Columbus writer’s first children’s play delightful
Many people attend theatrical premieres with a mixture of curiosity, hope and dread: Sometimes there is a good reason a play hasn’t been produced previously.
Happily, the premiere of Columbus playwright Chris Leyva’s “Cowgirls Don’t Ride Zebras” — his first children’s play — is cause for celebration.
The gem of a story, nicely structured and genuinely funny, deserves to be picked up by other children’s theaters. And the production by CATCO Is Kids, under the finely tuned direction of Joe Bishara, uses a mixed cast of children, teenagers and adult actors to desired effect in bringing Leyva’s original story to life.
The play centers on imaginative Penny (bouncy and determined fifth-grader Emma Shachter), who — with a zeal that makes her seem destined for a career as a director — talks two of her friends, amiable Cassandra (Greta James) and less-malleable Jackie (Abbie Ogilbee), into acting out her fantasies with her.
Penny is inspired by the books she reads, the latest of which concerns cowgirls. She procures a newspaper cowboy hat and appoints her friends to be cows, but she’s stymied by her need for a horse.
So the three head to the nearest zoo, where they audition animals for the role, finding problems with each. A willing ostrich (Ben Tracy) is hindered by his fear of mooing cows; a narcissistic cheetah (Lindsey Parker) wants only to prove that she can run faster than everyone else; a pompous lion (William Darby IV) gets caught up in transforming “moos” into opera.
The play reaches its logical conclusion — and an elegantly twisted ending — with the entrance of the titular zebra (Abigail Worden), who has some ideas of her own.
Leyva has a light touch with lessons and avoids stereotyping his uniquely individual characters, human and otherwise.
At the opening performance last Friday, the target audience seemed captivated by the humor and constantly changing cast of characters; the adults, meanwhile, were treated to some sly wit on the side.