Theater review: A whimsical 'Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle'

"The Magic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle" seemed so wild and alive when I first saw it in 2004 at Children's Theatre Company. As with everything else in this world, however, a discovery is fresh only once. CTC has brought the show back, this time with Autumn Ness filling the shoes of an eccentric old lady who understands kids better than they understand themselves. Ness gives an antic and clever Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, but we miss the deep and wise attitude that Angela Timberman provided in the 2004 production.

That doesn't mean there isn't anything new under the sun of Peter Brosius' production. Brian Sostek brings his limber physical comedy, deadpan mug and vocal facility to several roles. He squawks as Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's sharp-tongued parrot; he floats through the daydreams of an adenoidal 8-year-old, and he nimbly steps through the dance of a retro-loving father. Sostek mixes great comic instincts with an uncanny stage presence that keeps his work distinctive yet never self-conscious.

Three other actors caught our attention: Ainsley Burch has a sharp insolence that somehow feels funny and not bratty; Doug Neithercott clumps through a number of scenes, and Gerald Drake is so consistent that we occasionally take him for granted.

Playwright Chad Henry adapted the "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle" books by Betty MacDonald for this collection of skits and songs. Played out on Joe Stanley's scenic combination of flat cartoon-style homes and Seussian interiors, the piece breezes from one childhood crisis to another. Ness' heroine teaches a young runaway that if she learns how much fun washing dishes can be she'd appreciate the chances her parents give her. A grumpy gus stuck in his room learns that the parade will pass him by if he doesn't get his ample haunches moving and clear away the clutter. And Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle teaches two exasperated parents that perhaps ballet is the antidote to their daughter's clumsiness.

Brosius' staging retains its whimsy. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is always popping up where you least expect her -- from the seat or a chair or out of the refrigerator. Joe Chvala's choreography has a lightness and humor that matches Victor Zupanc's musical treatments.

The broad, slapstick style (one youngster in earshot exclaimed, "It's just like a cartoon!") is certain to entertain. I miss Timberman and that dazzling sense of "Eureka!" in the first production, but there is still much to like here.

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299