Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type is all about a serious labor dispute. In the barnyard, Farmer Brown has a problem. All day long, all he hears is "click, clack, moo!" as his cows, tired of their cold barn with no heat, pound out complaints on the battered typewriter they found.
This musical comedy for kids of all ages, with something in it for adults, too, is based on the popular, witty book by Doreen Cronin, with quirky illustrations by Betsy Lewin. (Author and illustrator are also responsible for Click, Clack, Splish, Splash; Thump, Quack, Moo; Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack; and Dooby Dooby Moo.)
Book writer and lyricist James E. Grote and George Howe, writer of the music, have included a fine mix of pop, blues, and even a revolutionary-style anthem to further the message about communicating and compromising.
The characters doing full justice to the story include the
Duck, arbitrator who has been finding life on the pond a bit dull, and the feisty Hen. The two typing cows are the logical, pacifying Cow 1 and the
militant, rabble-rousing Cow 2 (inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm), who wants to give Farmer Brown a knuckle sandwich –– until Hen reminds her she doesn’t have traditional knuckles.
Chicago Theatre Beat called Moo "a gem of comic timing and great music." The kids watching won’t realize there’s a serious underlying message, and the adults accompanying them will have fun with the farmyard revolutionaries on stage, though they might have to explain to a child what a typewriter is.
Consider the gift of theatre. Call 263-7990 or go online for the hottest ticket in town.
