IRTE's latest production, THE MAGIC ZOO continues Sunday, July 27, 2014. It's our tongue-in-cheek take on the kids' shows we grew up with like THE NEW ZOO REVUE, THE MAGIC GARDEN, and ZOOBILEE ZOO.
Jeff O'Leary, guest performer and 2013 IRTE company member, asked some fun questions of our cast to get to know a little bit about the psychological trauma they went through growing up, and how children shows helped them adapt to society. This time he talked to company member and artistic director Nannette Deasy:
Jeff: Tell us about the character you are playing in THE MAGIC ZOO.
Nannette: I play Princess Patty, owner of the zoo. Patty is royalty (don't you forget it!) and extremely proud of her menagerie of zoo friends - never mind that the whole zoo consists of just four animals and one tree. She has a bit of a crush on Game Warden Bob, mostly because he's handsome, mysterious and the only other human being for miles around.
I think I picked the Princess as a character, because I wanted to wear a tiara and carry a sceptre. (Don't judge me).
J: What was your favorite kid's show when you were growing up and why?
N: I spent a LOT of time in front of the TV (which did not stunt my growth in any way!), so I had a lot of favorites, including Scooby Doo (which explains last season's The Groovy Gang Adventures), Land of the Lost, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Bozo the Clown and The Magic Garden.
Journey to the Center of the Earth was the cartoon I was actually watching when my mother thought I was tuning in to Sesame Street. I was never really a big fan of Sesame Street - my mother made the huge mistake of telling me it was educational and "good for me", which completely turned me off. Every time, she left the room, I'd switch the channel to Journey to the Center of the Earth, whose 17 episodes played over and over again in syndication. The show (a very Johnny Quest-like cartoon) had very little to do with the Jules Verne book but followed the adventures of a professor and some kids and a duck named Gertrude as they raced to...well... the center of the Earth where apparently the lost city of Atlantis ended up. Riveting stuff.
While I did not like Romper Room (I thought the hostess seemed "mean") I looooooved The Magic Garden. Carol and Paula seemed so easy going and accepting and could play dress up like nobody's business! I dreamed of being allowed to just hang out with them and Sherlock the pink squirrel.
3) Did you ever apply any "life lessons" from a children's show to your own life? Did you ever have a problem as a kid that you wished would have been addressed on a show you watched?
N: I think the one major life lesson I took from these shows is that "dressing up" and make believe is FUN and worthwhile. It's probably part of the reason I became an actor.
J: If you were a big shot television producer and could create your own kid's show, what would it look like?
N: It would be a little scary and dark and completely live action. And, it would have absolutely no educational value whatsoever.
Well... I hope we all learned something.
Thanks, Jeff and Nannette, we'll see you soon at the zoo!
Sunday, July 27, 8:00 pm
at The Producer's Club
358 W 44th St, NYC
between 8th & 9th Ave.
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