Article:9864; Posted: June 18, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.

The frog wants to fly. The crane wants to land somewhere long enough to make a friend. Despite this obvious setup, there are surprises aplenty in “Thaddeus and ‘Tila,” a children’s play by José Cruz Gonzalez, at the Hilberry Theatre this week and next.

Thaddeus, the frog (Tayler Jones), is the one we meet first. Wearing an aviator helmet and goggles, Jones immediately signals Thaddeus’ aeronautical aspirations by running, leaping, flapping and glancing skyward. “I see birds,” Thaddeus says. “I wish I could be one…without a care in the world.”

Hold that thought, Thad. Here comes ‘Tila (Bonnie Holmes), last in a flying formation of cranes, who whines, “Why can’t we stay in one place? It isn’t fair.” Well, ‘Tila gets separated from her group—actually her family, which ought to be made clear much sooner—and crash lands in Thaddeus’ swamp.

But it’s not only Thaddeus’ swamp. There’s his friend, Birdie the boastful hummingbird (Maria Simpkins), and the neighborhood mean girls, Mos the mosquito (Jada Johnson) and Sala (Michaella Mallett), whose genus and species are irksomely unspecified until the play is almost over. OK, she’s a salamander.

As things progress, we learn that Birdie’s boasting disguises a shameful secret—shameful for a children’s play, but nothing for parents to worry about. More importantly, there are positive messages about the value of outsiders, teamwork, forgiveness, overcoming fear and the ability to change behaviors. Yes, the mean girls recognize the errors of their ways.

The young, energetic actors keep things moving at a pace youngsters will appreciate, sometimes compensating for dead spots in the story. And director Billicia Charnelle Hines provides moments of stillness, too. In one especially well-done scene, Jones zips about as the frog with flying ambitions, while Holmes sits on the lip of the stage as the crane who craves some stability.

The creatures’ colorful, fanciful costumes are by Anne Suchyta. The set and props—the swamp, complete with cattails sticking up from the ground and blue foam cubes representing water–are by Stephanie Baugher.

The ideal ages for “Thaddeus and ‘Tila” are probably 5 to 9 with a little wiggle room on either side.

45 minutes

SHOW DETAILS:
Thaddeus and ‘Tila
Hilberry Theatre
Wayne State University, 4743 Cass Ave, Detroit
June 18-20, and June 25-27, 2015 at 10:30 a.m.; June 20 and 27 at 2:00 p.m.
$5.00-$8.00
313.577.2972
Hilberry.com