Harold and the Purple Crayon

September 22 - October 30, 2011

Book by Don Darryl Rivera, Music by Auston James, Lyrics by Rob Burgess
Based on the books by Crockett Johnson
Directed by Rita Giomi

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Details

Anything is possible with a crayon and a big imagination. With a burst of inspiration, Harold launches a magical exploration and simply draws where he wants to go. After sketching himself into adventurous situations, Harold quickly problem-solves: he draws an apple tree when he’s hungry and a rocket ship when he finds himself falling through the sky. With spirited song and creativity, Harold travels from under the sea to outer space, making many friends along the way.

“Harold is a child’s icon for playfulness. Bringing him to stage with animation, puppetry and music bridges the book-theatre connection for young children,” says SCT Artistic Director Linda Hartzell. “This will inspire our earliest readers while the nostalgia of the story will intrigue older youth. All audiences will be excited by the dynamic special effects.”

Location
Charlotte Martin Theatre

Age Recommendation
For All Ages

Performances

This production has past.

“the humor appeals to everyone!”

teentix

Reviews

Seattle Actor: “Harold and the Purple Crayon“

Teen Tix Review: “The Humor Appeals to Everyone!”

Seattlest: A review of Harold and the Purple Crayon

Seattle’s Child: “A Parent’s Review of Harold and the Purple Crayon“

The Seattle Times: “Harold and the Purple Crayon musical enchants!”

Growing My Kids: “SCT presents Harold and the Purple Crayon“

Journal Newspapers: “Get drawn in by Harold and the Purple Crayon“

More Info

Curriculum Connections:

Imagination, Creativity, Adventure, Travel, Problem Solving, Self-Esteem

Running Time:

90 Minutes

Cast and Design Team

A world premiere created by Seattle locals will kick-off SCT’s 2011-2012 season with an innovative stage adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon (book by Don Darryl Rivera, music by Auston James and lyrics by Rob Burgess.) Based on the original books by Crockett Johnson, Harold and the Purple Crayon opens Friday, September 23, 2011 (with a public preview Thursday, September 22, 2011) and runs through October 30, 2011 in SCT’s Charlotte Martin Theatre with direction by Rita Giomi.

Don Darryl Rivera (last seen at SCT in Lyle the Crocodile) takes center stage as Harold, while other SCT favorites, Khanh Doan (Lyle the Crocodile) and Caety Sagoian (Lyle the Crocodile) round out the ensemble. The adventures Harold creates in his mind become real, so the story-telling is done through song lyrics, creative scenery and production techniques that demonstrate new flights of imagination. Through moving scenery, puppets, special lighting, and animation, the production team, led by Set Designer Matt Smucker, Costume Designer Melanie Burgess, Lighting Designer L.B. Morse, Sound Designer Chris R. Walker, Animator Stefan Gruber and Puppet Designer Annett Mateo, form Harold’s dreams into reality.

Synopsis

Harold is a creative little boy with an extraordinary crayon. When we first meet him, he is happily drawing and wondering what his next adventure should be. With a sudden burst of
inspiration, he sketches the moon and a horizon that leads out of his room and into the enormous realm of his imagination.

His first stop is a clearing where he draws seeds to plant and a cloud to water them. Trees grow into a forest filled with creatures that welcome Harold. When he’s hungry he draws himself an apple tree, but can’t seem to keep the fruit for himself, so he draws a dragon to guard the tree. His drawing is a little too good. The dragon scares Harold and, as he nervously backs away from it, he finds himself falling into an undersea world.

He discovers a sunken ship and a mischievous puffer fish. Together Harold and his new friend evade a pinching crab, restore the boat and sail off across the sea with the moon following along. Harold and the puffer fish part ways when they reach an island.

Harold steps into the center of an argument between a porcupine and moose. They are cranky because they’re hungry. Harold can help with that. He draws an enormous pie that accidentally falls right atop the porcupine. During the playful food fight that follows, pie gets on everything, including the moon. Harold feels responsible for the mess and sets off in a rocket ship to do some cleaning up. Unfortunately, the rocket packs more power than he can handle and he goes shooting past the moon into deep space.

Just as he gets the moon back in his sight, an alien spaceship careens towards him. They collide and go plummeting to a distant planet. Harold helps the alien pilot repair his ship and hitches a ride home. But first they stop by the alien’s home where Harold is made an honorary citizen. In the midst of the celebration, Harold gets too enthusiastic and jumps right off the planet. He floats his way back to Earth’s atmosphere and is enjoying the beautiful clouds when he thinks he sees a cloud shaped like a dragon. Wait. That’s no cloud! It is a dragon! A hungry dragon who thinks crayons look delicious.

When Harold finally manages to get his crayon back from the dragon, it’s broken in two. The dragon sees how heartbroken that makes Harold and mends the crayon with some magic dragon fire. It’s been a long busy day for Harold. It’s time to go home. He heads into the city where he gets lost in the bustle of activity around him. He can’t even find the moon to guide him. With the help of a police officer, Harold finds his way back home and into bed. He drifts off to sleep in awe of the moon, pleased with his new friendships and filled with peace.