Review: THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW at Imagination Stage

Four stories from iconic children’s book author Eric Carle, 75 puppets, and even a bubble party – what could go wrong? Spoiler alert: nothing. Everything goes right.

This was, I believe, my third time seeing THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Maryland, and I think it was the best time! I brought both my young sons and they sat and were well-behaved throughout the entire show, which is always a sign of quality entertainment! Even though the show is advertised as best for ages 2 to 6, my crew included my 8-year-old son and he was glued to the performance the entire time.

Note: The world’s most famous caterpillar actually appears last in the show with 3 Carle stories as the opening acts - “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”, “10 Little Rubber Ducks”, and “The Very Lonely Firefly”. I feel this is important to point out, so your kids don’t think they’re going to see their beloved green friend right off the top.

Carle’s stories come alive with the help of sizable, colorful puppets, operated by puppeteers Mollie Greenberg, Cristina Sanchez, and Carl L. Williams. I have read “Brown Bear” to my kids about a million times, so it was wonderful to see it coming to life right before my eyes. As for my kids, they were excited they knew the book so well and could predict the order and what puppet would hit the stage next. During the “Rubber Ducks” performance, bubbles started pouring down from the ceiling, which was a huge hit with my 5-year-old.

All the puppets and props used during the show are eye-catching, especially those used while “The Very Lonely Firefly” was being performed. I heard one of my sons say “Cool!,” because of the lighting, so shout out to Lighting Designer Helen Garcia-Alton and also to Props Designer Andrea Moore.

At the end of the show, finally appears our favorite caterpillar and the kids loved it. If you know the book, you know it’s the story of a caterpillar who eats and eats and eats, but is “still hungry!” The entire crowd happily called out in unison, “But he was STILL hungry!,” after each food the caterpillar consumed in an attempt to end his hunger.