‘Lion’ a simple but intelligent children’s play

Children help a bored circus lion act out his dreams in "The Lion Who Wouldn‘t." (Courtesy photo)

The children’s play “The Lion Who Wouldn’t,” now at Henderson’s Theatre in the Valley, charms through its use of commedia dell’arte to tell a simple parable about being yourself.

A circus lion dreams of becoming anything but what he is. Assisted by a group of children, the Lion explores being a professional baseball pitcher, a teacher, a sea captain, a detective and an actor.

As the Lion plays out each of his fantasies, his lion tamer interjects sobering reality. Finally, with the help of the children, the Lion accepts that being himself is what he does best. As one wise child asks, “How can a lion be anything but a lion?”

Jay Somers plays the Lion as a type of Punchinello. In his limp-tailed costume, he is foolish but not unsympathetic. His buffoonish commedia dell’arte slapstick drives the show’s humor and should appeal to young audiences.

Somers is a tall actor and looms over the children in the cast. Children enjoy a fun scare and director Michael Brazier could have generated more laughs if he had let the Lion be a little more lionlike and scary.

For example, when the Lion asks “What’s to eat?” and proceeds to devour the lunches of the sweetly hapless children around him, he might have first expectantly slurped at their young faces.

Haley Palfreyman Jankowski was lovely as the Lion Tamer and charmed the audience even though she must metaphorically crack the whip to rein in the Lion’s wild fantasies and bring him back to reality.

Both lead actors bring pleasant voices to Gifford W. Wingate’s intelligent and clever lyrics. The repetitious sing-song music by Allan J. Friedman grows a little tiresome, although the circus motif was cleverly reinforced by having the singers accompanied by music director Freda Brazier on accordion.

Director Michael Brazier allowed the simplicity of the play’s story to shine in the performances of his young cast.

The performers were poised and professional and provided a pleasant children’s chorus. They spoke their lines clearly and their characterizations enhanced the believability of each of the Lion’s fantasy scenarios.

The choreography was little more than ring-around-the-rosie, and though adequate, one suspects that more could have been accomplished with these young actors.

One of the play’s funniest scenes is when the Lion, fantasizing that he’s a professional baseball pitcher, throws strike after strike against these Little Leaguers, only to receive his comeuppance when the youngest, Sam, played by Parker J. Somers, hits a home run.

Sam Somers was funny without being self-consciousness about it and degenerating into “cuteness.”

The commedia dell’arte style was put to marvelous effect through the use of simple boxes to create the various settings for the Lion’s fantasies, bringing to the bare set the magic of a child’s imagination.

Likewise, the children wore simple colored T-shirts that allowed them to quickly transform their characters with the use of very simple props. Their transformation into pirates was particularly delightful.

Adults accompanied by children will enjoy “The Lion Who Wouldn’t.” Theatre in the Valley and director Brazier have created an imaginative work of commedia dell’arte from this simple but intelligent children’s play.