CENTERblog

Click Clack Moo: Incredible Fun for Children of All Ages

by Arielle Young - University of Alaska Anchorage

Click Clack Moo is a bizarre and hilarious musical blend of hip-hop, rock, and traditional musical numbers. It is “West Side Story” meets “Animal Farm,” where the animals just happen to sing and dance, the chickens and cows have a rivalry, and they are all fed up with poor treatment from Farmer Brown.

It was a cold blustery Saturday afternoon when I caught the show, but the Discovery Theatre was packed with people of all ages ready to be entertained. The actors did not disappoint. It was easy to see that this was a professional production, and despite being geared towards children, everyone on-stage brought their A-game. Not only were they amazing singers but they all had impeccable comic timing and a complete lack of inhibition that helped the crazy antics on-stage and musical members bring the audience to boisterous laughter and spontaneous applause.

The show was only about an hour long, but from Farmer Brown’s opening number to the end musical number with nearly the whole cast, the energy on-stage never once let up. Because of the energy of the cast, it is a great show for kids. Everything happens so fast; there was not a single dull moment in which a child watching could start to get bored. On top of that, the plot was very simple and would be easy to follow for any child around age five and older. Also, there was a musical number every couple of minutes which would help to invigorate and wake up any younger kids in the audience who’s attention may have wandered during dialogue scenes. I was watching with a child of age six who had also watched it two days prior and he was still just as enthralled with the action on stage.

The show would also be extremely enjoyable for any adult, especially one with a love of musical theatre or who is just a big kid at heart. I was laughing hysterically right along with the kids through most of the show, especially any scenes involving Duck and the Hip-Hop dancing chickens. I also loved the nods they made to “West Side Story” with the Cows and Chickens rivalry subplot.

Everyone in the theatre seemed to be enjoying the performances immensely, myself included. I was disappointed when it ended after only an hour, as I could have sat there enjoying it awhile longer, but it’s understandable in a show mostly intended for children viewers. All in all, it was a really great afternoon spent, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more great things out of many of these performers in the future.

Click Clack Moo

Alaska Junior Theater

Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 2pm

Discovery Theatre