The Lexington Children’s Theatre presents Junie B. Jones Jingle Bells, Batman Smells at the Lexington Opera House this holiday season. The play is based on the popular children’s book series by Barbara Park. If you haven’t met Junie B. Jones the play offers a great introduction to the fiesty first grader!
I love taking my kids to the Lexington Opera House! It’s such a beautiful place and it was great to watch other little faces as they entered today for the school show I attended. Their eyes pop when they see the fancy seats, huge stage and balconies. Seeing a show can be so much more than just the performance itself.
Holiday music plays as you arrive to get you in the spirit. When the curtain rises we see Junie B. in her classroom, Room 1. She’s busy writing in her journal, which is a key part to the book series. She uses her journal as a way to speak her many thoughts. Her classmate May is always peeking to make sure she knows Junie Jones (she refuses to use the B which drives Junie B. crazy) isn’t saying anything about her. The relationship between the two girls is constantly a source of tattling and arguing. Their teacher, Mr. Scary, does his best to calm the girls and keep them from causing too much drama in class.
Junie B. Jones is super animated and local actress, Georgia Turpin, does a great job in bringing her to life. If you’re not familiar with the books there are lots of silly words and first grade attitude throughout the stories. Be ready for lots of giggles!
Mr. Scary has some great characters in his class including Jose, Herb, Lucille, Sheldon and more. Throughout the play we see the personalities of each classmate and they help provide lots of laughs throughout the show. Sheldon had the hundreds of kids at the show today cracking up! Kids may be able to compare some of Junie B’s classmates to their own. It’s a great way to start a discussion about how the characters make good and bad choices during the show.
We see the class working on their parent night performance of the story of Christopher Columbus and choosing parts for the play. Everything through the school day seems to be a source of arguing between May and Junie B. and the play is no different. The two girls manage to cause loads of trouble during the show. The crazy parent night play keeps everyone giggling and we all loved Caleb Cox’s performance as Sheldon/The Nina!
Junie B. isn’t done yet! She has yet another performance to have some fun with. The holiday sing along provides the inspiration for the book title. My kids are very familiar with the popular kids’ version of Jingle Bells which includes a shout out to Batman and his sidekick Robin. Junie B. adds even more to the song during the class performance of the song and May isn’t happy about it at all! When my son read the book in first grade he loved this part in the story and made me sing it over and over.
Next up for Room 1 is their Secret Santa gift exchange. Students choose a name in secret and they will have the task of getting a gift for them at the school Secret Santa shop. Guess who Junie B. picks!!?? All the students get to go preview and make a list of things they want, things for their family, and an item for their secret santa. Junie B. discusses her choices and her plan for her secret santa pick with her giant stuffed elephant. Kids loved seeing him come to life and I’m sure how he did will be a fun discussion for little ones!
Once at the Secret Santa shop and during the gift exchange we see a new side to Junie B. and May. The holiday spirit reaches the girls just in time! It’s great to see how they work through their differences and find a way to smile and laugh together. It’s a great reminder to all of us that it’s important to think of others, make sacrifices, and find joy in giving.
I always find seeing a performance is a great way to start a dialogue with your kids about what they think about what happened in the show. Questions like “Did Junie B. say something kind?” “How would you react if you saw someone had called you a name?” and “What did you think about how that character acted” are great for a family discussion. Maybe find a way your little one can give to others this season!
Shows are held this weekend on Saturday, December 5th at 2 pm and 7 pm and on Sunday, December 6th at 2 pm.
Click HERE for ticket information