Curious George and the Golden Meatball Takes the Prize at Players Club of Swarthmore

by Aimee Renna

The children’s series of Players Club of Swarthmore has brought another excellent performance together in their second stage. The production Curious George and the Golden Meatball follows our favorite little monkey as he takes his dear friend’s meatball recipe all the way to Rome for a competition. While originally he was created by Margaret and H.A. Rey in 1941, the musical was written by John Cavanaugh and the Books and Lyrics were by Jeremy Desmon. 

The production staff of this production work together seamlessly as they create a wonderful show. Director/Set & Projections Designer/Costume Designer/Painter J. Tyler Atkinson succeeds in bringing a high energy group together in a sweet and entertaining show that is perfect for children. I particularly love the projections used on the archway throughout that brought the performance to the next level. Music Director Craig Lauer executes a difficult score and limited singers with grace, supplying the chords and soloists alike with plenty of support. Choreographer Kylah Monet provides exciting yet concise choreography that proves to be very entertaining throughout the production. Costume/Wig/Make-up Designer/Painter Mikayla Cook brings a very elegant simplicity to the costumes, using clear color coding to help the audience follow each key performer. Dave Zaffarano (Set Construction/Children’s Series Producer) has created an excellent set that is malleable for each and every scene. Scenic Charge/Painter Karlayna Steward completes Atkinson’s vision with a great attention to detail. Anne Marie Scalies, Light Design, creates a wonderfully clean look throughout the performance. Props Designer Emily Harrison utilizes many materials to flesh out the world that the characters live in. The production staff is completed by Julie Zaffarano (Children’s Series Producer) and Tess Coary (Social Media) who’s hard work may not be seen at the show but is equally appreciated. 

The 60 minute performance follows the young monkey named George, played by Sophia Gower, and The Man in the Yellow Hat (and others), Jenny Ammon. Gower is an excellent physical performer, bursting with energy and exhibiting plenty of talent. With George, the performer does not have any written dialogue and must instead articulate the line and its corresponding emotion through nonverbal sounds. I was deeply impressed at how consistent Gower was with this articulation as well as the patience she showed throughout the performance. Ammon’s relationship with Gower onstage is filled with the love of a guardian as she looks after George the best that she can. Ammon’s vocal skills are clear as well throughout various musical passages with special attention to “A Buddy Like You”. Ammon takes the stage with a calm maturity that stands out in the show as someone the young audience members can trust just like George.

Chef Pisghetti and Netti and two dear friends of George, played by Casey Lynch and Adria Crowley respectively. The two work beautifully together as they ham up the energy to the perfect level for a TYA production. Chef Pisghetti is just about written for Lynch as he performs it so perfectly. The drama, the musical difficulty, the mustache; it is all wonderfully executed by Lynch. Crowley matches the starpower nicely with all that she does on stage. She is an excellent energy in every sense, particularly catching my eye in several dance moments. I also can’t help but acknowledge how insanely quick some of their costume changes were and that they never broke smiles switching from one character to the next.

The cast is completed by Samantha Solar (Phinneas and others), Lizzie Sprague (Doorman and others) and Emily Harrison (Chef O’Malley and others). I must give particular praise to Solar for their performance of “Who’s Got Time”. In the particular performance that I attended, the track that the cast was performing with started to buffer during this song. It gave the song extra beats and long pauses that were extremely difficult to maneuver while also singing and dancing. You could see the moment that Solar noticed an issue with the track and where she shifted into high gear, focusing deeply on accomplishing what many would find impossible and all with a smile on her face. Solar is a clear professional and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to watch her work. Sprague plays a multitude of characters throughout the show, all with their own flair. Sprague shows particular vocal prowess in “Judging (That’s a Meatball)” that tore the roof off in the final moments of the production. Harrison also plays several characters throughout the performance with a big moment being competitor Chef O’Malley. Every moment that Harrison spends on stage, she is explosive with emotions and great expressions. She also provides a majority of the high soprano notes in the chords that are a necessity for the high quality sound of the ensemble moments in the show. 

Overall, I was deeply entertained by this performance. It is charming, electric, excellently paced, and a cohesive beautiful picture. Something that I am always impressed by with the Players Club of Swarthmore is the professional-level look of everything that they do. Especially in their Second Stage, I am astounded at what can be managed in a smaller space. I also love that the Children’s Series performance gave out small fidget toys for young audience members and made it clear at the beginning of the performance that it was a “shush-free zone” for everyone. Players Club of Swarthmore Children’s Series works hard to provide a fun space for everyone and are deeply successful in creating a show that is fun, exciting, and very easy to love. Performances continue until October 26th and tickets can be purchased at pcstheater.org.