to Junie B. Jones in...Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!

Today I went to see Junie B. Jones in....Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (Adapted by Barbara Park) at Emerald City Theatre, directed Jacqueline Stone. I went with Mommy, Margot and Daddy.

The play was about Junie B. Jones. And Junie B. Jones is very funny, she's in first grade. Elizabeth Stenholt plays Junie B. Jones and she is a really good actor because it was really good to see her be like Junie B. Jones and I know a lot about Junie B. Jones because I read the book Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Allison Gregory and I read it all by myself.  One thing about Junie B. Jones is that she doesn't like it when people forget her B.

In the play May forgot Junie's B. May called her just Junie Jones and that made Junie B. angry. Junie B. spends the whole play fighting with May.  Junie B. Jones has a hard time following rules and May likes to follow the rules and that's why they don't get along. I'm kind of like May because I like to follow rules. May was played by Jaclyn Hennell and I really like her as an actress because I've seen her before in the Nutcracker.

The other characters in the play were Jose and Mr. Toot (played by Johann George), Lucille and Elf Ellen (played by Kaitlyn Griggs), Mr. Scary (played by Darren Hill), Herb (played by Aaron Lawson), and Sheldon (played by Jerome Riley Jr.) I liked all of the characters they were excellent actors and very funny.

The lights (designed by Keith Parham) were blue and pretty and my favorite light was the Rudolph nose that was always glowing. The costumes (designed by Katherin Pavlovna Goldberg) were all really cool and colorful, my favorite costume piece was the purple glasses on Junie B. Jones. The sounds (designed by Jeffrey Levin) were really loud and totally awesome. The best sound EVER was the BURP!!!!!!!!!! All the BURPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Set was designed by William Boles, I know his work because he designed Hotel Cassiopeia and Jabari Dreams of Freedom (two other plays I've reviewed) the set was very very cool and amazing and astonishing! It looked like the whole classroom but everything was gigantic big! I loved the desks because they were so colorful, I wish they had desks that colorful in room 112 in Kindergarten.

My favorite part was the BURP!!!!!! I also really liked the slow motion parts like when May was singing Frosty the Snowman really slow and when Sheldon got spat on and fell down really really slow and then he was freaking out because he couldn't swim but there wasn't really any water it was just paper. There were so many slow motion parts and they were the funniest, especially the sounds!!

Everyone in the whole wide world should see this show because they will learn about Junie B. Jones and how to be a giver and a friend.

I give this play 100 Points because it was soooooo good and "wowie wow wow"!!!!

LOVE, 

Gunnar

Margot, "Herb", Me and "Junie B. Jones"

Me and "May" (look at my cool Elf hat!)

I can't wait to Read my new Junie B. Jones Book!

Margot, "Sheldon", "Jose" and Me!

To see "The Nutcracker" at the House Theatre of Chicago

Last night I went to a play called "The Nutcracker." My ticket looked like a bell and it was an ornament for our Christmas tree.  In the theatre it looked like a Christmas tree. When I walked in the theatre Hugo (Andrew Lund) was talking to me and told me and mommy to sit in the black seats because they were the best seats in the theatre.  The stage had a Christmas tree in the middle of the theater. There were presents under the tree and five white window doors and I saw pictures hanging on the walls. The pictures were of the whole family: Mom and Dad, Clara and her brother Fritz.

At the beginning of the play the officer came and told everyone that Fritz had died. And everyone was very sad because when they saw the flag and the sword they took it and then they were crying and they took the Christmas tree away. And I saw them put the Christmas tree behind me off the stage.  Then I think it was another year when Drosselmyer (James Houton) came back for the party but they didn't have a Christmas party. The mommy  (Marika Mashburn) and daddy (Abu Ansari) didn't want to have a party because they were still sad because Fritz died. But Clara (Jaclyn Hennell) was sad that there wasn't a party.  And then Drosselmyer gave Clara the nutcracker that looked like Fritz.  And then Fritz (Desmond Gray) came ALIVE to help Clara and her family celebrate Christmas and get the RATS!

I really loved the part when Chris Matthews played the monkey and they were in line and he was screaming and going "Ahh Ahh Ahh Ahh!!!!!" and everyone else was saying "Shhhh! Shhhh! Shhhh! Shhh!" That part was really funny! And  when the rats were done singing their song The Really Quite Scary Rat (Houton) screamed HI!!!! And that was funny. And I really loved playing in snow on the stage after the first act.

There was one really scary part with really really really big Rats and when they looked at mommy and me I thought I might be scared but then I thought "you don't want to eat me because I'm not in the play!" And then it was good. When the Rat king was coming the doors and the pictures and the walls broke apart and I don't know why they were still like that at the very end of the play. I wanted them to get fixed again.

I think kids like my friend Jo should go see this play because its fun to see scary things sometimes. I think Jordan and Jaspar might like this play because they are excited about Christmas just like me, and this play has a lot of Christmas in it.  Don't go to this show if you get scared of things because there are scary parts.

-Love Gunnar