DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Michael Ng, left, plays a lazy, ukulele-playing grasshopper to Noelle Poole's industrious ant in Ohi'a Productions' "Fun with Fables."
Moral lessons
Animal characters at the zoo
engage kids with tales of
wisdom and charity
Music, television programs, video games and friends influence children as much as their parents. But how good are the outside influences in teaching morals?
Life's most difficult lessons are given lively, easy-to-digest treatment in Lisa Matsumoto's encore production of "Fun with Fables," which teaches the values of honesty, sincerity, patience, harmony and gratitude, attitudes culled from famous tales of the past, in which animal characters reflect the best and worst traits of humans.
'Fun with Fables'
On stage: 10 a.m. Tuesdays through June 24 / Place: Honolulu Zoo main meadow / Call: 486-4444
Admission: Free with zoo admission of $4 for adults, $1 children and free for children under 5
The production is being staged every Tuesday through June 24 at the Honolulu Zoo, and is free with zoo admission.
The three stories being presented are "The Lion and the Mouse," "The Fox and the Stork" and "The Grasshopper and the Ant."
In the first tale, a samurai-styled lion king, played by Michael Ng, learns that you should never judge a book by its cover after a tiny, insignificant mouse saves his life. Stephanie Sanchez plays a hunter who resembles Elmer Fudd in the segment, and had the children in the audience roaring with laughter last Tuesday. The moral of the tale is that no good deed goes unrewarded.
In "The Grasshopper and the Ant," Sanchez returns as grass-skirted Chrissy Cricket to narrate the fable. Auntie Ant, played by Noelle Poole, knows "it is best to prepare for the days of necessity." With a Spam musubi tucked under her arm, she warns the playful grasshopper (Ng) to prepare for the days ahead.
But, the not-so-wise grasshopper doesn't heed the warning, choosing to sit around playing his ukulele and singing all day instead of collecting food in preparation for winter. In the end, the grasshopper learns a valuable lesson, determining "there is a time for work and a time for play."
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Children from Waialae School enjoy the production at the Honolulu Zoo.
Playing tricks on people is never right, children learn in the tale of "The Fox and the Stork." "One bad turn deserves another" was the message sent as Ng and Poole demonstrated the vicious cycle of one prank leading to another.
Costumes add just the right touch to illustrate the creatures being portrayed.
The performances are geared toward children from preschool through second grade.
"Any money made from the musicals goes toward the funding of educational programs like these," said Ruth Bolan, general manager of Ohi'a Productions. The Okumura Family Fund is sponsoring the "Fable" production through June. Their aim is to continue the program if more funding is secured.
One added benefit of the zoo venue is that children can take a peek at some of the animals that are subjects of the stories. Preschool classes are often led through the zoo by their teachers in an animal scavenger hunt following the show.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Noelle Poole is the mouse and Michael Ng is the lion in the classic tale that teaches how the smallest creature can help even the king of beasts.
"It's a great way to expose children to live theater," Bolan said. "It creates a lifelong love for the arts. They can even get up and run around the meadow if they need to."
Many of Matsumoto's productions are intended to educate children on various topics. Her latest production, "Peril in Paradise," showed youngsters how to better care for their environment.
The "Toddler Tuesday -- Fun with Fables" program was started as Ohi'a Production's first touring show in 1995 to provide children with an opportunity to learn more about morals while gaining exposure to live theater. The show has been revamped with new music by Roslyn Catracchia.
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