BACT Junior Blog: Elephant and Piggie, We are in a play!

Here's another post from our Junior Blogger, Sophie Knipp!

The best plays based on books always. . . 

have humor, audience interaction, span many ages, a strong and talented cast, fun music, and keep true to the message of the books. Well, I would say that the BACT production of Elephant and Piggie playing in Sunnyvale has all of that!

Gerald the Elephant, played by Alan Coyne, was fun to watch as he and his best friend Piggie went to a party, had ice cream, played together, and put on a play within a play with their 3 friends, the Squirelles, 3 pretty, rodent singing divas.

In Act 2 Gerald, Piggie, and the Squirelles interact with the audience. They lead us in dance moves, singing, and clapping to the beat - making the audience feel part of the play. Adults and kids of all ages joined in the fun! 

The music was very silly - dramatic, exciting, sad, and funny. Very funny! Elephant’s surprise dramatic solo in Act 1 was one of the standout performances in the show. 

The cast was very very strong. It was amazing how talented they were. Their voices, their dance moves, and their acting was fantastic!

The set was a simple but creative design that had a backdrop that looked like the different pages of the Mo Willems books. The costumes were also very simple but creative. Instead of animal costumes, the actors looked like normal people, but with pieces that looked like the animal they were playing. 

The message of the show is “that true friends can get you through anything”, said Alan Coyne. Just like the books, Elephant and Piggie get through obstacles together as friends, solving problems and finding solutions.

BACT’s production of Elephant and Piggie, We Are In A Play was overall very enthusiastic and fantastic to watch! The next show I will be blogging about is BACT’s Beautiful Oops. Stay tuned!