Kidz Kabaret goes '50s with 'Pop's Malt Shop'
A few generations from now, when remnants of the 1950s can be found chiefly in history books, that prosperous, hopeful time likely will seem romantic.
Heck, it does already, to those who remember that decade and to those just being introduced to the days when Elvis, poodle skirts and saddle shoes were all the rage.
The young actors at Kidz Kabaret, a Naperville-based educational theater troupe, are getting their entre into that bygone era courtesy of "Pop's Malt Shop," an original play penned by Kidz Kabaret founder and executive director Kandiss Hernandez.
It was local lore that kicked Hernandez' imagination into high gear.
"What inspired me was this documentary from Cock Robin," said Hernandez, referring to an iconic Naperville ice cream and burger joint that stood on Washington Street until 2000, when it was replaced with Fredenhagen Park. "I thought, you know, I love the '50s. Everything people did, it was new. It just seemed like such an innovative time."
So, four years ago, she came up with a musical, set in the '50s, that tells the story of a group of teens who hold a talent show to keep their favorite soda shop from going under.
The stars of "Pop's Malt Shop," opening Monday at the Comedy Shrine in downtown Naperville, are in kindergarten through fourth grade.
"This is a whole new batch of kids who haven't experienced the '50s," she said.
The little greasers, dressed in bowling shirts, and their bobby socks-wearing dates, execute dance moves that require precision and partnership - all done to rock 'n' roll classics.
Audience members old enough to have memories of the 1950s will experience a twinge of nostalgia just by reading some of the featured song titles: "Jailhouse Rock," "Splish Splash," "The Great Pretender" and "Good Golly Miss Molly."
De Haddad is directing about 80 children, who, in various combinations, make up 10 different casts for the show.
"This is the first big musical I've done with them. Every day, I learn something new from them," said Haddad, a Naperville mother of three who has a formal education in theater. "I've taken several of their ideas and put them into the show. I encourage their ideas. One of the things I love, I can act goofy with them and get them to laugh and they make me laugh as well."
Haddad said the '50s are a bit before her time. But when she was growing up, her father often would play his records, so the tunes are deeply ensconced in her mind's ear.
"It's all that '50s music," she said, "very catchy, fun, happy music."
If you go
What: "Pop's Malt Shop," presented by Kidz Kabaret
When: 3 p.m. Monday to Friday; noon, 2 and 3 p.m. Aug. 16; 1 and 3 p.m. Aug. 17
Where: The Comedy Shrine, 22 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Tickets: $8 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, $6 for ages 10 and younger
Info: (630) 355-9212 or kidzkabaret.com