‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ enchants and entertains all ages

The College Theater was filled with the babble of voices as the crowd waited for the play to begin. Children bounced, spun and clapped in anticipation of the story soon to unfold before them. Although only about one-third full, the theater was packed with enthusiasm.

As the lights began to dim, the noise level rose and then subsided when the adults in the crowd shushed the children. A laugh here and there, more shushing, and the play was ready to begin.

Theatre artistic director Jesse Merz entered from the side door and took the stage. “How we doing?” his voice boomed. When there was not enough response, he informed the kids the play was interactive and he needed them to make the play complete. Merz again asked “How we doing?” This time, it was answered with a loud, resounding “Good!” from the children.

Merz gave a rundown on what to expect during the play, then announced the play to begin. The children clapped and cheered as he left the stage and the curtain rose.

Onstage in low lighting stood three farmhouses with the owners in front of them: Drew Pierce as fat Boggis; Ali Weiher as potbellied Bunce; and Zack Lewis as skinny Bean. Out came three “children,” played by Justin Wright, Matthew Rivera and Sydney Hope, chanting a rhyme about the horrible trio that is Boggis, Bunce and Bean. As they discussed each character, a spotlight shone on them and the audience heard a description of just how each is despicable.

So began the first performance of “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

Alex Giorgi played the elusive Mr. Fox with the right tone of self-assurance and cockiness to his speech, his movements smooth and fluid. Everyone is “my dear” or “my darlings” to him. There did seem to be a few hesitant moments during his dialogues, but they were barely noticed. He enchanted the children, who kept their eyes glued each time he was in sight.

When Mrs. Fox, played by Hope, put her children to bed, she asked the audience if it would also “go to sleep” and she would sing a lullaby. The children all agreed and she began to sing “Close your eyes, say goodnight . . . .”

“Is she real?” a boy in the audience loudly whispered to the adult next to him.

Several of the actors play multiple characters during the hour-long play. Because of the costumes, it is not evident, however. Each character in the play has his or her own voice and movements, never giving away that Joshua Mather is both Small Badger and the selfish Rat, or that Bean and Rabbit are both played by Lewis. Missy Paulson as one of the Foxes’ daughters takes on a completely different character type when she shuffles out as Mabel, the Bean’s housekeeper.

As should be expected in a play, especially one aimed at children, the movements are sometimes flamboyant and exaggerated, the actions sometimes goofy, like with the wacky Rabbit. It works very well, pulling you into the story and letting you know what kind of “person” each character is quickly.

The animal costumes are very good and eerily realistic. They consist of heads and tails, and the actors move in them like they have no animal head covering them at all.

There came the part where the Fox family members have to dig for their lives, and the actors took to the floor, “burrowing” from one row of seats to the next. After a short while, they stop and ask Mr. Fox for some help from the “moles.” Three children were pulled from the audience and given hats, two of them with mole masks that covered their heads. One had trouble seeing with the mask on as the burrowers worked their way through. However, the children were quite happy to have been able to help out the charming Fox family, evident from their beaming faces as they returned to their seats.

Sound effects are used to portray actions being performed and to enhance other actions. For example, when Mr. Fox is lifting the floorboards in the barns with just his hands showing the motion, the creaking noise lets the audience know what it is he is doing. The motions were perfectly timed with the sound effects throughout the play.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” will be performed for area elementary school children only on Nov. 9, 14 and 16 at 10:30 a.m., with a general public showing at 2 p.m. on Nov. 17, in the College Theater. Tickets are $2 for the show on the Nov. 17; however, no one will be turned away for inability to pay. For more information, contact Jesse Merz at 503-491-6970.