Jun 16 2009
Treasure Island: Old Log Theatre Summer Children’s Show
As planned, my friend and I took our combined seven children, ages 3-9, to Excelsior, Minnesota, for the children’s production of Treasure Island at the Old Log Theatre.
I’d heard about Old Log Theatre many times but had never been there before. I was surprised at how easy it was to get to; like other things in Excelsior, it’s off the highway but not by much. We got there quite early, so we took the kids for a walk on the trail that runs adjacent to the theatre; this helped get some of the wiggles out.
Tickets for the production are $15 each but I had a coupon that took $5 off each. There were no Ticketmaster fees, so the face value of the ticket is exactly what we paid. I was impressed that there were no hidden fees.
The theatre is spacious but not so big that you’d have a bad seat anywhere. During the summer weekday performances, there are many school and camp groups that visit, but the first two rows are kept available for families who want to see the production. We sat in the front row and it was nice for the kids to be close to the action.
Thankfully, the seats were not so springy as to make a clunky noise if a child stood up. My girls were a bit fearful of the dimmed stage and pirates, so they spent much of the show on my lap. It really wasn’t very scary, and I wouldn’t hesitate to take children three and up to the show.
The play was 70 minutes long and included one audience sign-along song which gave the kids a chance to move around a bit. The singing and dancing kept the kids entertained, and there was just enough humor to keep me laughing. The acting was professional and it was easy to hear everything. It’s been a while since I read Treasure Island, so I don’t know how closely the play follows the story, but for a piece of entertainment, it was enjoyable for kids and adults alike.
You can bet that the Old Log Theatre children’s show will be on our annual summer to-do list. With its reasonable price, family-friendliness, and excellent show, it’s a winner for introducing kids to the theatre.
[...] have found some quality, albeit lesser-known, theater productions, however. Old Log Theatre, in the Minneapolis suburb of Excelsior, offer’s children’s productions two or three [...]