Entertainment

Vampire bunny a real juicer

Be careful next time you bring home a stray bunny rabbit, no matter how cute and fluffy he is. For if the new children’s show “Bunnicula” is to be believed, he may be a . . . vampire bunny.

Based on the children’s book series written by Deborah and James Howe, this breezily entertaining musical boasts a distinguished pedigree. Charles Busch, who dealt with a more disturbing breed of suckers in his comedy “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom,” wrote the book. The lyrics are by Mark Waldrop, whose credits range from the off-Broadway hit “When Pigs Fly” to the 75th anniversary “Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.”

The title character, played by a furry puppet, is brought home to live with the Monroe family when they find him in a decrepit old movie theater during a screening of, what else, “Dracula.” At first the new arrival delights kids Debbie (Ashley Campana) and Toby (John Garry) and their dog, Harold (Robert Anthony Jones). Chester (Prescott Seymour), the cat, is more suspicious of the fanged interloper, especially when his eyes begin glowing red.

Things take a darker turn when all of the vegetables in the house mysteriously turn white. Turns out that Bunnicula, named for the movie during which he was found, is sucking all the juice from them when nobody’s looking.

Chester, who fancies himself a feline Van Helsing, tries to save the family by drinking Bunnicula’s veggie juice in an attempt to starve him. It all leads to an exciting climax at a pet hospital, where Harold, aided by the alley cats Miss Demeanor and Felony, attempts to rescue the bunny from “Cellblock C.”

Although geared for kids 5 and up, the show — subtitled “A Rabbit Tale of Musical Mystery” — is plenty entertaining for adults thanks to Busch’s amusing dialogue.

“You’re easily frightened, it’s the Chihuahua in you,” Chester warns Harold before reading him a vampire story.

“Don’t forget, I’m also part huskie,” the plucky canine replies.

Featuring such bouncy musical numbers as “The White Tomato Tango,” the fast-paced show directed by Carl Andress wears its message about tolerance lightly: “Strange creatures change into new friends if you let them/It could be true that the monster you fear and you aren’t really all that different,” sings Chester when he finally warms up to Bunnicula.

If the show catches on, expect a rise in bunny adoptions . . . even if they’re of the plain old hay-eating variety.