Review: SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! at Carrollwood Cultural Center
On stage through July 26
Schoolhouse Rock Live! at the Carrollwood Cultural Center feels like cracking open a time capsule lined with construction‑paper colors and Saturday‑morning joy. Under the direction of David O’Hare and assistant director Danny Dunderman, in their Center directorial debut, the show carries an honest, welcoming energy that makes you settle in, smile wide, and remember exactly why these songs stayed with us.
The stage is simple and colorful, built around playful props and a TV screen that flashes familiar clips before each number. It creates the same anticipation you felt on a Saturday morning when the house was quiet and the cartoons were about to start. The choice to keep the space open lets the choreography shine and gives the cast room to play.
Christopher Grant steps into his first leading role as the schoolteacher trying to find his footing with help from the Schoolhouse Rock crew. He brings a gentle sincerity to the part, grounding the whirlwind of animated characters around him. His performance is sweet, steady, wonderfully openhearted, and easy to follow, and he makes the audience root for his successful school day from the start.
Kat Thomas’s choreography is phenomenal. Every movement is crisp and full of personality, and the cast leans into it with real joy. Every number feels like a celebration, and they executes it with infectious enthusiasm. The pacing keeps the show moving with a bright, upbeat rhythm.
Paired with colorful, absolutely adorable costumes by Paul Berg, Reid Whaley, Penelope Socasa, Lillian Berg, Juliet Crowther, Alianna Waggoner, and Josh Eberhart (also doubling in perfect lighting design), the whole production becomes a visual treat that never feels cluttered.
The cast is clearly having the time of their lives, but two young performers stand out as voices to watch. Bella Boystan, debuting as Dori, brings a bright, confident, expressive tone that showcases the music with confidence and charm. Quentin Parkes, also making his debut as George, lights up the stage every time he steps forward. He has a natural spark that draws your eye and a presence that feels effortless.
And then there is that moment. The first note of “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly” rings out, and suddenly you are eight years old again, plopped in front of a giant 19‑inch TV, cross legged, cereal bowl in hand. That kind of magic doesn’t happen by accident. It is a simple, perfect wave of nostalgia. Congratulations to music director W. Scott Warfel, whose work brings back not just the songs, but the feeling of childhood itself.
From my favorites “Just a Bill,” “The Preamble,” “Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla” to “Conjunction Junction,” “Great American Melting Pot," and many, many more, Carrollwood Cultural Center’s Schoolhouse Rock Live! transports you back to that innocent, responsibility-free time in your life. It is colorful, clever, full of heart, and comfortingly nostalgic. It reminds you that learning can still be musical, theatrical, and oh, so much fun.
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