You gotta love it when the Cleveland Orchestra opens the doors to Severance Hall to people under the age of 85. Not that they do it very often. But Peter and the Wolf, written by composer Serge Prokofiev in 1936 as a commission for Russia's Central Children's Theatre, is the perfect introduction to the symphony orchestra for youngsters.

The piece introduces each section of the orchestra and assigns themes to each of the major characters: the hunters are played by the tympani; the Wolf is represented by the French horns; the Bird is sounded by the flute; and Peter is represented by the string section. Rapt and mostly well-behaved children listened carefully to the story as narrated with remarkable ablomb by Philadelphia-based storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston, whose expressive voice enthralled the hall. There were no gratuitous actors, video or animation to move the story along, just the occasional plot development spoken aloud, and the lightful music played beautifully by The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, backed up by The Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by music director James Gaffigan.

The unfortunate result of so many excellent players on stage was the necessity to remove the large scale puppets, designed by Robin Van Lear of Art Acts (who directs Parade The Circle), to the lobby. These overwhelmingly awesome 15' tall puppets of the Wolf and Peter are worn by Mark Jenks and other members of Art Acts, and feature articulating arms and legs. Although designed to be situated in front of the stage to illuminate the story while the Orchestra plays, the crowded conditions prevented their collaboration. So the kids enjoyed the puppets in the lobby before and after the show.

Of course, it's always the execption that proves the rule, and one of the lasting impressions of seeing so many young people having fun in Severance Hall was that Clevelanders are rarely allowed to do this. One wonders how we expect our kids to grow up to become Orchestra patrons if they (and other young people under retirement age) aren't encouraged to enter the sacred Severance Hall more often.

Last weekend, the Orchestra found the perfect vehicle for introducing children to the Cleveland Orchestra. Now the Orchestra needs to find new ways to introduce themselves to children of all ages.

Review and photos by Mulready

Return to the Current newsletter (:divend:)