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Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Saving the Day and the American Theater: A Review of PAW Patrol Live! at The Chicago Theatre
Newcity Stage: “Is that about dogs?” a woman coming down the stairs behind me from the State/Lake train stop said to her travel companion Sunday evening, suspiciously eying the exclamatory “PAW Patrol Live!” on the historic Chicago Theatre marquee. Is it about dogs ma’am? Dogs?!
While I do not think I would ever personally want to see “PAW Patrol Live,” I do think it is absolutely something that can capture the attention and interest of young children and their parents. It is hard to entertain young kids, and leaving them to stare at screens all the time is not exactly productive either. Getting them away from watching PAW Patrol on the television and into a theatre to see it performed live is a great way to get them out of the house and potentially interested in something that they can carry forward into a future hobby. The author of this article even said that this very thing happened after he took his two year old to the show. Though the show may be “gimmicky” and a “money grab from a big commercial entity,” it is entertaining for the kids, to some degree, and it is an experience that can help develop their character as they start to get older.
It seems so silly and commercialized but it is probably the reason I am here at CMU. These shows have existed for a long time, as a child I saw Barney Live, Sesame street live, the Wiggles on tour, Arthur Live, and the greatest of all children’s shows Dragon Tales Live. These were magical shows for me being fans of the shows but being able to understand that these were live and not the same as TV. It was the first time I saw projections, featured in the dragon transformation, confetti cannons, theatrical fog, fly systems, and scrims in action. I still have a piece of confetti from Barney Live at home because it was scary to me when it shot off, but I also felt safe because I loved Barney. So even though I did not know all the technical terms I was subconsciously becoming with the technical and design parts of theatre, because I saw how designers transformed 2D animation or TV studios into touring sets. Back then I am sure my mom found them corny and such, but I learned how to behave in a theatre and how to appreciate a live artform. PAW patrol might seem cheesy, but we can never measure the subconscious effect live theatre can have on the next generation of performers, designers, and theatre patrons.
I’m so glad this article doesn’t take itself too seriously. As touched on in the previous two comments the focus seems to be on the future. Sure this show is ridiculous but it plants a love for theatre in the future. The author is also totally right, this could be strategic. Additionally from a parent’s perspective it might be a good option for a memorable experience that involves little screen time. I also think this show must be really interesting to house manage for with such a young audience. The number of seats boosters, temper tantrums and diaper changes must outnumber almost all other shows. It’s kind of a funny concept having to cater to an audience of two year olds who may have never been in a theatre before. I also wonder how the show accounts for things like crying children in the audience. Like are the actors trained for this type of thing?
3 comments:
While I do not think I would ever personally want to see “PAW Patrol Live,” I do think it is absolutely something that can capture the attention and interest of young children and their parents. It is hard to entertain young kids, and leaving them to stare at screens all the time is not exactly productive either. Getting them away from watching PAW Patrol on the television and into a theatre to see it performed live is a great way to get them out of the house and potentially interested in something that they can carry forward into a future hobby. The author of this article even said that this very thing happened after he took his two year old to the show. Though the show may be “gimmicky” and a “money grab from a big commercial entity,” it is entertaining for the kids, to some degree, and it is an experience that can help develop their character as they start to get older.
It seems so silly and commercialized but it is probably the reason I am here at CMU. These shows have existed for a long time, as a child I saw Barney Live, Sesame street live, the Wiggles on tour, Arthur Live, and the greatest of all children’s shows Dragon Tales Live. These were magical shows for me being fans of the shows but being able to understand that these were live and not the same as TV. It was the first time I saw projections, featured in the dragon transformation, confetti cannons, theatrical fog, fly systems, and scrims in action. I still have a piece of confetti from Barney Live at home because it was scary to me when it shot off, but I also felt safe because I loved Barney. So even though I did not know all the technical terms I was subconsciously becoming with the technical and design parts of theatre, because I saw how designers transformed 2D animation or TV studios into touring sets. Back then I am sure my mom found them corny and such, but I learned how to behave in a theatre and how to appreciate a live artform. PAW patrol might seem cheesy, but we can never measure the subconscious effect live theatre can have on the next generation of performers, designers, and theatre patrons.
I’m so glad this article doesn’t take itself too seriously. As touched on in the previous two comments the focus seems to be on the future. Sure this show is ridiculous but it plants a love for theatre in the future. The author is also totally right, this could be strategic. Additionally from a parent’s perspective it might be a good option for a memorable experience that involves little screen time. I also think this show must be really interesting to house manage for with such a young audience. The number of seats boosters, temper tantrums and diaper changes must outnumber almost all other shows. It’s kind of a funny concept having to cater to an audience of two year olds who may have never been in a theatre before. I also wonder how the show accounts for things like crying children in the audience. Like are the actors trained for this type of thing?
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