Review: BEATRICE LIKES THE DARK at Adventure Theatre MTC

Adventure Theatre MTC begins it’s 75th anniversary season in rare form with the World Premiere of Beatrice Likes The Dark. The show is based on the book of the same name by April Genevieve Tucholke and is adapted for the stage by the multi-talented Dani Stoller.

Beatrice (Irene Hamilton) is not your average child. She loves to wear black and prefers the dark over light. She hangs out in her attic with a family of spiders. She also is a fan of Manchego cheese. Ya know, just a typical kid. Her little sister Roo (Chelsea Majors) is the complete opposite and is totally scared of the dark. Our narrators are a cat named Buttons (Jordan Brown), and a bird named Raven (Hannah Taylor.) Beatrice is into sorcery and casting spells, so she goes to her favorite shop for that kind of thing and gets a spell for infinite darkness from the shop owner Moonchild (Tobi Baisburd.) As you might guess, once darkness is cast, things go sideways. There is now a monster in Beatrice’s attic, and because there isn’t any daylight or electricity, school is now closed. Ultimately there are some very good lessons to be learned from what Beatrice has done but you’ll need to see the show to know what they are.

Director Patrick Flynn has directed a top notch cast and keeps the show paced very well so the younger audience members are kept entranced throughout while keeping the adults interested as well.

Playwright Dani Stoller does the same. There are references to “My Fair Lady” and other jokes for the adults while also making her characters likable and enjoyable for the younger set.

As Beatrice Irene Hamilton plays the darker elements of her character beautifully but also gives us an excellent transition later on. Her performance is the true anchor.

Chelsea Majors is an adorable and AWWW inducing Roo. You just want to give her a big hug and tell her everything is going to be ok.

Jordan Brown as Buttons the cat and Hannah Taylor as Raven the bird take us through our adventure (product placement) with a very welcoming tone. The duo are perfect sidekicks for Hamilton’s Beatrice.

Jordan Essex as Beatrice’s teacher Mr. Soleil and others and Tobi Basiburd as Moonchild and others do well with their limited but no less important amount of stage time. They also play two very loud students at Beatrice’s school and more.

One of the true highlights of this production is Hailey LaRoe’s projections that create the world of Beatrice. I am usually not a fan of projection in theatre because I now find that shows are using it to make up for lack of scenery. LaRoe’s work does not replace; it actually enhances Dom Ocampo’s set. It is always a delicate balance but in this case it paid off beautifully.

Lynn Joslin’s lighting creates an appropriately eerie atmosphere and Paris Francesca’s costumes are up to their usual brilliance.

Andrea “Dre” Moore’s props and puppet design are again a winning production element.

Kenny Neal’s sound design is the only element of this show that feels under compared to what the rest of the creatives have done. Consisting of source music as opposed to original composition, I just wanted a little bit more.

All in all, Adventure Theatre MTC’s Beatrice Likes The Dark continues the company’s winning streak of brining high quality theatre for all ages to its audiences. If you only know Dani Stoller as an actress, I highly urge you to see this show and be amazed at her talent on the other side of the footlights.

Glen Echo Park is beautiful at this time of year. Put down the technology, gather your family and enjoy!!

Running Time: 50 minutes with no intermission.

Beatrice Likes The Dark runs through November 1st, 2026, at Adventure Theatre MTC which is located at 7300 MacArthur Blvd in Glen Echo, MD.

Lead photo credit: L- R Chelsea Majors, Hannah Taylor, Jordan Brown, and Irene Hamilton in Adventure Theatre MTC's World Premiere production of Beatrice Likes The Dark.

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