Story by Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – There’s a time for screaming, stomping, singing and dancing. And, dear parents, if you don’t want that time to be at midday in your house this Saturday, then get thee to The Roxy Regional Theatre so the children can let it all hang out there. That is when The Zinghoppers will make their appearance and encourage the kids to get wild.
“The Zinghoppers: A Superhero Learning Adventure” is a spinoff of the Emmy Award-winning PBS television series. For the Roxy production, Conductor Jack, DJ Kitty, Penelope the Possum and Coconuts the Kangaroo have put together a musical concert that is irresistible to children in its degree of interaction. Think kids enjoy dancing like a chicken or stomping like a dinosaur? You bet they do. And The Zinghoppers get them up in the aisles, doing this and much, much more.
I’ve never been to a kiddie concert before, but this one even got my one-year-old, Stella, up on her tiny feet. She bobbed her head, swung her hips and clapped her hands. The rest of the audience was comprised of first graders on a school field trip. And — raaaaawr! — did they enjoy making a sound like a dinosaur.
I found “The Zinghoppers” amazing to watch as an adult, because few moments in life are more fulfilling than witnessing children immersed in exuberant, unselfconscious joy. The fact that some of the songs were about being a good friend, eating healthy foods and exercising, well, that was just icing on the proverbial cake.
“The Zinghoppers: A Superhero Learning Adventure” will make this Saturday special for your little ones. Performances are at noon and 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youths ages 13 and younger. They may be purchased ahead of time at the Roxy box office at 100 Franklin Street, which is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, or at the door the day of the performance. They may also be ordered online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org. For more information call (931) 645-7699.
Penelope the Possum, Conductor Jack and DJ Kitty get the party started at The Roxy during “The Zinghoppers: A Superhero Learning Adventure.”
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.