I have attended almost the entire CTC season this year and, believe it or not, this was the first time I was able to bring a kid with me! My four year old niece Penelope was so excited to see a “play with Auntie” last weekend and was babbling about this one all the way home. BABBLE LAB was created and performed by CTC Company Member Autumn Ness and with the use of video, physical comedy, and some silliness we had a wonderful time.
Performed in the Cargill Stage, we enter the rotunda and are greeted by “lab techs” who help pick out some silly socks for kids and/or the adults who came with them. Penelope loved looking at the silly little faces and meeting the kids in the lobby wearing them too. We arrived a little early so was happy to see there were also some books in the lobby to read/entertain her as we waited for the show to begin. The show starts right there in the lobby when the Scientist (Autumn Ness) comes in wearing an odd invention. She walks around the room listening closely for all sorts of sounds including coming right up to Penelope and listening to her tummy that sounded like a baseball game. A fun way to catch kids attentions and lead us into the world of the scientist.
We follow her into the theatre where her lab was all set up. The kids sat in the first 3 rows on raised cushions and the rest of us sat behind. This is not Penelope’s first time at a show like this as she has attended Stages shows including Spookley the Square Pumpkin, Buckets, and Galactic Wonders and though not as interactive as those, this had a similar set up so she sat front and center making friends with the kids next to her. (I’m creating a little theatre goer 🤩).
We watch as the scientist discovers letters and the noises they all make. From fumbling around the lab and creating letters that bounce out of drawers to letters that take us on adventures under water, it’s an incredible world of discovery and silliness. I loved the use of video (Projection Design by Jorge Cousineau and Craig Gottschalk) as letters and sounds came out of the scientists mouth and scattered across the screen. With a script mostly made up of nonsensical sounds, the incredible multi-media production used these videos to help move the story telling forward. Penelope watched so intently and loved the silly moments when the letters were eaten or turned into animals.
It was the perfect Auntie Day out at the theatre and a joy to watch all the kids in the room so quietly paying attention to see what would come next. If you have a little one you are looking to expose to some theatre this is the perfect start. It runs just 45 minutes in length and perfect to keep the attention of a pre schooler and makes me extra excited to bring my niece to longer productions in the future. Running through April 14th, the seating is limited in each performance so get your tickets early.
Lettered in Theatre 