Free to be impatient

I don't know what I would say if my parents took me to see the Yale Children's Theater's current production, Free to Be You and Me. Actually, y'know, I would probably protest. "Mom! Dad! I'm too old for that kid stuff!" Then, when the cast members walked through the audience and asked kids what they like to do with their friends, I would cringe in my seat. "Please don't pick me, please don't pick me."

KATIE ALDRICH/YH

That's just hypothetical, though. Now that I'm older and sufficiently repressed, my personal phobias aren't especially relevant to my enjoyment of Free to Be You and Me, which proves itself to be a lovely, energetic performance that should entertain small children and burnt-out Yalies alike. The show runs in the Children's Theater performance space, a rather sparse but colorfully decorated room with painted handprints. The production is simple: four stage lights illuminate the set for the entire show, and a plastic rack holds a curtain that creates a small backstage area. A pianist and flutist stand to the side and accompany the cast through the short—around 45 minutes long—performance.

As everyone knows, little kids and Yale students have short attention spans, and the show is careful not to lose audience members during scenes of extended dialogue. Whenever I verged on bored, the musicians lifted up their instruments, and suddenly we were in the midst of another song. Hooray! The songs, though all pretty similar, were energetic and catchy; I left the theater humming. The accompaniment is good, except that it sometimes overpowers the singing, which is strong and pleasant, though the arrangement could be more interesting. The performers constantly smile and bounce; they are sometimes a little too hyped-up, however, and swallow their lines or move faster than they should.

Theater

Free to Be You and Me Directed by Sarah Wright Fri., Dec. 8 at 7 and 9 p.m., Sat., Dec. 9 and Sun., Dec. 10 at 1 and 3 p.m. Yale Children's Theater $3 adults, $2 children

The basic thrust of the play is that boys and girls are equals and gender stereotypes are bad. After seeing the play, I now know that "you can't judge a book by its cover" and that "it's all right to cry."

Actually, the most forceful message for gender equality is that, since the production has but one male performer, women play male roles. Also, during one scene where a boy is ridiculed for wanting a doll, I assumed that "Free to Be You and Me" would explore sexual equality ("it's okay to be gay"), but I feel they cop out with the response that "someday he may want to be a father." Oh well, it's a family show, right?

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