Tickled Pink

October 11, 2009

TodaysParent.com

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OK, my bad. I wanted to post this yesterday but given it’s Thanksgiving weekend, time has certainly not been my own! So I am writing with a belly full of trimmings…no wonder my laptop is a little farther away.

On Saturday morning I took Finn, Jack and Olivia to see the opening of Pinkalicious, an Off-Broadway musical that has been running for three years in New York and is now playing at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts at 10268 Yonge Street in Richmond Hill. I hadn’t bargained on bumper to bumper traffic on the DVP, but we made it there just in time to find a patch of pink carpet on the floor before the 11 a.m. show kicked off.

The room went dark, quietening the chattering crowd — a mix of parents and their kids, ranging from two to 10, many of whom were decked out in pink, frothy dresses (Finn himself decided to sport a handmade pink, beaded necklace in honour of the event). But it didn’t last. The cast, starring Pinkalicious (Caitlynee Medrek), Dr. Wink/Alison (Meaghan Chapin), Peter (Arthur Wright), Mr. Pinkerton (Daniel Birnbaum) and Mrs. Pinkerton (Kimberley Persona), knew how to engage the audience and soon had the tykes bellowing out instructions and laughing along to their shenanigans.

Clearly these kids could relate…mine included. I mean what kid wouldn’t want to eat pink cupcakes until turning pink from head to toe, like Pinkalicious did? Maybe she should have heeded her parents’ warnings but it’s pretty tough to resist these sweet treats and besides, Pinkalicious loves the colour pink, so she is tickled to turn a rosy hue. But soon it’s not all it’s cracked up to be and she has to find a way to get out of this pink predicament.

Lasting a perfect toddler-attention-keeping one hour, the musical is a great way to entertain your wee ones — especially in the colder weather. But be warned: on the way in and out of the theatre, you’ll pass by a table of souvenirs, books and pink cupcakes. So if you think you are getting out of there without your kids demanding one of their own decadent cakes, you are either a tougher mom than me, or are committed to hearing your kids howl in outrage the whole way home…which, by the way, only took 30 minutes given the fast flow of traffic.