STAGE REVIEW : A Lackluster Adaptation of ‘Mouse’

Laura Joffe Numeroff’s whimsical children’s book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” is a preschooler favorite about a tiny mouse who wreaks havoc in a little boy’s home. After the cookie, the demanding mouse needs some milk to wash it down, a straw to drink the milk, a mirror to check for a milk mustache, and so on--building up to a hilarious finish.

It’s not surprising that the Serendipity Theatre Co. thought it a natural for the stage. But while there’s fun to be found in its production at the Coronet Theatre, technical problems and lackluster direction diminish the effort.

Adult actor Greg Dietrich strikes an appropriate plaintive note as the boy; as the mouse, petite 13-year-old Katy Killackey is up to a great deal of physical comedy. Highlights are an appealing “mirror” bit where Killackey and an uncredited actress move in tandem, and the “jungle adventure” story read by the boy and mimed by the mouse.

But director Jody Johnston Davidson’s handling of the proportions--huge for the mouse, just oversize for the boy--is confused and inconsistent.

Designer Lyle Brooks’ set fits the boy; individual objects are geared to the mouse. When the boy puts the mouse’s milk on the counter, he drops out of the scene by turning his back to the audience. Then, the mouse awkwardly drags a big plastic cylinder onstage to represent the milk glass.

Yet that pretense is dropped suddenly when the mouse needs a straw: the boy simply fetches an enormous straw to fit the glass. Dietrich then tries to look as if he doesn’t notice that he is handling vastly oversized food containers, crayons and a tub-sized box of talcum powder.

Adding to the work-in-progress appearance are a particularly inept hair-cutting scene and audible, computerized mouse ears, with wires showing--which look as if Hays & Hays & Associates hadn’t quite finished the design.

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” Coronet Theatre, 366 N. La Cienega, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 and 4 p.m. Ends Oct. 27. $6-$12. (213) 652-9199. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.