The young minds of children are as impressionable as a mound of clay.
Growing up in the farm cornfields of Starke County in the 1970s, our television channels from our TV tower antennae were limited to about 13 total, including PBS and UHF offerings.
Reading was the favorite escape of me and my four older siblings, with comic books to passed along novels and young adult fiction works filling our bedrooms and basement bookshelves.
Most of all, as mentioned previously, we had our trusted set of 1954 World Book Encyclopedias. As a bonus from the salesman, the encyclopedias came with a set of 1954 Childcraft bound volumes to inspire the imagination with history, culture, nature facts, crafts and hobbies and most of all, nursery rhymes and fairy tales, the latter of which I grew up with Mom, aunts and older siblings reading to me for story time and bedtime.
It was these beautifully illustrated and descriptive pages that inspired me to pen a new children’s play to bring favorite characters to life with new and old wisdom to guide both young and older minds in this rapidly evolving world surrounding all of us.
Theatre at the Center at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road in Munster is presenting this week’s world stage premiere of “Modern Mother Goose,” with performances through Saturday, May 24, giving new life to my favorite storybook and nursery rhyme characters along with timeless learning lessons for audiences of all ages. This week, schools from throughout Porter and Lake counties have made the end-of-school-year pilgrimage to come and see the show.
I set “Modern Mother Goose” in Storybook Land with Pierogi Fest favorite Carolyn “Buscia” Kruszynski stepping into the narrator role as “Mother Goose,” guiding guests through familiar bedtime stories and fairytales, each presented with a new twist to fit into today’s topsy-turvy, fast-paced world.
Kruszynski is reunited on stage with Whiting’s Pierogi Fest perennial mascot “Mr. Pierogi” Tony Panek playing Little Boy Blue opposite WJOB 1230 AM radio personalities cast as silly storybook alter egos, including Region Bandstand DJ Dave Innes as The Giant and sports broadcaster Rob Aguirre as The Prince. Joining the fun are Catherine Dilworth as Little Miss Muffet, Caleb Perez as The Cow and Cara Schmitt as Sleepy Princess Prudence.
In addition to writing and directing the production, I’m also featured as a stage cameo playing Humpty Dumpty and providing the vocals for the puppet character of the menacing spider.
The play runs 55 minutes and showcases a full set and scenery design to transport families and young audiences to a fantasy world where a giant worries about his height, Miss Muffet longs for the latest breakfast cereal brand and kingdom royalty learns it’s more important to rule with fairness rather than flaunt the latest “apple” watch.
Tickets are $10 for adults and children and are available online at www.TheatreAtTheCenter.com or call 219-836-3255. Performances are this week each weekday morning at 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. and one final 10 a.m. Saturday weekend performance.
In May 2023, Theatre at the Center returned to presenting Theatre for Young Audiences with the original runs of “Not Your Grandma’s Little Red Riding Hood” followed by the holiday show “The Year Santa Went on a Diet,” the latter which also starred “Modern Mother Goose” castmates Kruszynski, Innes, Schmitt and Aguirre.
Schmitt, who played the title character of Red Riding Hood during the May 2023 play parody run, reads storybooks to her twins at bedtime, especially the “Harry Potter” series, and said she enjoys the contrast of blending tradition with the silly, fun parody references woven throughout this new play to appeal to both adults and children.
“Every audience is very different,” Schmitt said.
“Both adults and kids can relate to the references from today’s use of artificial intelligence to the new pope’s favorite region pizza restaurant and the prince being proud of his new six-horse powered ride.”
What I’ve found the most surprising since the performances began on Monday is the sad factor that so many of today’s young minds have never heard of Mother Goose or most of these classic storybook tales and nursery rhymes.
However, just as what is emphasized in this new play “Modern Mother Goose,” what was once old can be revisited, reintroduced and cherished anew by minds eager to be engaged.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and radio show host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at PhilPotempa@gmail.com.
