Messing with the Bull
Wishing the Arden's pleasant but unremarkable Ferdinand the Bull followed the original more closely.
Munro Leaf's The Story of Ferdinand, about the bull who would rather smell flowers than fight, is now more that 70 years old, but it still has a lot to teach us. In fact, I wish the Arden's pleasant but unremarkable Ferdinand the Bull followed the original more closely.
Leaf's book had several wonderful things going for it: a great message, a winning directness in the writing and superb drawings by Robert Lawson. The message remains, but this theatrical version by Karen Zacarias takes liberties with Leaf's original, adding extraneous characters and subplots that merely slow things down. (Ferdinand runs just over an hour, yet feels long.) It would be impossible to recreate Lawson's intricate illustrations onstage, but I wish at least some of the flavorful detail carried over. Instead, Adam Riggar's scenery is awash in gentle pastels.
It's all of a piece with a show that's amiable but little more. Among the four actors, Tom Teti is a highlight, making the most of his role (Duque Dodo, an add-on in this version) with slyness and physical dexterity.
Ferdinand isn't up to the ingenuity and lavishness of several recent Arden shows for children. Still, it's enjoyable enough. And who can argue with the lesson that we are best when we cultivate beauty instead of hostility? Though these are concepts too sophisticated for our president to grasp, I imagine most 5-10-year-olds will do just fine.
Ferdinand The Bull, through May 27, Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St., 215-922-8900, www.ardentheatre.org
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