Schoolhouse Rocks Live! at the Retro-Dome


They've extended it until October 11th, so you still have time to see it.

Two weekends ago I took the short trip over to the former Century 25 movie theatre to check out the new Retro Dome. Some friends from back in my college days are the new proprietors of the space. They've spiffed it up and plan to show both retro films in one side of the house and put on retro theatre in the other. Given I'm on the board of 42nd Street Moon, famous for putting on "lost musicals", you can imagine this is up my alley.

Their current production is Schoolhouse Rocks Live!, and it's exactly what it sounds like: Live performances of those educational and fun PSAs from our childhoods.

The Sunday matinee we saw was full-up, mostly with parents of around my age bringing a new generation of kids. As far as I could tell, these little songs, from "Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here" to "Conjunction Junction" still entertain and amuse children. The ones sitting all around me were totally into it, and their age ranges seemed fairly broad.

The parents, of course, were like us...remembering our favorites (and shockingly, remembering a lot of the words.)

The performers are all really talented with terrific voices...not a weak link in the bunch. My college buddy Steve Guggenheim is the musical director and he arranged a lot of the numbers to have new multi-part harmonies that weren't there before, but fit perfectly. The sound system was also really clean, so despite the challenges of amplifying six voices singing separately and together, it always sounded live and clear.

There was only one number that I would, frankly, just cut, and that's Elbow Room. Singing about Manifest Destiny doesn't warm the cockles of our hearts anymore in this much more politically and culturally aware era.

I have no idea if Schoolhouse Rocks is back on the air, but if not, apparently it doesn't need to be to entertain today's kids too!

Learn more and buy tickets.

Posted: Sun - October 4, 2009 at 09:10 AM       EmailFeedback

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