Review: SING DOWN THE MOON: APPALACHIAN WONDER TALES at Adventure Theatre & ATMTC Academy

Sing Down The Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales is a good time! It’s music, fiddles and banjos right off the top and my 4-year-old son loved all the dance scenes. I did, too!

Sing Down The Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales is made up of four stories of about 15 minutes each - perfect for children with short attention spans. They are twists on classic tales you are certain to be familiar with including Cinderella and The Three Little Pigs. However, for these purposes, Cinderella is “Catskins” (played by Brigid Walace Harper) and The Three Little Pigs is “Sow and Her Three Pigs”.

Appalachian culture is known for its music, so it’s fitting that Sing Down The Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales is a musical filled with lively dance scenes. The entire cast comes together and sings during “Sow and Her Three Pigs” and it’s clear how much work the cast has done to make their voices blend together beautifully. You can expect a lot of energy, as well, to help keep the kids entertained.

My kids’ favorite Appalachian tale was the one involving the loveable, but not-so-smart Jack, played by Jeremy Allen Crawford. His foolish ways cracked my kids up.

I was impressed by the high-energy and focused effort of the entire cast including those I have already mentioned as well as Chelsea Majors (who has the voice of an opera singer!), Jordan Essex, Julia Link, Ben Ribler, and Stephen Russell Murray. Irene Hamilton, who plays “Mother” and “Old Woman”, is an incredible talent as well. I believe this is the third time I have seen her perform and I look forward to more.

One of the brains behind the operation is MaryHall Surface who wrote and directed Sing Down The Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales. Her work has been nominated for five Helen Hayes Awards and the original cast recording won the Parent’s Guide Award for Children’s Media. 

And, this parent gives the thumbs up to the production as well. It will keep the kids’ attention, make them smile and it’s only about an hour long. Perfect for the kiddos!

Sing Down The Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales is playing now at Adventure Theatre & ATMTC Academy (Glen Echo Park) through May 26.

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