Congratulations to Dallas Children's Theater for their production of Tuck Everlasting, based on the classic children's novel. After seeing this performance, it's easy to see why this theater is named one of the top in the entire U.S. by Time Magazine.

What if you could live forever? Wouldn't it be wonderful? These are the basic questions raised by the story as young Winnie Foster (beautifully played by Loren Rosen) is bored in her daily life and wanders out into the woods around her home where she meets a magical family, the Tucks, and is whisked away to their home where she is forced to keep their secret.

I love the scene where she and Pa Tuck row out into the stream and he explains to her the moral dilemma about why their immortal life is often more curse than blessing.

This is the same kind of dilemma facing the vampires in literature, except with a lighter twist. I have a friend whose daughter is enrolled in a Catholic school and she complains regularly about why she hates vampires and what she sees as the darker energy they portray.

Tuck Everlasting raises the same moral implications in a lighter fashion and I will definitely recommend that she and her family go see this show while it is at Dallas Children's. I know this will give her hope!

I appreciated the opening comments by Artistic Director and Founder Robyn Flatt, opening the discussion about the challenges you would face if you did live forever so that families could discuss it amongst themselves. Theater is a wonderful teaching ground and this center offers a great space for learning.

The Tuck family ushers Winnie off into the woods and Ma Tuck (Kelly Pino) explains why there is dullness to life by not being able to live it fully. There are no stakes, no pressures. The seasons come and go, but they are no longer on the wheel of life.

Speaking of the wheel, set design and lighting were some of the best I've ever encountered in the metroplex. A giant, round window overhead accented brilliantly staged scenes using an overhead film projector. The round window showcased everything from running in the woods to the toad living outside Winnie's house.

The night sky was breathtaking and the audio engineer's sound effects were outstanding and transformed us all into a magical land where we could ponder whether or not it would be fun to live forever.

Lauren Rosen's performance was brilliant. Her expressive eyes and enthusiasm reminded us all of what it's like to be young and filled with possibilities. I particularly enjoyed her innocence and the scenes where she and Jesse Tuck, played by Nolan Allan Martin, discussed their possible future together. He gives Winnie a bottle of the magic water and asks her to drink it on her seventeenth birthday so they can marry and be together forever. Will she do it? Or were the warnings of the other family members enough?

You'll have to go see. Highly recommended!

Tuck Everlasting
Dallas Children's Theatre at Rosewood Center, 5938 Skillman Street
Dallas, TX 75231

Plays through April 10th
Tickets for adults are $12 - $23, depending on the day with
discounts for youth and seniors.

Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 pm with a
Sunday, April 3rd performance at 4:30 pm
For tix and information, go to www.dct.org or call 214-740-0051