Theater :: Timmy Failure

Timmy Failure is a complete success!

Timmy Failure and his distinctive scarf come alive in this hysterical debut production. Timmy isn’t the kind of kid you typically cheer for. He’s oblivious, snarky, and more than a little self-centered. But he and Total, his polar bear partner, want to do the right thing. They’re just much better at getting into trouble than out of it.

The stage is set like a page out of Stephan Pastis’ popular Timmy Failure series. The pen and ink drawings and minimal props allow the vibrant personalities of the characters to truly shine. Many of the actors have multiple roles, changing hair, costumes, and voices in a flash. The Total Failure Detective Agency notebook kept up with the cases our detectives took on, the larger-than-life screen changed every time Timmy opened it to make notes. His goofy drawings always got a laugh.

From the moment Pat Moran takes the stage as Timmy Failure, the audience is on a journey with him. You never take your eyes off him, except when Total takes the stage as a hip-hop dancing ballerina. With too many laugh out loud moments to count, the show speeds along until Timmy’s life and lies come crashing down. Quite literally.


Timmy Failure: Mistakes were Made operates on multiple levels. On the surface, it’s a hilarious take on how an eight-year-old views life. They are the center, so everything going on must relate to them in some way. But the parents and mature kids in the audience will feel the weight of the things happening around Timmy that he can’t control – family economic crises, his mother’s slick new boyfriend, dealing with a new teacher, relating to other kids, losing your best friend. The world is imperfect, but Timmy is undaunted is his quest to set things right for his mother, and for himself.

The live telling of Stephan Pastis’ popular Timmy Failure series was developed as part of Oregon Children’s Theatre’s New Play Initiative. To bring contemporary voices to the stage for children, the initiative’s goal is to produce a new play each year. This season they produced two and will do the same next season.

This show is fun for any age. For families where the children’s ages vary, this would be a great option. It has jokes that appeal to kids and one-liners to make even the surliest of teenagers crack a smile. Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid would love Timmy Failure – the play and the books.

Fancy Nancy : On the town with Gracie

Gracie girl loves Fancy Nancy. The books, the accessories, the vocabulary - she loves it all. So we got tickets to the play and made a day of it.

We picked up our tickets and had a bit of time, so we went for sushi. Well, I had sushi, Grace had shrimp tempura and a great miso soup. We're not usually fans, but it was delicious. It had lotus root.

They had crafts at the theater where the kids could make themselves a tiara out of a paper plate, and there was a table where they sold all the Fancy Nancy fanciness. Grace just had to have the multi-colored tutu and sparkly sunglasses and feathered boa and...you get the idea.

She loved the play. It was fun and funny, and the kids were encouraged to dance and sing. She said it was a Fancy Nancy party. So cute.

The Giver :: On the town with Bayley

Whenever we can, we try to do things one-on-one with the kiddos. It's nice to get them alone, and they tend to be more talkative. Plus, you can do things they'd like and the others might not. The local children's theater had a production of The Giver, which Bayley read in school last year, so I thought taking in the play would be a great way to spend time together.

We got into town a bit early, so we walked over to Cacao where Bayley enjoyed his first drinking chocolate. No surprise that he loved it.

The play was great and afterwards I took him to Shigezo, my favorite Japanese restaurant downtown. He had his first bowl of traditional ramen, and even tried some of my sushi.

It's so nice to have him be old enough to appreciate experiences and be willing to expand his palate. I love this kid.

The Zombie Gets The Girl

A fun, lively production of Zombie in Love made its world debut Saturday in Portland at the Oregon Children’s Theater. A cross between the original illustrated story and High School Musical, the show brings to life the story of Mortimer, a lonely zombie looking for love in all the wrong places. Determined to find a date for the Cupid’s Ball, Mortimer struggles to find a girl who doesn’t run screaming at the sight of him.

Mortimer writes an ad for his perfect girl and waits not so patiently at the punch bowl for her to arrive at the dance. When our zombie duo finally finds one another, they show their classmates how to be who you are and have fun while doing it.

Mortimer entered by lurching through the seats, the ensemble sang and danced in the aisles, and one of the girls terrified by Mortimer’s zombie ways ran screaming past the kids multiple times. Being so interactive really holds the kids’ attention.

