Musical version of ‘Goodnight Moon’ comes to life on Denver Center stage

The beloved children’s book gets loving, musical treatment to the delight of its many fans

It was shortly after the end of World War II that an American writer named Margaret Wise Brown published a book for children titled Goodnight Moon. Just a few years later, Brown died in France at age 42, from a blood clot.

I read that sad fact in a sheet inserted in the program for the musical version of Goodnight Moon, now showing at the Denver Center’s Conservatory Theatre through February. I also read that the book still sells 800,000 copies a year and has been translated into 15 languages.

Listen to an OnStage Colorado podcast interview with ‘Goodnight Moon’ director Allison Watrous

Another tidbit: Clement Hurd, the illustrator who created the “Great Green Room” of the book in such vivid and memorable colors, wasn’t great at drawing people — so he went for a bunny as the book’s protagonist.

Whether it was the somewhat odd-looking room, the woodland animal transposed to a human child’s bedroom, Brown’s soothing, repetitive language or a combination of all of it, Goodnight Moon is something of a phenomenon. I read it to my kids so often that by the time our youngest was of age, it was part of my goodnight routine as much as his. Andy often had to nudge me back awake to finish it, and he also had to urge me to stop trying to read it to him after he’d gotten past the age of 8 or so.

Read more about the show from the Denver Center’s John Moore.

So, heading into the theatre to see the live, musical version of this cornerstone piece of literature in our family (and many, many others), I was a little apprehensive. After all, the action in the book would barely fill five minutes on stage. What would the rest be?

Chad Henry adapted the book for the stage, and he created a story with music and lyrics that brings Bunny (who’s silent in the book) to life as a hyperactive kid who just can’t go to sleep. Rakeem Lawrence does a wonderful job personifying Bunny as a cute and only mildly annoying kid who spends the hour-long show bouncing off the walls when he should be in bed.

Directed by Allison Watrous, it all takes place on an extraordinary set that combines the precise look of the book with a funhouse menagerie of gimmicks and gadgets that had all the little kids in the audience giggling throughout.

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Cast of characters

Goodnight Moon has a variety of characters ranging from Mouse (Bunny’s BFF), Cow, and Tooth Fairy to a goofy cat-and-dog duo, three bears and, of course, Old Lady Bunny. All of these characters are played by just three actors (Susannah McLeod as Mouse, Cow and a Bear); Mercedes Perez as Old Lady Bunny, Cat and a Bear); and Marco Robinson as Dog, Tooth Fairy and a Bear.

With the exception of Old Lady Bunny, who is of course charged with saying “Hush!”, all of the characters are there to distract Bunny from the task at hand of going to sleep. As Mouse, McLeod is just as amped-up as Lawrence, and the two play off one another to great effect as the other characters come and go.

As Cat and Dog, Perez and Robinson appear as a sort of comedy duo, with a repeating schtick revolving around getting Cow to jump over the moon. The kids loved them. They also got a big kick out of the three bears, who one by one disappeared from the 3D picture of them above Bunny’s bed to appear on stage.

There are some kitties (puppets) popping out from under the bed, a mischievous lamp, an uncooperative comforter, a playhouse full of rowdies (not sure what they were), a drying line full of dancing socks and mittens and, of course, a big ol’ moon that moves across the sky outside the room.

Many shows for kids are often staged with bare-bones production values, but the Denver Center team pulled out the stops to create a rich, magical experience kids will love. The set by Lisa M. Orzolek is like stepping into the book itself, while lighting and sound by Charles MacLeod and Jason Ducat add to the fantasy nature of the show. The costumes, designed by Kevin Copenhaver, are perfect story-book representations that further draw the audience into the world of the play.

I was fortunate to have my daughter and two granddaughters with me for the show to help with feedback. At 4 and 7, Lynsey and Kaitlynn were the perfect age to appreciate Goodnight Moon, and they loved every minute of it.

This show will be attended by thousands of kids, parents and grandparents over the next few months, and although there are more than 100 performances planned, it’s filling up fast. Tickets are very reasonable ($16, with educator deals available) so everyone should be able to bring their little ones to this memorable show.