Luna Stage, at 555 Valley Road, in West Orange, New Jersey, has a tremendously entertaining show, for children of all ages, which includes toe-tapping music and very non-traditional format for holiday stories and song. Storytelling is the oldest form of information sharing and entertainment, and “Mi Casa Tu Casa” is a way to celebrate winter holidays in a new old-fashioned way.
From the moment you step in to the theatre space, the bright colorful set dominates it. When the storytellers enter, you begin to see colors of a very different kind. Paula Moscoso and Ernio Hernandez are animated and energetic, and are the perfect interlocutors for what is to come. Then we meet the band!
The Casa Band consists of Michael Aquino and Deivis Garcia on guitars–jazz box and classical guitar (but think “Gipsy Kings”), Chris Blanco on drums and percussion, Cindi Merklee on bass and Jane Keitel on–well – pretty much everything else! Keitel plays accordion, recorder, percussion and xylophone. This is no surprise to those who’ve seen her in “Mom–The Musical,” as you’ll know already she’s a woman of many parts. Aquino and Garcia wrote original music for the show and created it with Dania Ramos to give a new flavor to the holidays.
The audience at the performance I saw had mostly adults with a liberal sprinkling of children in it. There was great fun for everyone and, if you enjoy live music, think of this as an extended set by musicians and storytellers of great skill. Laugh-out-loud characterizations illuminate stories familiar and unfamiliar and quite honestly, you may need a hanky during the outing. It is moving in many, many ways.
Let’s make it simple—see this show! Tickets are only $20 for Big Kids and $10 for Little Kids. This show is only running through December 18 and you’ll get a lump of coal if you miss this–and NOT the good kind! The audience is encouraged to participate and, if you don’t have children, take nieces, nephews and neighbors and you’ll be the coolest Big Kid of the year! Visit Luna Stage at its website at www.lunastage.org and make your plans for a truly memorable evening.