Last weekend I took the two bigs (Evie and Mack) and the two middles (Vivian and Ben) to see “Pinocchio” at The Chicago Children’s Theatre. The company recently opened a beautiful new facility in the West Loop, where parking is plentiful and little shops, bakeries and cafes are all within walking distance. It was a really nice afternoon!

The show, which features actors using sign language, is targeted to the 8 and over crowd, but since my kids have been enjoying shows around town for years I tried my luck by bringing all of them. When we took our seats three-year-old Ben adorably set up his collection du jour (Minion wallet, Paw Patrol character, rainbow lollipop). I thought maybe he’d sit still with all his stuff…but that was way too optimistic.

Four (maybe three) minutes after the show started, Ben was outta there. Despite lots of action and noise, this show could not keep his attention, especially with a 3-D printer humming away in the lobby. So, I stayed out with Ben while Evie, Mack and Vivian watched the show. Knowing we were at a children’s theater made me feel much better about A) a wily little kid and B) leaving the big kids alone to watch the show.

Fotunately, Evie, Mack and Vivian LOVED the show! Since I didn’t get much of a chance to watch the performance myself (thanks, Ben!), I asked the kids to share their reviews here:

Evie’s (age 8 ) review:

“I liked the play Pinocchio because it was interesting and I liked that the actors used sign language because I got to learn more about what sign language is. Also, I liked that there were kid actors (not just all adults). Usually in plays its adults acting like kids and that’s just RUDE! And, it is interesting because it was at an old police station.

It was fun to get dressed up and go to a play with my mom and sister and brothers.”

Mack’s (age 7) review:

“The play was really cool because the actors used sign language and I got to learn a little bit of that. There was a lot of stuff to watch during the show because there was music and lots of lights and sometimes it was really dark. I think my friends would like it.”

Vivian’s (age 5) review:

“I liked the Pinocchio play because the person who was evil was fun and there was a girl that was really pretty. And a boy sat on Pinocchio. It was really silly!”

So, there you have it. If you have kids older than 3 and you live near Chicago, take them to see “Pinocchio” at the Chicago Children’s Theatre!

http://chicagochildrenstheatre.org/shows/pinocchio/