Rugrats’ ‘Magic’

Step aside, David Copperfield (or, in Rugrats diction, that would be Dabid Coppertone): Angelica the Magnificent is here.

Angelica and the rest of her babbling baby cohorts from the Nickelodeon cartoon series open this weekend in “The Rugrats’ Magic Adventure,” a new stage show at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Starting Friday, cable television’s popular bouncing babies will dance, dazzle and drool their way through a 14-minute production geared to young audiences.

The theme park, which is better known for psychos, earthquakes and terminators, “wanted something that would focus more on young kids,” said Joe Zenas, the show’s producer.

Based on an episode from the “Rugrats” TV series, the stage production centers on Angelica’s dream of becoming a great magician. Jim Steinmeyer, who has created illusions for such Las Vegas elite as Copperfield, Lance Burton and Siegfried and Roy, designed the illusions Angelica whips up with her wee wizard wand.

In other words, expect more than a few fancy card tricks. In fact, the slick spectacle includes levitation, a magical cannon and even vanishing characters.

One of the biggest obstacles in creating these illusions, according to director Greg Holford, was that the five main characters are big babies--literally. The adult dancers who portray the characters wear a bulky material that resembles baby fat. The head alone is three times the size of a basketball.

“The sheer size of the characters presented the biggest challenge,” said Holford, who for more than 20 years has directed a children’s performing arts company. “So much of magic is dexterity and speed, and one Rugrat is [the size] of two people--and they move like babies.”

Everything in the show is larger than life, beginning with the opening set, framed by a giant TV screen. The life-size Rugrats make a cute but lumbering band of performers. Kids and previously initiated parents will easily recognize the dapperly diapered Tommy, Chuckie with his unruly shock of red hair, Phil and Lil in their matching outfits and, of course, the blond, starry-eyed Angelica.

The high-pitched baby talk of the original cast (lip-synced by the stage actors) commingles with lively music to create a fast-paced, energetic show. Holford and Zenas hope the pace and the action will mesmerize young audiences and entertain adults as well.

“Adults who don’t know who the Rugrats are,” Zenas said, “are going to like it because the magic is very good.”

Universal and Nickelodeon decided to team up again to create a little baby magic after establishing a good working relationship with “Totally Nickelodeon,” which ran on the Panasonic Stage from 1997 to March of this year.

Holford was one of three creators who sat down to watch some of the best received “Rugrats” episodes, and decided on expanding the magic show episode into a theatrical experience.

“We took that premise and said, ‘What if?’ ” Holford said. “We asked what Angelica would do, how would she handle it, how would the others react--you don’t want Chuckie to all of a sudden be Angelica’s best buddy; the kids will catch that.”

The resulting show combines a cinematic soundtrack with blacklights, huge, vivid sets and nicely detailed--and surprisingly mobile--costumes.

“The show is fast, colorful and it’s fun,” said Holford, who also directed “Totally Nickelodeon,” which had more of a game show feel. “The kids will love the magic. And everything is big, and the illusions themselves are big and colorful.”

Although parents aren’t supposed to play favorites, Angelica is closest to Holford’s heart.

“I always liked the Angelica character. I wanted her in ‘Totally Nickelodeon.’ She’s my favorite.”

Whether the kids in the audience will love Angelica and the other characters in their newest production remains to be seen.

“The true test of a show like this is the kids,” Holford said. “They’re brutally honest. They will tell you exactly what they think.”

BE THERE

“The Rugrats’ Magic Adventure,” Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City. Two shows Friday at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.; four shows Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. After this weekend, daily hours vary. $41 park admission; $31 for ages 3-11. (818) 622-3801. Runs indefinitely.