By Kay Krhin
Wehad a mom and son datethe other night.We wentto the Children's Theatre for the veryfirst time to see Bert &Ernie, Goodnight! I was excited to share my beloved Bert &Ernie, even if they weren't made of foam, with Ben. Now I don't get to the theater much, I think the last time I went to a play was pre-kids and saw Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the old Guthrie. As I was sitting there in the Children's Theatre I was reminded of that very different play I saw long ago. Both plays take place over the course of anevening, take place in one room, have their share of angst, and made me feel like I was up into the wee hours of the night right along with the characters. But I'll just say Virginia Woolf would have been a heck of alot funnier if there had been a bubble machine and some tap dancing sheep to ease the tension like there was in Bert &Ernie Goodnight! B & E,G seamlessly stitches together many old familiar songs and sketches fromBert &Ernie onSesame Street.Anexasperated Bertjust wants to go to sleep and Ernie seems to want to do anything but. Free spirited and spontaneous Ernie is the perfect foil totheregimented and fastidious Bert. ( the dude irons his sheets before bed - lighten up Bert!) Bert does end up breaking down, he's either slap-happy from sleep deprivation or realizes the joy of letting go and acting a little silly. Maybe a little of both. Ultimately this show is about friendship. Even thoughthey may be polar opposites and like different things they realize in the end that friendship is the most important thing. Any longtime Cribsheetreader knows I am a HUGE Sesame Street fan, so it is no surprise that I LOVEDit. Oh, and 3 1/2 year old Ben did too. I was worried thathe would get antsy in his seat so I snuck a few snacks into thetheaterinmy purse. (shhh...you're not supposed to do that). But the ushers will be glad to know I never had to fish out a single goldfish cracker for him. Ben was enthralledand engaged the entire 75 minutes and so was I. But even more than I loved the show, I loved the experience of experiencing it with my son. I loved seeing him clap with gusto after each song was over and belly laugh at all of the pratfalls and stage antics. And.. Ben has this darling yet elusive dimple. It only comes out when he is grinning really, really wide. Do you know how happy it made me to see that dimple in the dark for the entire performance? Very! The show wassimply dimple-inducing, that alone, is worth the price of admission. ____________________________________ On our drive home Ben noticed that we were being followed by a big yellow crescent moon just like the one in the stage set. "There's the moon! Someone broke it in half. Maybe they wanted to share it?" One of those sweetbackseat observations that make me well up. Yes, indeed it was a good night for sharing. ____________________________________ You can read (the real) theater review from Star Tribune theater critic/daddy Rohan Preston here . Bert &Ernie, Goodnight plays through October 25 atThe Children's Theatre www. childrenstheatre.org .
