The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati has been putting on shows for over 100 years – but this year is a unique year for sure. With the reality of COVID putting a damper on so many live activities and events, seeing The Velveteen Rabbit in person was an incredible treat and our family felt comfy, safe, and entertained while there – a triple win!
The Children’s Theatre is located right off of Red Bank Road – so super easy to get to, and they have parking on-site. No traffic and no downtown garages to deal with. Masks are required, of course, but upon entering, the staff have an amazing setup for the health and safety of the patrons:
- Touchless hand sanitizer dispenser
- Carrot stickers on the floor to stand on to distance as you wait in line
- A table set up to check in
- Temperature checks for all patrons
- Assigned seating chart to reduce COVID risk
- Clearly blocked off seats so no patrons are next to, in front of, or behind anyone (lovely purple ribbons keep the other seats from being bothered/touched)
- Several staff members available to help locate your seats once in the intimate theater
The show itself is based on the classic story of The Velveteen Rabbit, which is all about the magic behind how our toys become real. The original “Toy Story”, if you will! If you haven’t read it, though, that’s ok – you’ll follow along, no problem! The fun part about the Children’s Theatre version is that they have their very own twist on the show, which is 16-bit digital, techy-themed, and oh so COVID 2020!
As soon as we walked in, my kiddos were noticing the props that looked like Minecraft carrots, a robot dangling, and items that mimicked keyboard keys. The music played before the show had a video game vibe, and the kids had fun recognizing some of the songs from the old school video games we’ve played at home (commence Mario theme in your head). The set had a cool background that looked like a circuit board with colorful lights and rotating scenery, which my 4 year-old just loved.
Of course, I don’t want to give away too much of the show, but I was impressed that they were able to tell the story while limiting how many people were on stage – and with creative masked costumes, too! The audio was pre-recorded, which was helpful as it projected well this way through the theater, and the characters could animate more without shouting through their masks.
After the show, one of the actresses stayed on stage to answer questions and was absolutely sweet and patient with the crowd. And, when we were walking to our car, one of the young actresses, Cecelia, was kind enough to talk with my kiddos about being in the show and how much they practice. The entire ride home, the little ones kept talking about how they got to meet a real actress!!
I took a 7 year-old, a 6 year-old, and a 4 year-old – and all gave it 2 thumbs up! I am so happy we made the decision to venture out a bit and visit the theater yet again! And while we went in person, there is a VIRTUAL option available now through May 3rd, 2021. Interested in the in-person showing? Catch it now through December 13th with updated performance times on their website.
Get your tickets HERE today!
Check out our review of their Pick-A-Path show options HERE as well.
