ARE THERE ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWERS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK?
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And that’s the problem with Are There Alligators in the Sewers of the City of New York? a 50-minute children’s offering by Avenue Theatre. It simply sits there, with all its stitching and wires showing. There’s no sense of magic or wonder at all. The kids I took–nine-year-old Dan and six-year-old Will–saw right through the show’s machinations. Their reactions were less than enthusiastic. “It stunk,” said Will, who’s usually excited about everything. “It was OK,” said Dan, who’s usually, well, blase.
Though I’m sure Will would tell me he knows more about what he likes than I do, it’s worth pointing out that, despite the postperformance thumbs down, his attention didn’t waver much during the play. And Dan actually laughed on several occasions. Yet overall Peggy Simon Traktman’s Are There Alligators? falls pretty flat.
Finally T.J., the nominal hero, comes up with a plan. It turns out his big shopping bag isn’t holding the Halloween candy after all but a gigantic two-piece alligator suit. The suit itself, with ferocious jaws and teeth, is wonderful. But the idea that by dressing up in it the kids can scare Corpo and escape didn’t wash with Will or Dan. In fact they thought it was pretty preposterous. I thought it bordered on condescending.
