ENTERTAINMENT : Quick-Draw Art : Musical show is based on a children’s story about a boy who creates his own adventures with a crayon.

The children’s classic “Harold and the Purple Crayon” is an endearing story about a little kid who uses his trusty purple crayon to draw his way in and out of adventures.

It’s a short, simple story, the least likely sort of book to be transferred to the stage as a musical. But that’s what Theatreworks USA, a New York-based theatrical organization, has done.

The group, which puts on productions for children, has packed its version of the book into a traveling show. It will make a stop in Ventura March 6 for a 7 p.m. performance at Buena High School.

Watching Theatreworks USA is like watching a Broadway production just for kids. Last year the group was in Ventura performing “Footprints on the Moon,” a musical comedy based on the 1969 moon landing. It was clever, funny and original.

“Everything they do is top-notch,” said Brian Bemel, director of the Ventura Children’s Festival, which brings children’s entertainment to Ventura County.

Last year’s performance was aimed at older kids who already knew the history of the space program and the nation’s race to beat the Russians in outer space. But “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” written in 1955 by Crockett Johnson, is for the younger crowd.

“This show is wonderful for little kids,” said Bemel, who said it is geared for children 3 to 9 years old.

The book is a simple story with spare line drawings. Harold appears to be a resourceful and independent toddler who decides to go for a walk in the moonlight. Since there is no moon, he draws one with his purple crayon. Then he draws a path and follows it.

To avoid getting lost he draws an apple tree that is guarded by a ferocious dragon. Harold is so scared by his creation that his hand shakes, creating a wavy purple line, and he finds himself in water over his head.

Not to worry. He rescues himself by drawing a boat and eventually lands on a beach where he feeds himself by drawing nine of his favorite kinds of pie. To figure out where he is, he draws a hill to climb for a better look. But he falls over the other side and rescues himself again by drawing a hot air balloon to grab onto.

When he lands, he decides to look for his home. But all the houses and apartment buildings he draws don’t look like his home. Then he remembers that from his bed he can see the moon perfectly through his bedroom window. So that’s what he draws, and then he climbs into bed and falls asleep.

In the book, Harold is really the only character. But in the show, the little guy (actually played by a woman, Rebecca Dennis) creates with his crayon four other characters who serve as his alter ego on the adventures, said Jay Harnick, artistic director of the show and co-founder of Theatreworks USA.

The five cast members are all in Dr. Denton pajamas. They rely on few props, aside from the huge purple crayon that Harold uses to draw in the air.

“Out of a slender book, (composer and lyricist) Jon Ehrlich has fashioned a wonderful salute to the imagination,” Harnick said. The message to kids is that they can create any kind of world they want, he said.

Theatreworks USA has been around since 1961, performing for family audiences all over the United States. It commissions both recognized and emerging playwrights, composers and lyricists for its productions.

The organization has helped launch several performers, including Henry Winkler and Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham.

* WHERE AND WHEN

Theatreworks USA will perform “Harold and the Purple Crayon” March 6 at 7 p.m. at Buena High School, 5670 Telegraph Road, Ventura. Advance tickets are $4.50 for children, $6.50 for adults, $1 more at the door. Tickets available at Adventures for Kids in Ventura, Serendipity Toys in Ojai and McCabes Music in Santa Paula.