You’re probably familiar with fable about the gingerbread man, a cookie that comes to life and tries to escape from various pursuers. Well now you can see him in Toronto thanks to children’s theatre company Cow Over Moon.
My 8 year old and I were invited to see their show, which is playing at Pia Bouman Theatre (6 Noble Street). Even the city’s first real snowfall couldn’t keep us away, though it did slow us down getting there.
L to R: Chris Locke as Croc Johnson, Alessandro as Piece of Brownie, Kathleen Phillips as The Baker and Michael Balazo as Gingerbread Guy
I wasn’t really sure what to expect; I didn’t know if I would really get into it or if my 8 year old would be bored. I mean the Gingerbread Man fable isn’t one many older kids would voluntarily read. The sets are simple. There are 3 scenes (the baker’s kitchen, the crocodile’s home and the crocodile’s tummy) and all sets appear on stage at all times. Where the actors stand on stage redirects your focus on the new scene.
Similar to the original Gingerbread Man fable, the baker is lonely and makes a wish (with the help of the audience) that her gingerbread cookies comes to life to be a real friend. You can guess what happens. Once alive, the Gingerbread wants to have fun and explore the would outside the bakery, though the baker is against it; she tries to deter Gingerbread from exploring the dangerous outside world. Adventure and danger follows but the love of friendship saves the day.
Gingerbread Guy is a very interactive production. The actors interacted with the audience throughout the entire production and the kids (and adults) got into the play too, shouting out where danger was lurking. My 8-year old daughter was just as loud with her suggestions as the 4-year old beside her. Even when the audience participation got a little loud, the actors skillfully brought the focus (and volume) back down.
I found the Gingerbread Guy entertaining to both kids and adults; some of the dialog and references were included with the parent audience in mind.
After the show everyone was invited out for juice and animal crackers. They also sold plump little gingerbread man cookies which of course I had to buy for the two kids that didn’t come out to the show (they loved them). My 8-year old also had a chance to meet the main characters and they signed her pamphlet (in their character name of course).
The Gingerbread Guy has four more shows planned in Toronto (Jan 9 2p.m., Jan 15 11a.m. and 2p.m., and Jan 16 2p.m.). Tickets are $10 for kids and seniors and $15 for adults. There isn’t any parking on Noble (just 1 hour parking and the play runs for about 1 hours) but we were able to find metered parking on Queen Street West.
Thanks to Josee and the Cow Over Moon for the tickets for my daughter and myself.
When the kids find it they press stop and all the animals celebrate the find at the end. I thought this was a great use for the phone and the distinct sounds helped the kids to focus where they were looking and if they were getting close. I would recommend playing with the volume turned up on your iPhone for this to make sure the sound is heard.
With 3 young kids in our house, we have an extensive Disney movie collection, including both 
I’ll admit it I cried. I was surprised I did. It wasn’t so much at the idea of Andy going away and thinking of my own kids. The part that made me sad, and there were a few parts, was the whole idea of change and moving on, of being forgotten but also the feeling of true friendship. Not all tears are sad tears.
Besides the dresses and the Oscar statues, another common element at the Oscars are those big envelops with the red seals, the ones that are opened to reveal the winner. So I decided to make The Envelop Please Oscar Cookies. And they’re so easy. Just make shortbread (I have a great Robin Hood flour recipe from an old cookie magazine I’ve been able to make without fail — and for me that’s a good thing), roll the dough out flat and score into rectangular shapes. I also indented the envelop flat marks so these would bake into place. After baking let them cool and start icing. I used store bought piped icing but I’m sure if you’re more creative or domesticated than myself, you could make your own icing. I piped white icing along the envelop flap seams and then I swirled red icing in a circular shape to make the seal. The great thing about the seal, it shouldn’t look perfect and there should be gaps, just like a real pressed seal. I’m great at making things imperfect.
