Civics lessons are rarely as much fun as the one offered in “We the People: America Rocks!”
This summer’s free musical for kids, courtesy of Theaterworks USA, features the Founding Fathers in a way you’ve never seen them before: as a rockin’ boy band.
Stepping out of the history books are George Washington (Colin Campbell McAdoo), John Adams (F. Michael Haynie), Thomas Jefferson (Jamie LaVerdiere) and Ben Franklin (Abe Goldfarb). They may be “old dudes,” but as one of them puts it, “275 is the new 40.”
The premise is simple: They’re here to help 14-year-old Dawn (Badia Farha) win election as student council president.
In a series of catchy musical numbers — written by a gaggle of composers, including alumni of off-Broadway faves “Altar Boyz” and “The Bomb-itty of Errors” — the historical foursome provides easy-to-take lessons about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the American Revolution, among other things.
Regarding the Revolution, Jefferson explains, “We officially went indie.”
The witty book by Joe Iconis (“The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks,” “Bloodsong of Love: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Spaghetti Western”) features such entertaining conceits as a wrestling match between the actors playing the three branches of government, armed with such relevant props as a veto stamp and a gavel. Or, in the case of the legislative branch, an over-
ride (“It’s a little something I do when 213 of us feel like it”).
Designed for kids ages 8 and up, it’s the rare children’s show that’s as informative as it is entertaining. Don’t be surprised if your child comes home knowing more about the electoral college than you do.
Word to the wise: Individual tickets, available at the box-office one hour before each performance on a first-come, first-served basis, are easier to come by for evening and weekend performances.