Review of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fair(l)y (Stoopid) Tales at Adventure Theatre
by Margo Osborne
March 11, 2008

7300 MacArthur Boulevard
Glen Echo, MD 20812
301.634.2270
Google Map

Run oh run as fast as you can
To Adventure Theatre
To See the Stinky Cheese Man!

Our Kids (OK) recommends Adventure Theatre’s performance of The Stinky Cheese Man. OK thinks Adventure Theatre’s January/February performance of Go Dog Go is untouchable and a cut above The Stinky Cheese Man, but The Cheese Man surely has its own unique, hilarious, and action-packed moments.

The Stinky Cheese Man is an excellent adaptation from the book The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales. And in this unusual case, OK recommends reading the book to your children prior to the performance. If not, according to our OK kindergarten reviewer, the show will be “kinda confusing” at times. The theatre’s website also contains an Adventure Guide link, which recommends things to ponder before, during and after the performance.

For parents who are not familiar with Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s book, it is a Caldecott Honor Book and contains stories they call “almost Fairy Tales. But not quite....Fairly Stupid Tales.” Some of the titles include “The Princess and the Bowling Ball”, “Little Red Running Shorts” and “The Tortoise and the Hair,” and rest assured, every single one is silly and quirky. And ditto on the silliness and quirkiness of the actual performance! In many respects the show is even quirkier, if that is possible, because as Adventure’s website states and proves to be true, the fairy tales “go berserk right on stage.” OK does not want to spill the beans entirely, but finding the fairy tale characters in each other’s stories is “stoopidly” clever.

Early in the production, the cast’s attention-grabbing song and dance number “Time Upon a Once” hints at how genuinely berserk this adaptation is. As previously stated, all of the fair(l)y tales covered in this performance are silly and quirky, but Cinderumpelstiltskin and The Stinky Cheese Man are clear crowd favorites. Alex Perez, the Go Dog Go narrator, continues to impress even in high heels this time as Cinderella’s ugly stepmother.

There is some fun audience participation in The Other Frog Prince where one child is asked to join the cast onstage in a song and dance number. The Really Ugly Duckling has its moments, but is likely the least engaging for most.

The role of the Stinky Cheese Man could not have been more perfectly cast with Daniel Pushkin. Pushkin’s performance made his character believable and likeable despite being so darn stinky. His entire performance is memorable, but his solo “It’s No Picnic Being Cheese” is stinkin’ stellar! He takes his mother’s comments about his being set free and literally and figuratively runs with it! He sings, “Run run run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me. I’m the Stinky Cheese Man.” Keep your eyes open for the unusual ending.

The performance started only a few minutes late, and the run time was just under one hour. The facility is a welcome change over of its previous temporary location. The new theatre is spacious with comfortable cushioned audience seating, convenient restrooms and a birthday party room. OK observed an unusually high number of children sitting on floor cushions this time. We are not sure if this is a case of the theatre overselling or maybe the birthday party groups choosing to sit there.

If you have little ones, OK recommends using your stroller as there is a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the theatre. The only downside is required outside stroller parking, which happened to be an inconvenience on an unusually windy day.

Additional information:

  • The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fair(l)y (Stoopid) Tales runs from March 8 to April 20, 2008 on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 1:30pm.
  • There are special weekday, Spring Break, Friday evening, Book Club and sign language performances, so please consult www.adventuretheatre.org
  • Adventure Theatre recommends this show for ages three and up. OK agrees with this suggestion, but with one caveat. Remember your three year-olds and even your six year-olds will certainly have their eyes glued to the action and giggle throughout, but may be confused at times about the unconventional mixing of fair(l)y tales.
  • Cost is $12 per ticket.
  • Group rates available. Call 301.320.5331 for more information.
  • The theatre hosts birthday parties.

Did you see The Stinky Cheese Man? What's your opinion? Just drop us a note and Our Kids will add your comments to this review.

Our Kids Reader Comments:

  • "My kids (ages 7 and almost 5) really enjoyed the production. We were all familiar with the story before we went and were pleased with the on-stage adaptation. The review remarks that the seats were comfortable -- I'd have to disagree. The seats are wooden bench style seats with really straight backs which was made even more pleasant by the kids behind us who kept accidentally kicking the back of the bench (par for the course, I suppose). The bottom is padded, which made the 1 hour performance bearable, however. I'd have to agree that the performance seemed over-sold -- they really packed them in on the benches as well as the floor mats (expect at least 6 or 7 people per bench). It was rather hot in the room also - so dress cool or in layers. No food or drinks - so skip the pit stop at Starbucks. Children are invited to get autographs after the performance, which was a nice touch." - Cassi W.
  • "You said that Stinky Cheese Man is not available in the Fairfax County library. It is! It is called “Stinky Cheeseman” in the system." - Ted F.
  • "I took my 2.5 yr old. The opening was terrifying for him. There is a deep rumbling giant voice coming from nowhere, the castle has huge eyes in the windows, and I think the drawbridge mouth moved. I'm not sure - my son started crying and I had to hold him. He wasn't the only one crying. Please warn of the fright potential!" - Jennifer M.