“Isn’t It Funny How a Bear Likes Hunny”
Roo (Left – Jared Lynch) and Kanga (Right – Kristina Lynch) threaten a captive Piglet, (center – Khalil Flemming) with a bath.
February 26, 2004
The Boston Children’s Theatre may be a troupe of child actors but they aren’t typical kids. They do their own set changes, listen as their director gives criticism, and display a professional manner that befits an adult. They captured the attention of the audience with their performance of “Winnie the Pooh” on February 22, no small feat when you consider the squirmy, wandering minds of most tiny tots.
Taken from the A.A. Milne classic Winnie the Pooh, this play appeals to any child with a fear of baths and a penchant for sweets. Christopher Robin (Tristan Willis-Jackson) is being told the bedtime story of Pooh (Koty LaCount), who goes off in pursuit of “hunny” with the single-minded obsession of a junkie, deserting Piglet (Khalil Flemming) in the process. Meanwhile, the 100-Acre Wood is abuzz with gossip about its new inhabitants, the fearsome Kanga (Kristina Anderson), who has an OCD-like need for ritual hygiene, and her son, Roo (Jaren Lynch).
No one knows exactly what a “Kanga” is but there are plenty of theories, the most prevalent being that of a “poison”-toting, all-frightening monster. Eeyore (Gabe Byrne), Rabbit (Maria Krol-Sinclair), Piglet, Pooh, and Owl (Jeremy Cahill) meet and speculate. One of my favorite lines is Eeyore’s defense of his thistle habit, saying, “Deprive me of the only pleasure I have left,” delivered with perfect irony from the depressive donkey.
Pooh is trying to control his cravings and, unfortunately, slips up quite a few times, moving heaven and earth in search of the golden sweets. While the other forest denizens are deep in hiding, Pooh wanders off on his mission, leaving Piglet, whom he promised to protect from the as-yet-unseen Kanga, to fend for himself. She arrives on scene and we are shown firsthand the horrors of hygiene when she washes Roo’s mouth out with soap. Noticing the nearby Piglet, she wants to make friends until she sees how unkempt he is. She then proceeds to douse, disinfect, and dose him up with “strengthening oil” before topping it off with a bright blue bow tied prettily around his head.
Poor Piglet endures these indignities while Roo escapes his mother’s attentions and hides out in Rabbit’s humble underground abode. Here is no place for self-control. When Rabbit is joined by Pooh and Piglet he tries to keep them in his hole for fear of being left alone, indulging them to their hearts’ content and then some and pumping Pooh full of honey. Too bad Kanga has to come in and spoil the fun, demanding the return of her baby. Pooh gets stuck in the doorway and, eventually, becomes unstuck.
Roo, sick from over-snacking, is taken away by a clucking and tsk-ing Kanga. Pooh bravely offers himself to sacrifice in place of Piglet, only to discover that what they thought was poison is actually Kanga’s “strengthening oil,” which counts as one of its many ingredients his beloved honey. He chugs the bottle with the gusto of a frat boy as Kanga protests that she needs some for Roo. Deciding that Pooh would require too much care, she leaves both him and Piglet to the comfort of his friends. Of course, there is a happy ending.
Even as an adult, I enjoyed this play immensely, largely due to an unexpectedly polished presentation from a cast of children. Anderson and Lynch as Kanga and Roo had the perfect chemistry needed for a mother-and-son duo while Cahill’s performance as the pompous, long-winded Owl was played with just the right amount of strut and seriousness. Still, Byrne’s Eeyore remains my favorite with his considerable repertoire of one-liners delivered in a perfect deadpan.
Milne has the unusual ability to charm both adults and children, as he did that Sunday. Although the younger members of the audience started fidgeting and talking after intermission, it was fairly quiet during the first half as children’s attention was captured almost instantly and held for an impressive length of time. “Winnie the Pooh” will have two more performances in McCormack Theatre on February 28 and 29 at 2pm. For information, call (617) 424-6634.
