Review: HOLES at Silvermoon Children's Theatre

I do love a good children’s theatre program, and Director Susannah Morriss Linnett and her team at Silvermoon Children’s Theatre at the Historic Silvermoon on Broad, 217 W Broad, in Texarkana, bring out the best in their budding actors and actresses. For this trip, I was treated to HOLES, which played February 22-25. This group of storytellers was so entertaining, I wanted to rewatch it on tv when I got home.  

Originally the winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award, the story follows Stanley Yelnats (Logan Allen), who gets in trouble for a crime he didn’t commit and is sent to Camp Green Lake where they dig holes. Why? Under the guise of “building character, The Warden (Annabelle Harp), along with Mr. Sir (Christopher Kennedy) and Mr. Pendanski (Joey Campbell) are looking for something. What is that something? The only thing the kids are told is to dig a 5ft-by-5ft hole, and if they find something interesting, let them know. While at this camp, Stanley meets XRay (Clover Slayter), Armpit (Adam Putman), Magnet (Derek Ray), Zigzag (Liam Elder), Zero (Kale Willett), and Squid (Eleanor Chambers). Together, they dig holes and bond. During this time, the drama of Kissing Kate Barlow (Anna Jo Briggs) unfolds, and questions get cleared up in the end.  

This is a great story, and the kids were wonderful storytellers. Their characterization was excellent. I especially loved the strong women roles. Annabell Harp as the Warden really took control of her guys. She was fierce and commanding, and it looked like she could get the crew to do whatever she wanted. Anna Jo Briggs as Kate Barlow was sweet as their teacher, but her ruthlessness came out when she was done wrong. I did like her chemistry with Justin Gentry (Sam). You couldn’t help but be sympathetic to them. Adalie Aylett as Madame Zeroni was one of my favorite characters. I loved the accent and her mannerisms. She made me smile. 

Of course, I can’t leave out the guys. Christopher Kennedy and Joey Campbell were a great pair as Mr. Sir and Mr. Pendanski. They were funny, and their physical comedy really excited the audience. The group of diggers worked well as an ensemble, but I really enjoyed the relationship between Stanley and Zero. Logan Allen and Kale Willett brought the feels during their interactions together. We were rooting for them to get the curse lifted in the end.  

The set was functional with a lot of tan. This was a large cast, and I was impressed that they could make all of it flow so well without any accidents, at least the unplanned ones. On the set crew were Josh Morriss, Meredith Farren, Marjorie Matthews, Cormac Matthews, Jackie O’Shaughnessy, Gabbi Goodman, Luna Harris, Scott Watts, Mabyn Kyles, Maia Fernandez, Lily Linnett, and Susannah Linnett.   

The costumes matched the movie. The guys wore their orange camp clothes, and the kids during Kate Barlow’s time wore turn of the century clothes. They look great! The costume crew included Meredith Farren, Gracie Seward, Julie O’Shaughnessy, Peri Seward, Catherine Rickett, and Susannah Linnett.  

As an added bonus, they had Sploosh at the concession stand. What is Sploosh? It was tied into the story and is what kept Zero alive when he ran off into the desert. Give up? Basically, it is peach cobbler without the cobbler. It was very yummy. 

I love this performance company. They are always so welcoming, and you can really tell that they like what they do. If you live in the area and have a budding thespian, sign them up with Silvermoon. Your kids will find their people there. Up next is LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. For more information on tickets or to get involved, visit their website at silvermoonkids.com. 

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