In the world of children’s theater, familiar character often engage in conflicting — and sometimes criminal — behavior.
These are their stories.
Watch those stories unfold when Vero Voce Theatre presents “Law & Order: Nursery Rhyme Unit,” along with “Law & Order: Fairy Tale Unit” from Friday-Sept. 27. Performances at the St. Charles theater are at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays.
In the one-hour “Nursery Rhyme Unit,” Detective Green and The Punnish Sir are trying to solve the murder of Humpty Dumpty.
“They find his remains, which is just a shell,” said David M. Rodriguez, theatrical artistic director at Vero Voce. “It actually sounds darker than it is. It’s actually very family-friendly.”
In “Law & Order: Fairy Tale Unit,” detectives are trying to solve the case of who blew down the Three Little Pigs’ house.
“Eventually the pigs have the wolf as a suspect, but not everything is what it seems,” Rodriguez said.
They speak with other characters including Pinocchio and the Seven Dwarfs as they investigate the crime.
“It’s really funny,” Rodriguez said. “They kids are doing a wonderful job. They play multiple roles. It’s kind of like sketch comedy.”
Featuring a cast of 13, the two short plays are directed by three student directors: Macey Buckman, Abageal Phelan and Izzy Schamberger. Rodriguez, who oversees the production, said he is impressed with everyone’s hard work, which shows they have been learning a lot.
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“They’re doing a really good job, and they’re very supportive of each other,” he said. “They know that they’re a team. I always try to instill that in them that they work together, that they’re not out there just for themselves.”
One of the student directors, Schamberger, wrote original commercials that will “air” between scenes.
“We filmed commercials that we’re going to show during the show,” Rodriguez said. “The scene will finish and we’ll black out and we’ll say ‘Law & Order: Nursery Rhyme Unit’ will be right back.’ Then we’ll project the commercial that we filmed. So, it will be like watching an episode.”
The commercials, he said, feature “very intelligent humor” for nursery rhyme-related products or shows, such as a spot for “Real Pigs of New Jersey” or a “Bachelor”-like program in which Prince Charming must choose between all the princesses.
“It’s very clever and with the times,” Rodriguez said.
Sprinkled throughout both plays are pop culture references, appealing to children and their parents, Rodriguez said.
“I always start with the parents and work down,” he said. “We don’t do kids shows. We do shows kids have to be in. My target audience is always adults, because they’re the majority of the audience. We want to make sure they’re enjoying it.”
Kathy Cichon is a freelance writer.
‘Law & Order: Nursery Rhyme Unit’
When: Saturday-Sept. 27
Where: Vero Voce Theatre, 951 State Ave., Suite F, St. Charles
Tickets: $18 adult; $15 senior/student; $10 child
Information: 630-584-0139 or www.verovoce.com