Alaska News

Nothing terrible about 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day' at Cyrano's

Initially, the pace of "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" seems slow. But then you realize that this is exactly how a crummy day feels to a very young child. The hours between get-up and bedtime just crawl, bad things piling onto worse things until you forget what it was like to be happy.

Gum in his hair, a stubbed toe, a favorite sweater falling into the sink, no prize in his cereal box, older brothers who tease, fickle friends, a dentist appointment, lima beans for dinner, getting yelled at for fighting even though his brothers started it, TV programs with kissing, too-hot bathwater and soap in his eyes. Could this day get any worse?

The stage play, adapted by Judith Viorst from her wildly popular children's picture book, is a two-part lesson but not a preachy one. First takeaway: Yes, children, some days really do stink but we have to march through them anyway.

Why? Because getting through hard times (whether large or small) is necessary to help us become resilient -- or, as Alexander's mom sings, to develop "a strong self inside."

A nearly full house at Cyrano's on Saturday evening was sympathetic to Alexander's varied tortures. Small voices were heard saying, "Awww…." when things went wrong for the protagonist; at one point a young viewer stage-whispered, "That's not fair!"

Adults and kids alike joined in Alexander's repeated chants of "I'm having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!" (It's OK: He broke the fourth wall himself.)

This play rises or falls on the strength of its title character. Nathan Swan, a 17-year-old home-schooler, creates a fine, foot-stomping, scowly-browed protagonist. (The current film version of this tale features a middle-school-aged Alexander, but the stage play keeps the character at about age 6, as he was in the original book.)

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Any actor unable to tap into the intense feelings of early childhood would come across as a pouty, spoiled brat. But this Alexander is an Everykid, and Swan's portrayal helps adults remember a time when a friend's betrayal or the wrong kind of shoes could completely derail a day.

The other six performers play two to three characters apiece, shifts that are deftly handled. All the performers are quite good but three are standouts. As his mother, Katie Strock combines the exasperation of a put-upon parent of three ornery boys with the loving kindness of a mother who draws firm boundaries and then helps her youngest son learn to operate within them.

Rodney Lamb and Becky Sheridan play children but also take droll turns as a bathroom sink and a door, respectively, and as a pair of "genies" -- grinning imps who tempt Alexander into ruining a copy machine, knocking over a stack of books and dialing Australia on his father's cellphone. These devils make him do it, but he's the one who lands in trouble.

The songs by Shelly Markham (who was in the theater Saturday) are subtle and clever, sweetening the narrative without overpowering it. The bluesy "Shoes" is a full-cast number about the dizzying number of footwear choices (unless, of course, you're Alexander; nothing that he likes is available in his size).

"They'll Make You" and "If I Were in Charge of the World" are laments for the disempowered. Both underscore how bewildering the rules can be when you're still learning them, and how frustrating it is to have very little say over your own life. Grown-ups make the rules and (sometimes unfairly) enforce the rules, without listening to your side of the story.

Since the play lasts only a little over an hour, it's puzzling why the author saw fit to include an intermission. After all, the point of the story is that a series of small disasters add up to one truly horrible day. The 15-minute break dilutes the cumulative impact.

Perhaps Viorst thought very young audience members couldn't sit still that long, or would need a bathroom break. But plenty of other great children's shows do just fine with a single hour-long act. It's not that the actors didn't draw us back in immediately after intermission, but more that they shouldn't have to do so.

Donna Freedman, a former Anchorage Daily News reviewer, is an online personal finance journalist and blogs at DonnaFreedman.com.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

When: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, now until Dec. 22

Where: Cyrano's Playhouse, Fourth Avenue and D Street

Tickets: $28-$30 at centertix.net

Donna Freedman

Freelance writer Donna Freedman is a veteran Alaska journalist who has written for the Anchorage Daily News and many other publications. She blogs about money and midlife at DonnaFreedman.com.

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