When We Were Very Young @ Hip Pocket Theatre
—Jan Farrington
I look forward in summertime to the next Hip Pocket Theatre collaboration between Lake Simons and her composer husband John Dyer—the second generation of the Simons theater dynasty begun by Johnny and Diane in the 1970s. And the lyrical and heartfelt Simons/Dyer adaptation of A. A. Milne’s When We Were Very Young (the fourteenth!) is one of their best yet.
Longtime Hip Pocketeers will be interested (and possibly a bit misty) to know that at the center of the show is the third generation of this HPT family, Simons’ and Dyer’s six-year-old daughter Cy, who stands in for Milne’s own Christopher Robin, the inspiration and subject of his 1924 cycle of poems about childhood.
Where am I going? I don’t quite know
Down to the stream where the king-cups grow—
Up on the hill where the pine trees blow—
Anywhere, anywhere. I don’t know.
A cloud is carried across the sky, held by a kite string, moved gently in the hands of actors. It’s an evening of quiet theatrical magic made of cloth and paper, light and shadow—and music that can turn words into song and dance. Milne himself (played by clarion-voiced ensemble member Tyler Dorney) does a high-toned and funny intro to the poems. He isn’t quite sure “HOO” is talking in each one, he shrugs, or how they hang together—but he is sure that “these verses are ALL friends of Christopher Robin”—and that’s that.
The ensemble moves like water through dozens of roles: they are little foxes who don’t wear “sockses”; cows coming down to water; imaginary bears tip-toeing toward the bed; knights and ladies haunting the forest—and a whole village (tired of the wailing) wanting to know “What’s the matter with Mary Jane?” There’s a swan named Pooh (Milne sorts that out later), and a bear named Edward (quite Pooh-like, courtesy of Lake Simons the puppeteer) who is often found hand-in-hand with the child. Nikki DeShea Smith’s lighting throws wavering tree shadows and water across the stage, and lights up silhouettes of remembered toys and stories.
The ensemble includes: Marcos Barron, Casey Collier, Christina Cranshaw, Ellen Mahoney Crouse, Tyler Dorney, Cy Dyer, Grainger Esch, Grace Hays, Jeffrey Stanfield, and Kristi Ramos Toler, all of them doing fine ensemble work—but creating memorable characters of their own: Grainger as the King of France and Barron as a puppy are just two of many. (Susan Austin’s costume for the King is perfectly grand.) Director Simons keeps a swirl of imaginative activity going onstage; it isn’t just “stage business,” but adds beauty and wonder throughout.
Young Cy is shepherded through the scenes by members of the ensemble, but the pairings feel easy and natural. (Some lovely moments with Simons, cradling Cy and dancing her daughter around the stage.) The child sees the world as an explorer, a lake sprite, an arm-waving bird, and a chaser of ocean waves with sand between the toes. In a particularly delightful poem, the child meets a man, a horse, a woman, and some rabbits who all want to share their day. The child says no—until just the right critter comes by. We’re sure it’s the right choice.
Dyer’s music curls so cozily around Milne’s elegant-but-simple lines that we almost lose track of it—until we realize how soothed and happy we’ve become listening to his guitar/harmonica cast a spell on this hour of theater.
It’s hard to describe a show like this. Milne’s poems come from a more sentimental time, but they aren’t fragile or too cute. Alongside the fun and fantasy, they show us who children are, how they see our world –and make us wonder how much of our own “inner child” might still be ready…and waiting.
Where am I going? The high rooks call:
“It’s awful fun to be born at all.”
Where am I going? The ring-doves coo:
“We do have beautiful things to do.”
--from “Spring Morning”
WHEN: Through August 21
WHERE: Hip Pocket Theatre, 1950 Silver Creek Road, Fort Worth
WEB: hippocket.org
