Like the show's director, title character and probably most of the audience members' parents, Bobbitt learned about the warm and wonderful grandmotherly Strega Nona (literally "witch grandma") through the enthusiasm of a book-loving child. When his son came home from school with a Tomie DePaola bookmark, Bobbitt became a fan of the 75-year-old author as well.
"Even now, I call my grandma and she always has the right answer," he adds. "It's magic."
There's magic in set designer Joe B. Musumeci Jr.'s colorful rendition of Paolo in Calabria, which looks like a picture postcard straight from the land of childhood fantasy. Bobbitt says Musumeci "tells the story from the set's point of view," and this set sees a fable within a fairytale with a lot of color, texture and elements evocative of once-upon-a-time.
Bobbitt says that because the space in the theater is small, the audience gets pretty close to the action: "Every stitch on the costumes, every nailhead on the set can be seen.
"You know, right now there are three Disney plays on Broadway and one Dream Works play. Children's theater has become a viable commercial entity, and its quality has changed for the better.
"This is what people expect," he says. "They want to see that quality here."
And because it's the director who is ultimately responsible for bringing that quality, Bobbitt turned to Ray Cullom, the executive director of the Bethesda Theatre who not only has an extensive background in Broadway musicals, but also is married to Meryl Cullom, AT's director of education.
"This isn't really a ‘children's show'," says Cullom. "It's a musical children will like, but it's a real musical. That's how we've approached it from day one."
That means costumes borrowed from the Washington National Opera, a cast with roots in musical theater and classical performance, and a set that Cullom says was created with the opera in mind.
"You walk through those doors," he says, "and you feel like you're in an Italian village."
Which is what DePaola wanted when he wrote the first book of the series, "Strega Nona: An Old Tale" in 1980. As most modern schoolchildren know, DePaola grew up in a big, loving family with an Irish mother and an Italian father — and through his words and art, he has brought the tales of his family to life in more than 200 books.
"The show actually combines the three most popular stories," says Cullom. "They're very popular books."
And while he thinks most children will recognize "Strega Nona," he suspects that the show's broad physical comedy — chase scenes, talking animals, men in ladies' dresses and an exploding pasta pot — will attract them in a whole new way.
"Michael's stuff here at Adventure Theatre is just flat-out entertaining," Cullom says. "Yes, there are lessons, but what Adventure Theatre does is entertain kids and bring them the magic of theater.
"We're creating something kids want to go to."
Tammy Roberts knows all about that.
"When I was 12 years old, I went up to New York and auditioned to replace Andrea McArdle in ‘Annie,'" says Roberts, who plays Strega Nona. "I didn't get that role, but I got several callbacks. It was exciting."
Growing up in Clinton, Roberts performed in community theater and on her high school stage, and started out as a dance major at the University of Maryland before switching to urban studies. In addition to her degree in urban studies, Roberts earned a degree in accounting and relegated acting to "a hobby" until 2001.
"I was an auditor for Ernst & Young," she says, "but I decided that I really wanted to do theater professionally."
She created a career that combined performing on stage with teaching at Musical Theater Center — and first encountered Strega Nona while reading to her daughter Rachel, who is 2.
"The character possesses a lot of the qualities I have as a mother," Roberts says. "Strega Nona is all about love; she loves everyone, wants to take care of them. She loves her town.
"I think the funny side of the play lives in the other characters. I see Strega Nona as the ‘straight man.'"
That's where Chase Helton comes in. As Big Anthony, he takes the pratfalls and, yes, wears the dress.
"Basically, Big Anthony floods the town of Calabria with pasta," says Helton, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Maryland. "Strega Nona warns him not to touch her magic pasta pot, but he can't resist."
Trouble — and hilarity — ensue when pasta floods the town and feeds the hungry; and in honor of Big Anthony AT will partner with Manna Food Center to fight hunger by encouraging audience members to arrive with a box or can of food.
Helton, who can be seen onscreen in the Russell Crowe thriller "State of Play," says performing for children is tough, but he's not one to pass up a role.
"I really try to take up any acting opportunity that I can," he says. "Playing Big Anthony is challenging, and it's fun."
And it's art, according to Bobbitt.
"Art is art," the artistic director insists. "Even though our target audience is a 5-year-old, if we get them now and we get them hooked, they'll continue to love the arts."
No child is too young, he figures — and no parent too old — for this particular trip to Italy.
"Strega Nona," based on Tommie DePaola's Caldecott Award-Winning book, runs through Sunday, June 7, at Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Weekday field trip shows (call to see if there is space for individual tickets) start at 10:30 a.m. May 5-8, 12-15, 19-21, 27-29, and June 1-5. Weekday holiday shows are at 11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. May 25. The book club show is at 1:30 p.m. May 9, and an ASL-interpreted show at 1:30 p.m. June 7. Tickets are $12 for children, $15 for adults, and group discounts are available. Call 301-634-2270 or visit
www.adventuretheatre.org.
