A Bit Muddy

Good intentions are written all over “Danny & the Golden Millennium Seeds,” but that doesn’t help this awkwardly theatrical attempt at mixing make-believe and education.

Aimed at ages 2 and up, the show at American Renegade Theatre in North Hollywood was written by C.S. Drotman and directed by Christine Paulick. Essentially a showcase for a proposed TV series called “Barnyard Place,” the play shoehorns a story about a boy with a bad attitude into a muddled farm-themed fantasy in which he is taught responsibility, as well as the “spirit of the new millennium,” a sprinkling of word definitions and lessons in honesty, not blaming others, not keeping secrets--and why popcorn pops.

It’s all the more disappointing because what you see when you walk into the theater seems to promise much more: a colorful and playful barnyard set and a “warmup” scarecrow character (Kevin Carr), who skillfully greets and jollies the audience, with the physical-comedy chops of a trained clown.

After the warmup, though, the energy and the professionalism flag. (Sound problems don’t help.)

Twelve-year-old Branden Hutchins, playing Danny, is given a clumsy segue to shift the scene from his bedroom to the fantasy Barnyard Place locale: After arguing with his sister (Zoe Warner) because he doesn’t want to celebrate the new millennium with his family on New Year’s Eve, he sits at his desk, taps the computer keys a moment, then says, “I give up, I’m going to sleep,” and abruptly puts his head down on his desk.

Blackout, lights up on Barnyard Place, where Danny is discovered under a blanket by Louie the Pig and Moonbeam the Cow (actors Samantha Wynn and Sherry Lynn Handa in character suits), Mr. Buckethead (Philip Hart Briggs), Miss Daisy (a too-syrupy Anne Dupuis DuQue) and Haystack and Jenny the Bunny (puppets).

They invite Danny to stay and help with chores, but when he loses track of some magic corn seeds after a hungry crow apparently eats them, they put him on trial.

Not very neighborly.

With self-esteem-boosting bromides offered all around, however, everyone learns a lesson in communication and honesty.

Every so often, the show comes to a halt so that Dr. Book (a green worm puppet) can pop his head out of a wall with some educational input, such as the meaning of the words “evidence” and “witness.” An educational song, however, “What Would You Do Without Numbers,” is the highlight among uneven musical moments.

Undoubtedly some of the elements work better on video, with quick camera cutaways and instant scene shifts. It’s a shame that the stage version, clearly well-intended, so widely misses the mark.

BE THERE

“Danny & the Golden Millennium Seeds,” American Renegade Theatre, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. $8 to $10. (818) 763-4430.