Missing ‘Miss Nelson’
-
Clockwise from top left: Ima Meeney (Viola Swamp), Scott Zenreich (Raymond), John Moss II (Morris, “Mouse”), center: Shelbie Mac (Kimberly) — Photo by Mark Oristano
by Bruce Felps
Some kids don’t know how good they’ve got it. The same applies to some adults, but this is about the kids, and the Dallas Children’s Theater.
The DCT starts its 27th year by staging “Miss Nelson is Missing,” a mystery-comedy about a kindly teacher of unruly students.
The kids run wild in class. They don’t listen, behave, or study. Her classroom is a zoo full of semi-hairless chimpanzees, and that’s an insult to chimpanzees.
One day, the kindly Miss Nelson fails to show up for class and a substitute teacher, named Miss Viola Swamp — uh oh — fills in. She runs the classroom with an iron fist wielding a wooden ruler.
So Phoebe, Raymond, LaVita, Elvis, “Mouse,” Kimberly, and George go on a top-secret detective mission to find sweet Miss Nelson.
Will they succeed? Will sweet Miss Nelson come back and return the class to well-behaved normal? Will the students get a break from piles of nightly homework? Will the chimpanzees receive an apology?
Tune in opening night, Sept. 17, to learn all the answers and more when “Miss Nelson is Missing” opens its run, which concludes Oct. 24.
The show, suitable for ages 5 and older, also has a little something to say about the Golden Rule.
Check the DCT website for showtimes and ticket pricing.
Oh, and really, there are no chimpanzees in the performance. And oh, oh, Emily Gray portrays Miss Nelson, and Ima Meeney plays Miss Swamp. Hmmm ….
One Reply
[...] immediately after the season premiere of the 2010-11 Student Matinee Series, which debuts with “Miss Nelson is Missing,” which starts at 10 [...]