CHILDREN’S THEATER : Magic, Monsters Come to Life in ‘The Hobbit’

Young adventurers will enjoy “The Hobbit,” being staged by the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre at Anneliese’s Willow Brook School in Laguna Beach. The environs of the school, from wooden decks to iron arbors to sandy playgrounds, provide a very effective setting for this adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s popular tale of magic and monsters.

Following the reluctant hero, Bilbo Baggins, on his quest to conquer the dragon Smaug and recover stolen gold, the audience encounters an array of fantastic dangers. There are trolls and goblins, a hissing sea serpent and the dragon itself, dressed in brilliant oranges and reds, with a collar made from the plates of a vegetable steamer.

Such amusing details trim all the imaginative and colorful costumes by Rhonda Earick. The goblins, clad in deliciously disreputable brown long johns, have wonderfully oversized ears and noses. Gollum, the sea serpent, is covered with watery flotsam and jetsam, including some of those round suction pads that claim to hold bars of soap.

Director Joe Lauderdale has done a fine job empowering his young actors to take the story, and the audience, in hand. Although the energy of the narrative sometimes falls to the level of an interesting guided tour, the performers are all very visible and very audible. In a recent performance, the heroes were a bit bland, but the goblins and trolls, played respectively by a trio of boys and a trio of girls, were daringly grotesque. Josh Wheeler deserves special mention for his sustained performance as the riddle-loving sea serpent.

Several volunteers get to play dwarfs and travel around with the actors, while the rest of the audience is asked for input from time to time. The hourlong performances are continuous, with a strolling usher guiding each group of 50 or fewer. Be sure to call ahead if you plan to attend, and wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. High heels and strollers are not permitted in Hobbit country.

What: “The Hobbit.”

When: Through Oct. 27. Shows Saturday at 10 and 11 a.m., noon, 2, 3 and 4 p.m.; Sunday at noon, 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m.

Where: Anneliese’s Willow Brook School, 20062 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.

Whereabouts: San Diego (405) Freeway to Laguna Canyon Road exit. Go south on Laguna Canyon to El Toro Road. The school is at the corner of El Toro and Laguna Canyon roads.

Wherewithal: $5 to $8.

Where to Call: (714) 494-0743.