ORLANDO — The true mark of achievement in children’s theater is what I call the “Screaming” test, which reasons that when theater seats are filled with parents and their little ones, in the minutes before the show begins, there will be noise. Lots and lots of excited kids letting their voices be heard.

As Seinfeld once said, Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But here’s the test: once the lights dimmed and Orlando Shakes began its newest children’s theater production, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, it was immediately clear the cast and crew had passed the Screaming test with flying colors. Suddenly there was a theater filled with excited, highly animated children, and they were all … silent. Hushed.

Within minutes of the show starting, parent and child alike among the nearly 300 people in the audience were happily absorbed in the show, and it’s not hard to see why. Three uniquely gifted actors — Sarah Lockard, Jacob Romeo and Dominique Marshall — proved to be exceptionally well prepared to give those kids exactly what theater children demand of their time and attention span: a sense of magic and wonder.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show is being presented at Orlando Shakes now through Nov. 9, and families eager to introduce their little ones to the excitement of theater and the arts have exactly what they’re looking for in this production.

What is The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show was adopted from four stories by Eric Carle, the illustrator who has authored 70+ children’s picture books, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which was first published in 1969. Known for his unique and distinctive style that creates bright images using hand-painted paper collages, his stories continue to teach and inspire children’s imaginations.

The Orlando Shakes production fully embraces that spirit. The show’s first story, “The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse,” understands how to make learning fun for kids. Lockard is the artist with an oval-shaped paint palette filled with colors; before shifting to her paint board, she points her brush as a particular dot and encourages the kids to name the color. Before long, there was a chorus of little voices yelling out “black,’ “blue,” “orange,” and so on. Lockard then paints an animal in that color — and they magically appear on stage. No pun intended to say it was a colorful and interactive opening for the show.

There was plenty of charming humor in the final segment, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” where Romeo embodies the caterpillar born with a mighty appetite, while Lockard and Marshall deliver the many, many foods it discovers to munch on — from apples all the way to pizza and sausages, until the caterpillar has grown to a massive size. Suddenly, it’s not so hungry anymore.

Equally charming is “The Very Lonely Firefly,” a clever story where Romeo becomes the tiny firefly that excitedly sees lights on the horizon and assumes it’s another firefly. Eager to find friends, the lonely firefly heads in that direction … only to discover a man-made light instead … until finally, the lonely firefly finds something truly special.

The best sequence, “Mister Seahorse,” is a delightful tale about the adventures of a seahorse (Romeo) that meets other exotic fish in the sea. This is a winsome and irresistible story that helps introduces kids to the wonders of aquatic life and the mysteries of the ocean. That’s one of the things I liked best about this show: the way it piqued the curiosity of the children in the audience to learn more about sea life, the lights we see at night, and even about friendship.

How is the Orlando Shakes Production?

Performed inside the spacious Margeson Theater, the huge stage provides the ideal platform for the actors to move about, whether as a floating seahorse, a soaring firefly or a carnivorous caterpillar. The background sets have huge windows that open up for animals to make a guest appearance, and the show even includes a litany of floating bubble for the underwater segment. The show uses 75 dazzling puppets of all shapes and sizes, which add an enormous visual appeal to the stories.

A huge amount of credit for the show’s success goes to the performers. Lockard, Romeo and Marshall understand exactly what it takes to charm their audience; their high energy, enthusiastic performances are spot on for appealing to their youthful audience. Romeo is particular good in the way he carries the puppets of the seahorse, firefly, and caterpillar, while using his facial expressions to tap into a sense of awe, surprise, and curiosity about what he discovers. All three actors are as fun to watch as the puppets they bring to life.

For parents eagerly looking for enjoyable weekend outings with their little kids, perhaps with a desire to inspire a lifelong appreciation for live theater, this show totally delivers.

Where Can I See The Very Hungry Caterpillar?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show is being produced at Orlando Shakes, 812 E Rollins St. in Orlando’s Loch Haven Park. The show is being performed in the Margeson Theater as part of their ongoing Children’s Theater Series. The show is 45 minutes long with no intermission and this production runs through Sunday, Nov. 9.

Orlando Shakes is also selling adorable caterpillar stuffed toys for $12 each in the lobby, and they were a hot item on the recent Saturday when I attended this show.

To buy tickets or get more information, call the Shakes Box Office at (407) 447-1700.

Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book A Christmas Eve Story. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.

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