'Goodnight Moon' and 'The Runaway Bunny' (Port Washington)

Show Times: 11am and 2pm

Goodnight Moon is a celebration of familiar nighttime rituals, while The Runaway Bunny's pretend tale of leaving home evokes reassuring responses from his loving mum. Both tales feature endearing rabbit characters, and the soothing rhythms of bunny banter and dream-like imagery never fail to infuse young readers with a reassuring sense of security. Mermaid's staged adaptation will bring a new sense of appreciation to stories that have delighted several generations.

In Goodnight Moon, a young rabbit goes through a bedtime ritual of saying goodnight to every object in sight and in his imagination, from the pictures on the walls to the brush and comb, to the moon and stars, to "the old lady whispering hush." The text is written in the form of a rhyming poem.

In The Runaway Bunny, a young bunny tells his mother he wants to run away. "'If you run away,' says his mother, 'I will run after you.'" And so begins an imaginary game of chase. Whatever the little bunny declares he will change himself into -- a fish, a rock, a bird, a boat, etc. -- his mother replies that she, too, will change herself so that she can always keep her little bunny safe and protected.

The performance of Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny employs a variety of styles of puppets -- including rod and table-top puppets -- to tell the two stories. Amazingly, all of the puppets and scenic elements are manipulated by just three puppeteers!

Mermaid Theatre has earned international acclaim for its unique interpretations of the works of Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar ), Leo Lionni (Swimmy, Frederick & Inch by Inch) and Sam McBratney (Guess How Much I Love You). These widely-travelled productions incorporate innovative puppetry, striking scenic effects, and evocative original music to provide very young audiences with an effortless introduction to the performing arts and the excitement of reading. Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny features these same elements.

Few writers have been as attuned to the concerns and emotions of childhood as Margaret Wise Brown (1910-1952). Brown, a former teacher, believed that very young children could be fascinated by the simple pleasures of the world around them. Few had previously attempted to write specifically for children aged two to five, and Brown created some of the most enduring and beloved children's books of all time as well as developed the concept of the first durable board book.