When I first heard about the new family entertainment, A Kid's Life, coming to New York, I jumped at the chance to review it. I am a big supporter of the arts and I fully approve of introducing children to live theater at a young age. My mom introduced us to theater when we were children by taking us to shows at Jones Beach, and I carried on the tradition with my own children by going to local theaters and Broadway shows whenever I could afford it.

I started them out with Cats, and over the course of 20 years, we have all moved on from there. My youngest is twelve now, so I thought going to A Kid's Life, which I had read was for children of all ages, would be a fun family event that we could tie into a Christmas touristy type day in the city. I even convinced my fifteen year old daughter to come along, explaining that the show was only an hour long, and we could spend the rest of the day enjoying the holiday sights of New York. I could not have been more wrong.

A Kid's Life is a high-energy, upbeat musical look at a day in the life of five year old Zack and his dog, Starsky. During the course of the day, Zack meets and befriends a new girl named Zoe. Together they encounter an owl named Bella, a talking clock named Old Ben, an orange tree named Bart, and a grocer named Mr. Sullivan. The children have a wonderful, carefree day in the neighborhood while learning a few lessons along the way. In a sentimental song, Bella teaches the children that animals have feelings. Ben teaches them the importance of time through an ambitious number about seconds, minutes, hours, days of the week, and seasons. As a former preschool teacher, I thought the segment had too many time concepts for a young child to grasp in one number. Bart and the grocer sing about orange juice and the value of nature, with a touch of environmentalism thrown in.

From the beginning, we see that Zack's world is a highly idealized one. The brightly colored set, the absence of parents in the cast of characters, and a main character who at the age of five is allowed to play outside and wander around the neighborhood all day with his trusty golden retriever, are not indicative of reality in today's world. It's a sweet, old fashioned notion, but it is not a lesson that I hope any child in my neck of the woods tries to put into practice. However, for the sake of the show, I was willing to suspend my parental concerns for the time being.

The musical numbers are fun and catchy. For the most part, I found myself tapping my feet and totally enjoying the performances. It is not always easy for adults to play children, but for this show it worked. Zack is played by Carlos Avilas, who delivers a believable performance as a young boy, full of energy, curiosity, and a sense of wonder about the world. Zoe is played by Ashley Wallace, and again, her shy, new-to-the-neighborhood young girl is believable and entertaining. The dancing and singing talents of the entire cast are what make the show fun to watch. Mark Willis Borum, as Mr. Sullivan, even does an imitation of Elvis as he sings his main song about orange juice, although I believe that the target audience for this show wouldn't even know who Elvis was.