‘Dream Street’ Represents a Pleasing Reality in a Children’s Production

Lucy Hagan has wished upon many stars in her lifetime. This year, one of her dreams has finally come true as she plays Max, a girl in a wheelchair who enters “Dream Street,” a magical world of singing and dancing where everyone has wheels just like herself.

For Hagan, 35, this show, the third staged by Max’s Playhouse at the West End Playhouse in Van Nuys, is more than just another children’s theater production.

It’s about real life, real heartache and real dreams.

Hagan, who refers to herself as an actress with a disability, has been in a wheelchair since she was 5.

A tumor, discovered in her spinal cord when she was an infant, slowly took away her ability to walk until she was rendered a paraplegic.

“It’s almost as if the part was written just for me,” said Hagan, who didn’t join the troupe until February. “It is a dream come true.”

Hagan didn’t let her physical challenges interfere with her goals. She began singing for herself and relatives when she was 4. By the time she was 9, she was writing, staging and directing her own musicals, using other children in the neighborhood.

“But having something like this, like ‘Dream Street,’ is really so special. There aren’t many parts out there for us, you know,” she said. “And, more important, it serves a dual purpose of inspiring children with physical disabilities and dispelling the fears of those who don’t.”

“Dream Street” didn’t begin as a play whose central character was in a wheelchair. The brainchild of Jim Houle, the initial concept used singing and dancing cars and trucks to illustrate being stuck within a rigid framework, yet longing to break out.

“But I still didn’t have a Max character to carry the play,” said Houle, 34.

“In each of my shows,” he said, “there’s always a Max character. Max is the little kid inside myself. I’m very honest about his feelings, and I think adults connect with it as much as the kids do.”

He said that one day, “it hit me: A person in a wheelchair was also physically confined by metal and wheels, just like the other vehicles in the play. It was perfect because then we could indirectly deal with issues about having options, self-esteem and daring to go after your dreams.”

Houle made a promise to himself that he would try to cast an actor or actress with a disability.

“Lucy is a magnificent singer and actress, first and foremost,” he said. “And she’s been a wonderful asset, bringing an authenticity to the play that you just don’t find anywhere else.”

Other cast members include R. J. Wagner, Terry Ray, Jennifer Echols, Monica McMurtry and Guy Beck.

Indeed, the show is unlike many other children’s productions.

It’s big and bold, with lavish costumes and almost continuous singing and dancing that practically jump off the stage. It’s whimsical and humorously ridiculous. A larger-than-life quality makes it most suitable for children over 5, Houle said.

But Max’s Playhouse--a traveling troupe that performs in Venice, Pasadena and Van Nuys--often attracts as many adults to its shows as children.

“The humor is very subtle,” Houle said. “There are many layers to be peeled away during the hour.”

Houle and Hagan believe that the show offers entertainment with a twist of real emotions.

“It’s a simple concept--that dreams can come true,” Hagan said. “But it’s such a powerful and necessary message. You know, we’re all normal. There are many different ways to be in this world.”

“Dream Street” is staged at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. June 6 and 7 at the West End Playhouse, 7446 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys. Tickets are $5. Call (818) 506-0658.