REVIEW: 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day' at Nashville Children's Theatre

Alexander may have had a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" today, but the audience at Nashville Children's Theatre may have had one of their best days ever, thanks to the well-acted and tuneful production of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, onstage now through January 3. Based on the children's book by Judith Viorst, the musical stage adaptation features the music of Shelly Markham, with book and lyrics by Viorst herself.

As can be expected from Nashville Children's Theatre, the production is colorful and fun, cleverly staged and superbly acted by the seven-member ensemble under the capable direction of NCT's producing artistic director Scot Copeland. With music direction by the gifted Paul Carrol Binkley, the musical's on a strong artistic footing and the versatility of the seven actors onstage, who enact the book's cast of characters, give winning performances that are made all the more entertaining by Viorst's focused storytelling.

We first meet young Alexander (played by the uber-versatile, we daresay gifted, Patrick Waller, NCT's go-to guy for roles such as these), the book's protagonist, in his dreamworld. Clad in pajamas and a makeshift yellow cape, Alexander sings of his dream of being "In Charge of the World" as he and his dreamworld compatriots lament the various injustices a ten-year-old boy is likely to face in his day-to-day adventures in the world.

And, certainly, Alexander has a really sucky day: It starts out when he realizes he has gum in his hair, then he stubs his toe, takes a hard pratfall when he slips on a skateboard, drops his sweater into the sink while the water's running - and that's even before he goes downstairs for breakfast only to discover that his is the only cereal box missing a prize, while his older brothers Anthony and Nick (Ross Brooks and Peter Vann) make out like bandits!

Alexander fares no better at school at school: His teacher, Mrs. Dickens (Bobby Wyckoff, in a spectacularly understated and funny performance) fails to see the merit in his picture of an invisible castle, or in his rather off-key singing, preferring instead Audrey's (Lisa Kimmey Winans) song - and everyone else's in class, come to think of it. And it's downhill from there, as he finds out that his best friend Paul has relegated him to Best Friend #3 status. After school, things only get worse as he has a dental appointment with a particularly demonic dentist (an outrageously evil but fun role for Henry Haggard), goes shoe-shopping - in a great big production number that is just what every musical needs - with his mom (sweetly played by Rona Carter), and wreaks havoc at his father's office!

Alexander's only respite from that "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" referred to in the show's title is his colorful, fantastic fantasy trip to Australia that is creatively staged and colorfully portrayed.

And don't even get me started on nighttime at home, what with the lima beans and kissing on TV. If only Alexander could make the move to Australia, "where everything is upside down," things would be better? Right? Probably not, his loving parents (Carter and Wyckoff) suggest, giving Carter the opportunity to sing a particularly lovely song in she wishes her youngest son "the sweetest of nights, the finest of days." Carter is such a gifted musical performer that, frankly, it only made me want to hear more.

Erica Edmonson's scenic design and Mitch Massaro's lighting design effectively capture the colorful, childlike wonder of Alexander's life, both real and imagined, aided admirably by Patricia Taber's pitch-perfect costume design and Dan Brewer's always superb sound design.

- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Based on the book by Judith Viorst. Book and lyrics by Judith Viorst. Music by Shelly Markham. Directed by Scot Copeland. Presented by Nashville Children's Theatre. Through January 3, 2010. For further details, visit the company website at www.nashvillechildrenstheatre.org.