Gracie was a bit worried before the show that the zombie would be eating brains, but Mortimer saves the brains for his lunch, and only manages to lose a hand and large intestine. Hayden hoped there would be blood, but settled for cracking up when Mortimer tries to impress a girl by giving her a beating heart.

We adored Zombie in Love and giggling our way through the unpleasant realities of being judged and avoided for being different. A wonderful message of being true to yourself, energetic songs and laugh-out-loud comedy combine for the perfect musical to share with your family.

Goodnight Moon

I've been trying to get the kids to as many plays this year as possible. Lucky for me, the kindergarteners had a field trip scheduled to catch Goodnight Moon.

To keep the bus numbers down, Naoko & I were able to drive
ourselves. Score! We were able to get to the theater a bit before the bus, so were about to greet the kids as we all filed in. The show was adorable. As you'd think Goodnight Moon should be.

When the rest of the kiddos headed back to school, we stayed downtown to celebrate Naoko's birthday. She's lived in Portland forever, and yet has never been to Papa Haydn! Can you imagine? I was all about the dessert, as were the girls. I think they enjoyed the pastry counter even more than their own lunch!

Monkey King

What better way to celebrate Chinese New Year than with a puppet theater performance of Monkey King. We hadn't been to Tear of Joy since they moved from downtown. I never know where I am once I cross the river. We found it easy enough, and the parking is free. That's always a perk in Portland.

They had puppet making in the lobby before the show, but Bayley and Hayden decided they were a little too old for that. One of the staff noticed them and came over to talk to them about the history of puppets in China. Who knew Communism dictated the puppets be larger so more people could see them? I really appreciated that.


The performance was very artistic, great for the boys but it didn't really hold Grace's attention. She was good though, just cuddled on my lap.

Since we were already over the river, I decided to try something fun for lunch -- food carts! We've seen them on TV, but Jeff's not into getting his food from a truck. But he was home, so we found one we'd been wanting to try - The Grilled Cheese Grill!

They make their fun grilled cheese sandwiches in an Airstream, but there is a double decker bus that you can sit in to eat. The boys went upstairs, where neither of them could stand up, and Grace stayed on the lower deck. We really enjoyed the novelty of it.

Grace had the Elvis -- grilled bananas, peanut butter and bacon. Hayden had the Cheesus -- a burger with grilled cheese sandwiches instead of a bun. Bayley made his own concoction -- All-American Double Decker with Bacon. Did I mention Hayden put bacon on his Cheesus? My kids love them some bacon!

Charlotte's Web

Hayden has always like the movie Charlotte's Web ever since he saw it in preschool. When I saw that Oregon Children's Theater was doing a production, I knew he had to see it live. He was so excited that he watched the movie the night before!

We arrived early because at OCT they always od a kids activity before a performance. This time, they had the kids list the qualities of a good friend and hang them on a web.

I expected something quaint and cute. And then, there were aerial silks! Charlotte used the silks!

I was so impressed and enthralled. The characters were great, and everything came together beautifully. But the highlight for me was that Hayden would lean over everything Charlotte would write something (using aerial acrobatics) and tell me what she was about to write. Adorable!

After the play we went for sushi. Hayden had never been to a sushi place without the conveyor belt, and he'd never had udon. He loved udon, but wasn't so sure about ordering sushi rolls he hadn't seen first. We did discover the best calamari either of us had ever had. So good!

Peter Pan

One of my resolutions this year is to have more one-on-one time with the kids. Especially the boys. I also want them to develop an appreciation for the arts, so I'm hoping to expose them to theater, music, maybe even dance.

The magazine I review for hooked us up with free tickets to Peter Pan. The showing was a little late for Gracie, and Bayley wasn't interested. Thank goodness Hayden is game for anything!

We made a night of it and went out for BBQ at Smokehouse 21. So delish! Hayden wasn't sure about trying a restaurant that doesn't advertise on TV, but he came around as soon as I said BBQ. The hogs head on the wall helped too.


Northwest Children's Theater did a great job with Peter Pan. It was just campy enough, and Smee made the show. Hayden loved that the kids got to fly.

After the show he was excited to chat with the actors. He asked Smee how much they ad-lib (a lot), Peter Pan if he was afraid to fly (no), and the actor who played Hook and Mr. Darling which character he liked best (Hook).

We had such a great time together. I'm excited to do it again!