Review: CURIOUS GEORGE: THE GOLDEN MEATBALL at The Growing Stage

Alexander and I had the pleasure of seeing Curious George: The Golden Meatball at The Growing Stage in Netcong, NJ this weekend. It's a delightful and engaging production centered around everybody's favorite monkey! Expertly directed by Danny Campos who really captured the vibrant, cosmopolitan world of George and the Man in the Yellow Hat. The staging was exciting and the transitions were swift and fun as the young, fully engaged viewers tracked George all around the theater.

As a former elementary school teacher I am no stranger to children centered productions but this one felt different. It was polished and performed with the utmost integrity. The singing (bravo to the musical director Stephen Fox) was phenomenal, complete with blended harmony and yummy vibratos. The choreography (Jillian Petrie) was tight, clever and acrobatic. George, played by Sara Giacomini, had boundless energy and captured the enthusiasm while doing an excellent job at keeping the audience "in the know" without using a single word! Will Brockman was the calm in the spaghetti storm and sang the part beautifully. A standout for me was Davis Cameron Lemley who gave us a spot-on Chef Pisghetti interpretation with the voice of an angel. The ensemble was impressive; seamlessly changing costumes and characters more times than the audience could count.

I knew the show had made an impression on my son when he decided he would only speak in "monkey" for the ride home after the show, a language that I am unfortunately not fluent. If you're looking for a fun and low key atmosphere for your kids or grandkids to have the chance to be exposed to live theater look no further than The Growing Stage. There's still a chance to see this show next weekend and I urge you to check out future productions for The Growing Stage, The Children's Theatre of New Jersey on their website http://www.growingstage.com/,