Going to bed can be hard, especially if you’re a kid with a wild imagination who shares a room with a sibling! That’s what Inside Out and Backwards — Nashville Children’s Theatre’s (NCT) fall snuggery show (designed for newborns up to to age 5 with a parent) — is all about. I took my 2-year-old for her very first introduction to theater and she was absolutely mesmerized.
In the show, a big brother (played by Joe Mobley) and his little sister (Eric Lee Haines) put off bedtime by transforming their room into a topsy-turvy wonderland where gloves swim like fish, shirts growl like beasts and socks groove in a dance party.
Just like previous NCT snuggery shows, the actors do a wonderful job of keeping young attentions with captivating and coordinated movements, catchy songs and silly humor even the littlest theater-goer can pick up on.
Aldrich’s 2-year-old jumps on stage for a photo in the lobby.
ENTERTAINED FROM START TO FINISH
We left our house a little early and it’s good that we did. The NCT lobby was packed with people and activities for kids to do before the show: blocks, coloring sheets, photo ops and more.
At showtime, we filtered into the Copeland Studio to find a colorful floor mat (if you want to sit toward the front) or a chair (to sit on in the back). Everyone is handed a bag with special items for kids to pull out at different spots during the show (like a t-shirt that they actually learn how to fold by themselves!).
Mobley and Haines do a convincing job as the brother-sister duo, and NCT’s lighting, audio, props and costume prowess are on full display. My 2-year-old’s favorite parts were the “Five Little Monkeys” fingerplay portion, the jellyfish made out of socks/umbrellas and, of course, the BUBBLES! For a Sunday morning, it was full, but not overly crammed with kids.
DATES & TIMES
Inside Out and Backwards runs on Thursdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m.; Saturdays at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.; and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. The show continues through December 7. A snuggery family four-pack is $15.
For more information, visit nashvillechildrenstheatre.org/production/insideoutandbackwards.
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