My daughter and I look forward to our annual tradition of going to Oradell to see Bergen County Player's holiday show, which is perfectly targeted for young theater goers. This holiday season, Beatles fans are in for a special treat with Beat Bugs, A Musical Adventure. This family-friendly musical is based on the hit Netflix animated show Beat Bugs, featuring lovable insects that sing Beatles songs. In the show, five friends are on a mission to save Strawberry Fields from the Mean Mr. Mustard. We follow their journey as we learn about protecting the environment and building a movement through the love of music.
 | It was a treat to see the talented Alex Cafe return from his star role in last year's play Jack and the Beanstalk. Now an eighth grader at Emerson Junior/Senior High School, Jack plays Jay in Beat Bugs. Ella Ventimiglia (left) plays Buzz and is a River Vale student. This is Ella's Bergen County Players debut! |
The show is kid-friendly with an intimate stage that allows for frequent interaction with the audience, and bucket seats for even the youngest of theater fans. The target audience is probably in the 8+ age range given the subject of the show. My seven year old daughter was able to follow the story and enjoy the music, but I'm not sure she fully grasped concepts of commercialism, pollution and overdevelopment.
I loved the clever ways in which Beatles songs are used to highlight a modern-day topic to which youth and their families can relate and discuss. Pay attention and you'll even hear lyrics to Beatles songs interspersed within the dialogue. You can tell by the bobbing heads throughout the show which grown ups grew up listening to the Beatles, and with the range of Beatles songs sung throughout the night, everyone can be caught singing along to one or two of the classics like "Yellow Submarine", "Come Together", and "All You Need is Love".
Beat Bugs is now playing at Bergen County Players in Oradell on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through December 22.
 | Joanna Sigurdsson of Bergenfield played the role of Prudence, Mean Mr. Mustard's assistant, as well as Queen Bee. |
Tickets to see Beat Bugs are only $14 and it includes a Meet and Greet after the show where the audience has the opportunity to meet the cast, take photos and get their autographs (save your programs!). Purchase tickets HERE.
 |
RELATED ARTICLES
Beat Bugs at Bergen County Players
WANT MORE FAMILY FUN?
Be sure you are receiving our FREE emails for weekly event listings and also check out our events calendar!
 |
