Maggie (center) with her friends at the KC Rep's Adventures of Tom Sawyer
For those who follow KCKidsFun on Facebook, you may have noticed a post I made there late last week about my nine-year-old daughter’s birthday. We made a last minute change of birthday party plans, taking a group to see The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, presented by the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.
The Rep sent us an invitation (and some complimentary tickets) to see The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. We supplemented the Rep’s generosity with four additional tickets to allow eight of us (six third-graders and two adults) to check out Tom Sawyer on Saturday night.
The play is being presented at UMKC’s Spencer Theatre (4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO) through February 12, 2012. (And we’ve got some more tickets, courtesy of the Rep, to give away. Details at the end of this post!). My husband and I drove the girls to UMKC on Saturday night for the 8 p.m. performance. I was a little concerned about the late hour for these little ones but they did great (definitely needed intermission refreshments though!).
The story is a familiar one, of course. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Becky Thatcher and all of the familiar characters from Mark Twain’s classic novel about boyhood adventures on the Mississippi River.
None of the girls who attended with us have yet read Twain’s book but I’m positive that most will now. The play was quite fun – lots and lots of physical movement from the eight actors kept their attention. There was physical comedy that they responded to well – nothing better than hearing these girls giggle. The score was nicely done – again, something that helped the girls pay attention and follow the story. And there were some scary, suspenseful moments (hello, Injun Joe) that seemed to resonate, drawing gasps and comments.
At the intermission, having sensed a little restlessness in the troops, we asked the girls if they would like to stay for the second act or head home to start the slumber party. Without skipping a beat, the immediate and unanimous response from the group was, “We have to stay! Stay! We have to find out what happens!”
Most of Saturday night’s crowd was adult with a good smattering of kids. Our group was a good mix of personalities. I can’t claim that they all followed the story perfectly. I’m quite confident that there were things in the story that missed and/or a bit over their heads. My husband and I both had to whisper answers to a few questions during the performance. But, overall, the girls enjoyed it very much. I’m not sure that kids any younger than these third-graders would be able to keep up though.
So, here’s the GIVEAWAY!
Our friends at Kansas City Repertory Theatre have generously given us a Family Pack (2 adults and 2 children) of tickets to ANY upcoming performance of Tom Sawyer to give away to one lucky winner. To enter, simply leave a comment below, telling us your favorite book as a kid! Entries accepted until Wednesday, January 25 at 9:00 p.m. CST.
Must be 18 years of age to enter and win. Only one entry per household will be considered. No substitutions or transfers. Giveaway prize is not redeemable for cash. By entering, winner consents to allow the use of his/her name for promotional purposes without further compensation. Winner releases all sponsors of liability regarding use and enjoyment of the prize. No purchase necessary to enter or win.
ONE (1) winner will be randomly selected, and will receive a Family Pack of tickets (2 adult and 2 child) to any remaining 2012 performance of Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s Tom Sawyer, based on availability.
Good luck!
