Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Musical?



There’s a new musical making the rounds. It’s based on that dreamy bedtime classic written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd.
Yep, Goodnight Moon, THE MUSICAL!
If you’re a parent, you most likely know this book… very well. As in, you could probably recite it from the depths of a Level I coma.
If you are not a parent, or somehow avoided this picture book by jumping straight to Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram, then I’ll sum it up for you.
SPOILER ALERT! Please read on only if you want to know what happens in Goodnight Moon. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!
Goodnight Moon is the gripping tale of a sleepy little bunny who has a bunch of stuff in his great green room. He mentions all the stuff one by one. Then… wait for it… wait for it… he says “goodnight” to all the stuff one by one – adding a final shout-out to “noises everywhere”.
Dare I say that the plot is a bit thin? Dare I say that “room” and “moon” DO NOT rhyme?
Okay, I will shut up. I know I’m breaking hearts right now.
Sorry.
But here’s the thing – plot or not, it’s been made into a MUSICAL!
And my only wish for this awesome theatrical production is that it (please, oh please) answers the Goodnight Moon questions that have burned in my mind for decades –
Whose mush is that?
Who in the world leaves mush on a bedside table ALL NIGHT LONG?
And yet, baby bunny does not offer up one “goodnight” to all the vermin this mush MUST be attracting.
Also, who is the quiet (and somewhat creepy) old lady whispering “hush”?
Mom?
Grandma?
WIFE? As in, “Yeah man, my old lady’s always whispering hush. What’s a baby bunny biker dude to do?”

Anyway, I’m sure that Goodnight Moon, the Musical is delightful.
But I just can’t see it.
That unsolved mush mystery…
 gives me nightmares.

PROMPT: If Goodnight Moon can be made into a musical, the possibilities are endless! Just imagine what you could do with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. Today would be a great day to pick up your favorite picture book and give it a tuneful try!

3 comments:

  1. Would you believe I grew up without picture books. And I don't have children, so I never got a chance to read them to any of my own. I feel so deprived!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's NEVER too late to read them, Angi! Get yourself to the library -- STAT! I have a feeling you'd be AWESOME at writing within this genre. :)

      Delete