Kids Sing, Dance, Clap as ‘Franklin’ Comes Alive

He’s 6 years old in a baseball cap, a little timid and very green (being a turtle). Popular with preschoolers and kindergartners who identify with his everyday challenges, the animated “Franklin” is also one of the stars in cable channel Nickelodeon’s top-rated Nick Jr. lineup of shows.

So it’s not surprising that the “Franklin’s Big Adventure” stage show received clamorous approval Sunday at Glendale’s Alex Theatre from a crowd of very junior theatergoers.

Produced by Tanglewood Family Entertainment, the show is a more modest production than the other recent traveling stage extravaganza, “Arthur--A Live Adventure,” based on the PBS cartoon show about an aardvark kid.

“Franklin’s” sets are more modest, the performers’ bodysuits are simple, and the most elaborate song-and-dance number--also the show’s best--is director and choreographer Mary-lu Spinney’s “Stomp”-like musical percussion segment: The characters dance and bang out rhythm with trash-can lids and oversized lunch boxes, a spoon and a saltshaker.

The simple plot revolves around Franklin’s reluctant museum visit after his friends Beaver, Bear and Fox tease him that scary dinosaurs live there. Tour guide Carbuncle--a cheerleading human host--takes Franklin and pals (including a snail puppet) through displays of Roman armor, musical instruments and the rain forest. Every exhibition inspires oodles of songs (produced by Matt Segriff) and audience sing-alongs, dance-alongs and clapping, key-jingling, knee-slapping and foot-stomping accompaniment.

After the friends’ musical lunch-box break (and an unnecessary 20-minute intermission) comes Franklin’s encounter with a T. rex’s gigantic talking skull. Is the T. rex really talking? Will the encounter help Franklin overcome his fear and teach his friends a lesson?

Despite a few underwhelmed and tearfully overwhelmed exceptions, most pint-sized Franklin fans in the audience seemed to be enthralled, not to mention adorable, as they jumped off their seats to bop along to the cast’s hokeypokey finale.

The negative in this modest and wholesome stage event? At its Alex engagement at least, the sound system made Carbuncle’s voice boom and echo too loudly for clarity or comfort; some children covered their ears. Franklin and his pals, with their higher voices, fared better. Perhaps the volume could be turned down during the show’s remaining Southland stops.

*

“Franklin’s Big Adventure,” Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, Saturday, 2 and 5 p.m. $17-$22. (800) 300-4345, (562) 916-8500; McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, Sunday, 2 p.m. $10-$20. (760) 340-ARTS, (760) 220-TIXS. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.