Raffi’s Return Is Mostly a Happy One

He doesn’t leap around in a dinosaur suit or a Ninja Turtle costume. He doesn’t dress like a clown, blow balloons or pull rabbits out of a hat.

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He’s just a normal-looking guy in blue jeans, with a blue shirt and a loud tie, but the kids love Raffi. They packed the Spreckels Theatre in San Diego on Thursday for the first of two shows, and the tour continues with a sold-out show tonight at the Universal Amphitheatre.

The secret of Raffi’s success lies in his warm, mellow voice, the wide-eyed delight he takes in such lyrics as “a goose kissing a moose” in “Down by the Bay” and in the feeling that he enjoys singing with the children as much as they enjoy singing with him.

Now near the middle of his 50-city tour, he will become the first children’s entertainer to play Broadway--April 7-11. There’s no reason to think he won’t wow kids there as well.

And yet, for those who have anxiously awaited his return after a self-imposed three-year exile from the kiddie circuit, it’s not exactly the same old Raffi.

Three years ago, Raffi, an Egyptian-born Armenian-Canadian whose real name is Raffi Cavoukian, dropped out. Now he’s hoping to move beyond the diaper set to sing to older children about the need to protect the environment. He’s trying to integrate the songs for older children with his lovable old numbers. But, while Thursday’s concert was wholesome and well-meant, the anti-pollution songs don’t quite click with an audience still made up primarily of infants and toddlers (with parents in tow).

The kids, so attentive to numbers they know, squirmed noticeably at unfamiliar songs beyond their ken about saving planet Earth. During these, the theater looked like a gymnasium, with hair ribbons and stuffed animals of tumbling, raucous kids rolling down the aisles.

And some were disappointed that some silly old favorites like “Apples and Bananas” and “Bathtime” were left out to make way for the new.

Many early Raffi songs also have messages--but they’re subtle. His lilting song about the names of children from different countries, for example--which was included in the program--preaches universal brotherhood with a lyric as simple as “Ahmed lives in Egypt, Moshe lives in Israel. . . .”

Raffi’s sense of humor also helps. He can still make the kids laugh with silly banana jokes. For the adults, he throws in a mean Bob Dylan imitation and a Ross Perot quip. There was also a wonderfully imaginative bit where he had the audience create the sound of a rainstorm by snapping their fingers and clapping their hands.

In a further loving gesture to the kids who have made Raffi a must-see for children along this cross-country tour, his backdrop is a screen showing colorful, happy paintings by children that illustrate the songs.

“Raffi: A Family Concert” is sold out. It will be presented tonight at 7 p.m. at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, (818) 622-3931 and (213) 480-3232.