Live-action version of ‘Phineas and Ferb’ comes to town

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Take two stepbrothers who begin every day of summer vacation with very big plans. Add one spoilsport sister, a secret-agent platypus, an evil scientist and more than a dozen production numbers and plop it all onto an arena stage.

Would the result be “Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever!”?
Yes. Yes, it would.

Fans of the wildly popular Disney Channel animated series might recognize that answer as a variation of one of the series’ catchphrases (uttered by Phineas whenever asked if he’s a bit too young to be doing something a little too big). But it’s also accurate in describing the show, which comes to Las Vegas in live-action form this weekend for six performances at the Orleans Arena.

The plot of the animated series on which the live-action show is based is deceptively simple: Two stepbrothers spend each day of summer vacation on a new project while their sister, Candace, tries to rat them out to their parents and their pet, Perry the Platypus — who’s also a secret agent — battles evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

All of that certainly is enough to appeal to kids. But, for parents and other grown-ups, what makes the series appealing is the abundance of in-jokes, songs, pop-culture references and witty dialogue it packs.

“Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever!” marks the animated series first live-action incarnation, said Alana Feld, the show’s producer.

“The show actually was launched just about a month ago,” Feld says. “So Las Vegas is one of the first stops on the tour. Obviously, it’s very exciting for us and our company.”

The show sees Phineas, Ferb, Candace and the rest of the cast trying to make the most of the last day of summer vacation. It will feature 15 production numbers — including pieces based on favorite songs from the TV series — and the show’s signature multilayered humor, which will keep adults, as well as kids, entertained.

“The show really does work on two levels,” Feld says. “I think our show has so much, obviously, for kids and fans of the show. But there’s so much for parents, too, and I think parents laugh and enjoy the show as much as their kids.”

The production includes 35 cast and crew members who will play 80 cities over the next eight months. Among the cast members is Bailey Callahan, who plays bothersome sister Candace.

“I have two younger sisters at home, so it was kind of easy to pull from that,” Callahan jokes.

Callahan, 19, is from Melbourne, Fla. A dancer by training, Callahan wasn’t all that familiar with “Phineas and Ferb” when she landed the part. But, in preparing for it, she caught up on the series and admits that she has become “hooked on it.”

Callahan graduated from high school in 2010, and the show marks her first professional performing role.

“I was auditioning for a lot of positions, and I was blessed to be able to have this opportunity with Feld Entertainment,” she says.

What does Callahan like best about the job? “I get to listen to the kids in the audience,” she says. “It’s such a wonderful feeling to be able to bring the character to life because to them Candace is real and they can see her on stage.”

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.