Goonie Bird Lane

I just closed Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business with Synchronicity Performance Group. We got a couple of "reviews" one here and, the one which brought up an interesting question to me, here.

If you don't feel like reading the whole review, the question that it brought up in my mind was near the end. Mr. Holman stated that "correcting Junie’s mistake provides a thin message..." If you are unfamiliar with the Junie B. Jones series, you should know that this hilarious and hyperactive little girl does not always receive consequences for her actions. The books aren't perfectly wrapped up at the end with a clear moral, they're a little more realistic than that. What I found interesting about this comment is that in "adult" theatre, having a moral or some sort of didactic message is generally considered a bad thing. No one wants to be preached at. If it brings up questions or leaves you with something to consider, it's praised. My question is, at what age are you allowed to appreciate an art form and think about it for yourself? At what age may one start being offended for being taught a lesson? And then, of course, what frightens parents so much about having conversations with their children?

I close with my favorite letter that we received from a child who came to see the show:

Dear 7 Stages Playhouse,

Thank you for letting us see Junie B. Jones does some monkey buisness. That was actually the best play I ever saw. The part I liked was when the lights were flashing on and off. If you didn't know, the baby was fake. I like Jim because he was playing karate and I play karate also. When I looked up, I saw a disco ball. And as you know, I love disco balls. Sometimes during the play I kept looking at the disco ball. I remember that I looked at the disco ball about nine-teen or twenty times.


From,
Austin

Now tell me, who wouldn't want to have a conversation with that kid?