Just delightful!
by allaboutlc on 5/2/18Birmingham Children's Theatre at the BJCC - BirminghamWhat a blast from the past! The cast was so talented. Certainly left singing the tunes. Had ages 8-75 yrs old with us & it was so enjoyable for us all.
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About
Schoolhouse Rock Live! on Tour
With its irresistible music, lively choreography, and earworm lyrics, Schoolhouse Rock Live! proves that tricking children into learning still works — even decades after the debut of its namesake TV show.
Created by advertising executive David McCall, who had noticed his son could easily remember song lyrics but not multiplication tables, Schoolhouse Rock enchanted a generation of young viewers with 40 infectiously clever, short, animated songs. They were about about math, grammar, civics, history, and computer science and broadcast between Saturday-morning shows from 1973 to 1985. McCall wisely hired jazz songwriter Bob Dorough, whose first song was "Three Is a Magic Number." They followed with "Conjunction Junction," "My Hero, Zero," and three dozen other classics of short-form pedagogy.
Songs like "Three Is a Magic Number" were both educational and more than a little profound: "The past and the present and the future/ The faith and hope and charity/ The heart and the brain and the body/ Give you three as a magic number."
Dorough and the equally inspired Lynn Ahren wrote pithy, informative songs devoted to everything from the American Revolution ("The Shot Heard Round the World") and women's right to vote ("Sufferin' Till Suffrage") to the arduous enactment of laws ("I'm Just a Bill") and the solar system ("Interplanet Janet"). They were performed by great jazz vocalists like Blossom Dearie, Jack Sheldon, and Dorough himself.
Schoolhouse Rock appealed to both children and the adults they eventually grew into. Its educational appeal evolved into nostalgia and sheer love of the music itself.
In 1993, Theatrebam Chicago transformed the Emmy Award–winning TV show into the musical Schoolhouse Rock Live! In it, a frustrated teacher finds new inspiration in a favorite old television series whose title you can probably guess. It played for eight months in the basement of a vegetarian restaurant before moving to a larger venue and would enjoy an 11-month Off-Broadway run beginning in 1995.
Through Music Theatre International, Schoolhouse Rock Live! continues to be performed by theater companies and school drama departments throughout the U.S., in Canada, and even on London's West End. Its popularity speaks to its timeless art and appeal. Schoolhouse Rock is a lesson that keeps on giving.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Rating: 5 out of 5 So much fun!
by Anonymous on 5/1/18Birmingham Children's Theatre at the BJCC - BirminghamSchool House Rock Live! is such a great performance. We had shown our 6 year old some of the old cartoons. So, he knew some of the songs they performed. After the play, he got to meet the cast & get their autographs. He even got a photo with Bill! He was so excited & loved every minute of it. He told me on the way home that it was the best night ever & that he loved it “more than electronics!” I don’t know, but I think that’s a pretty amazing review in itself.
Rating: 5 out of 5 School House Rock Jr., Rocked the House!
by Keando on 11/13/13Akron Civic Theatre - AkronVery high energy! I loved singing along, and my 8 yr. old couldn't sit in her seat!
Rating: 5 out of 5 SchoolHouse Rock Live (jr) Rocked the House!
by JoePeffer on 4/7/13Shedd Theatre - ColumbusAnother winner from the Catco is Kids program at the Davis Discovery Center's Shedd Theater. Joe Bishara conjures a great performance from each and every of the 30-something kids ages 8-18 who combine to make up the cast and chorus of this staple music from your fondly remembered Saturday Mornings.