By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Lively music fills the room, a colorful backdrop encompasses the stage and the commotion begins. It’s a circus of marionettes—literally. Enter circus animals, P.T. Barnum, a not-so-nice Ringmistress with jealous daughters, a handsome prince and, of course, Cinderella—a beautiful and kind circus artist with rather oversized feet, who is made to cook and clean and must practice her tightrope walking skills in the moonlight for an audience of forest critters.

The Center for Puppetry Arts’ Cinderella Della Circus by Jon Ludwig is an original take on a classic fairy tale and just one of the on-going classic tales the Center adopts for the marionette stage each season.

I first visited the Center about 30 years ago—not long after it first opened. Most of those visits were with a full house of school groups. This time around, I took Brianna on a Saturday afternoon where a number of parents like myself were looking for a good inside activity on a hot June day. Seat selection was on a first-come, first-serve basis with the first couple of rows reserved for (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Verdi, Dvorak, Gershwin. These may not sound like topics of discussion that children would enjoy—at least under the age of 12. And they probably aren’t. But music—and music beautifully performed—is something that even the smallest child can tune into in some way.

Last fall I took then four-year-old daughter Brianna to Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown Atlanta to watch and hear the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra play the musical score of “The Wizard of Oz” while that 1939 Judy Garland celluloid masterpiece lit up the hall’s big screen in all its black and white and Technicolor glory. She was mesmerized. Of course, a few gummy bears to eat and costumed Dorothys and Good and Bad Witches of the North and East scattered around the audience helped.

Then this past spring, my husband and I took now five-year-old Brianna to The Beach at Callaway Gardens to hear the ASO perform from their stage with Robin Lake as background. Chastain-like tables with reserved seating, candles and serious food and drink took center stage in front of the orchestra, but the grassy hillside was dotted with families and friends taking advantage of the free concert. To the left of the bandstand, children played on the beach, running, dribbling soccer balls, throwing Frisbees, occasionally yelling a little loudly, but all and all, soaking up the sounds of the orchestra. As it grew darker, Brianna and most all returned to their seats on the knoll to clap their hands and dance. (more…)