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A ‘Giant’ Success at Children’s Theatre
By Kira Glassman
Preaching to kids about the evils of selfishness is easy, but who wants to? “The Selfish Giant,” playing at the Manhattan Children’s Theatre through May 23, does the dirty work in just an hour, and gets the message across in a far more charming, upbeat—and probably effective—manner than any parent could.
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The musical adaptation of the Oscar Wilde fairy tale, based on a book by Kristen Walter, is the story of four children—Winnie (Jody Flader), Max (Aaron Mize), Sarah (Christina Pickard) and Beth (Elliott Weinstock) —who are bored playing the same old games until one of them has a wild idea: why not explore the Giant’s garden? Confident that the Giant no longer inhabits the grassy haven, the four frolic gleefully, singing, smelling flowers, and eating peaches, until they hear the pounding footsteps of—could it be?—the Giant!
The Giant (Joe Smith) is neither scary nor mean, but he is selfish (and, appropriately, rather tall). He kicks the terrified children off his land, and bemoans the trampled flowers and eaten peaches. “I’ll teach those kids a lesson,” he declares, and builds a fence around the garden to separate what’s his from what’s not his. (Not a good idea, kids!) While winter comes and goes in the rest of the town, the Giant’s plot of land stays icy cold.
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It takes a while before anyone—in the play or the audience—figures out that the perpetual winter is due to the Giant’s selfishness, but the talent and energy of the actors make the climax well worth waiting for.
Under the able direction of Bruce Merrill, actors Flader, Mize, Pickard and Weinstock flawlessly capture the innocence and excitement of young children. While much of their dialogue is undeniably corny (“I’m looking forward to going back to school!” says one of the girls; “Me too, but that’s classified information,” replies Max), their characters are likeable and accessible to kids.
Smith gives a particularly good performance as the Giant. He convinces the audience he dislikes children (“They can go find someplace else to play—like the street!”—eliciting chuckles from the parents), but at the same time he lets us empathize with his situation.
It’s the musical numbers, however, that give “The Selfish Giant” gem status. The five actors are all talented singers and a pleasure to listen to. The Giant’s song about how he wishes he had been less selfish is touching, and the full-cast song at the end about getting along overflows with charm.
“The Selfish Giant” covers more moral ground than just sharing—within the first three minutes of the play, the kids discuss whether they should ask the new girl, Sarah, to play with them. (“She might be an alien!” worries Max.)
Acceptance is encouraged. Sarah is the only one who feels sorry for the Giant, and she says, “I don’t care if he’s selfish and mean—he needs help!” And in a sweet duet with the Giant, she expresses this sentiment.
“The Selfish Giant” is a kids’ show, but the theme is universal. Its simple message may influence your child, but its affect on you may be refreshingly unexpected.
“The Selfish Giant” is at Manhattan Children’s Theatre, 380 Broadway, through May 23. Saturdays and Sundays, 12 and 2pm. Adults, $15; ages 2–16, $10. Call 212-352-3101 or go to www.theatermania.com for tickets.
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