The Express from Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland • 58

SATURDAY NOVI 13 1999 UBSHhUD AuvS DETJ 17ALTHB finds out how the latest craze for small people managed to get so big children I met up with the Rugrats team at the last stop on their US tour Branson Missouri a tiny town tucked into the Bible Belt under the Ozark Mountains to Sesame Street shows and Barney shows that seen taken it to a whole other says Megan Cleary who plays mother Didi of the trend for making stage shows out of kids' TV series I HE producers admit initially baited at In the US the television show nets gotta do what a gotta says Tommy Pickles And what he does along with half a dozen other Rugrats is take theatres hill of screaming kids and turn them into an attentive audience Not had for a one-year-old even if he is six Boot tan The cartoon adventures of Tommy his nervous friend Chuckle neighbours Phil and Lil and scheming cousin Angelica have entranced children The Rugrats are now more popular among pre-teens than Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse their fhces peering out from lunchbaxes across the land Nickelodeon 21 million viewers a week while The Rugrats Movie earned more than $100 million It was one of this top-grossing UK releases too and now the critically lauded phenomenally successful stage show Rugrats: A Live Adventure has come to Britain Created by the awardwinning head writers Jon Cooksey and Ali Marie Matheson the show which opened at Wembley Arena at die end of last month features seven new songs by Mark Mothersbaugh ex-frontman of Devo and a cast and crew of 50 Zipping along quickly enough for the shortest of attent ion spans it centres on invention of a Feople-ator which turns objects into human beings Tool kits burst into gospel numbers barbecues become spaceships and -in a moment of glorious nigh camp a warbles a German ode to a 38-foot dinosaur The show was developed with approval but not their direct involvement been ecstatic with the results with one or two exceptions did a press shoot in New recalls production manager Kevin Brannick a great photo of Tommy Chuckle and Angelica getting out of a cab outside a porno theatre not the plan It was in the Daily News fidl colour Nickelodeon saw that and they were like: we just have sent them a block I I I music Only the success of Julie Lion King stage suaded them that a show could be wrath such investment It undeniably paid offi the two seven-month US tours played to 17 million people in 100 cities Among the main attractions are the brilliant costumes Nevertheless playinga giant baby is hard work: the heads alone weigh up to 10 pounds and there are two actors for each character to ensure no one spends more than 15 coccooned minutes on stage at a stretch Megan and Eric Fottei who plays dad Stu only have half masks to allow them to ring live The other characters mime The heads are so big that even if on the back row of an arena you can see Kevin says the further back you are the better You want to be in the first row -sometimes when the kids see these six-foot Rugrats up close they get But mostly delighted do a lot of meet and greets where we take the characters out so the kids can see them in the real world" Eric says we have had kids run from places when they catch sight of British kids no doubt are grappling with their Rugrats socks and trainers as we speak Rugrats: A Uve Adventure is at Cardiff Arena tonight Manchester Arena Nov Newcastle Arena Nov 19-20 Birmingham NEC Nov 30 to Dec 3 Ticket hotline: 0115-912 9241 Canopy 048m unbeatable Hurry at prices this low slocks won't last long! FOCUS KIDSHSCREENIFAV0URITESI0NITHE1STAGE DEAL iwewonFti BE BEATEN! DOUBIE ROUND PROMISE you buy any product 3 oownnsa nwv that you couM hew bought choopor obowhofo Foait Do Al Wtti REFUND D0UB1E THE MTERB4CES PARTY Bathes Hal Chaflothes Fife 01592 611101 Nov 19-22 PARTY WteUsdoa Theatre Loudon SW19: 0181-540 0362 Nev 17-20 C650-S750 10)0 IT MIL DlYholp oaw ipaning liowra 0800 436436 THE UON THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE RSC Stratford Upon Bmk 01789 403 403 sail March 4 2000 The aagical tale or i stem worm dj CS tents has translated to a Hve production Katherine Griffiths gr eiEKoIg eMG eMG eMd eSTs to road safely HBUEMSUH -Jn iniiniiEMM i 1 t'.