"A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do" - as any of the millions of kids in America who watch the animated series "Rugrats" can easily tell you.
And what a whole bunch of kids (and their parents) did on Friday night was head on over to the E Center to catch "Rugrats: A Live Adventure" and see Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Angelica and Susie - or reasonable facsimiles thereof - sing, dance and cavort their way across the stage for some 80 minutes. (That's two acts surrounding a 20-minute intermission.)The kids were abuzz when the Rugrats made their appearance - each one a well-made walking puppet (complete with performer inside) in the neighborhood of 8 feet tall. And, accompanied by a pre-recorded voice and music track, they sang and danced their way through 15 musical numbers ranging from rap to pop to opera to gospel.
The story itself (which was largely irrelevant) involved the babies' imaginations. Tommy Pickles invents a People-ator - a device that can turn inanimate objects like flashlights into people and keep his friend Chuckie from getting scared. But that big brat Angelica, a spoiled 4-year-old, steals the People-ator and declares herself princess over both the babies and the toys.
In addition to the cool costumes, there were some nice props (the big dinosaur Raptor was great) and inventive staging, including the use of a video wall behind the performers. There were a few problems with lighting and sound, but they didn't seem to faze the young audience.
If "A Live Adventure" was missing something, it was the cross-generational appeal of the TV show, which can amuse both the kids and their parents. Friday's production certainly enthralled the youngsters, but parents had to pretty much be content with enjoying how much their children were enjoying the show.
(There was the occasional line that only the older folks would get, as when Tommy told Angelica she was naughty. "My mommy says people always say that about girls who are assertive," Angelica responded.)
But this live version of "Rugrats" was for the kids - and they were entertained.