Theater Review: "Ferdinand the Bull"

The Commonwealth's Barter's Theater performed their highly entertaining musical "Ferdinand the Bull" in Lehman Auditorium on Friday, Jan. 27 for an audience of over 300.

The Barter's troupe of five members performed their rendition of the children's tale "Ferdinand the Bull," a tale set in sunny Spain where "pigs can sing, bullfighters want to dance, and Ferdinand passes his days happily picking flowers."

After seeing dancers at a fiesta, Duke Dodo's son decides he wants to become a dancer, much to the dismay of his father. The duke wants his son to become a bullfighter and sets out to find "the fiercest bull in all of Mexico." After some faulty advice from an aspiring singing pig, the duke decides that the flower-picking bull in the field is the choice to fight his son. The "most horrible bull in all of Madrid" actually was Ferdinand, who had been stung by a bee.

Like every good children's story, everybody lives happily ever after when the final bull-fight turns into a synchronized dance by the duke's son and Ferdinand. The story was well put together, and the performers did a particularly good job in maintaining the attention of the children. Although the music was pre-recorded, it fit well with the story, and the action was well choreographed.

The three female actors fit their roles well, creating especially entertaining characters with the cross-gender-cast duke. The ladies also sang with a confidence and drive that captured the attention of children and adults alike.

The two male actors that played Ferdinand and the duke's son were well suited to their characters and maximized the use of the space. Unfortunately, their solos were off-key and generally flat. Still, that was the only noticeable flaw of the entire performance. The group sang well together and their voice meshed.

Additionally, the show was not just for the kindergarten through sixth grade levels for which it was assessed. There were plenty of witty remarks and one-liners to keep an older audience member amused. All things considered, 'Ferdinand' was a great evening of theater for children and adults.