A Siamese cat imagines himself to be a Chihuahua in the delightful new kids’ musical “Skippyjon Jones.” This summer’s free offering from Theaterworks USA deserves a hearty olé!
The title character, delightfully played by Austen Nash Boone, thinks that his head and ears are too big. His annoyed mother (Jose Restrepo) informs him that his features are just like those of his ancestors, who hail from Siam.
“We’re Siamese?” he asks.
“I like to call us Siamese Americans,” she replies.
Ordered to his room to write an essay on what it means to be a cat, Skippyjon instead launches into a fantasy in which he becomes “Skippito Friskito,” who falls in with Los Chimichangos, a family of Chihuahuas in — where else? — Mexico.
Befriending Rosalita (Gabrielle Ruiz), who’s not allowed to fetch because she’s female, Skippito helps his fellow canines in their battle against Alfredo Buzzito (Restrepo again), an evil bumblebee out to steal their beans.
Based on Judy Schachner’s original pop-up book — “Skippyjon Jones” is now a series — the hour-long show features a tuneful, Latin-flavored score by Eli Bolin and genuinely witty lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila:
“We are Chihuahas!/Yap yap!/We’re macho and mean/In purses and handbags we ride/Aie-Yie!/Mighty Chihuahuas!/We’re hyper and lean/And Mexico’s where we reside.”
Peter Flynn’s bouncy staging keeps things moving merrily along, while Rob Odorisio’s clever set design resembles a pop-up book itself.
Recommended for children ages 4 and older, the show will delight small kids without boring adult chaperones. Best of all, tickets are free, available on a first-come, first-served basis at the theater on the day of the performance.