Sometimes good things come in small packages. And sometimes they come in big ones, just to the wrong place. In NextStop Theatre Company’s Good Good Trouble on Bad Bad Island, directed by Danny Tipett, the Bad Bads are shocked to discover that a package meant for Good Good Island has been delivered to them, and now they have to figure out how to get rid of Rosa, a Good Good!
Rosa (Suzanne Stanley) has to complete the impossible quests set upon her by the strict and strident Idol (Steven Soto) while receiving something akin to encouragement from the animalistic Bad Bads (Maureen O’Rourke and Ryan Dalusung), all in the hopes of being sent to Good Good island to find her real home, her real family, and her real life.
The show uses a colorful cacophony of costumes, (by Jesse Shipley), lights (AnnMarie Castrigno), and sets (by Ian Brown) to create a magical island where strange and mysterious beasts wait for the commands of their sanctimonious Idol, walruses wail along with Mozart, and thumb wars are a final method of decision making.
Although the stage itself was sparse, that only allowed the set to become even more versatile, switching around the island with a few simple twists. The lighting, however, was very intricate as it forayed through storms and ocean floors. Music was utilized throughout the show from all genres, whether it be classical or modern pop.
Every child in the audience found something to become excited about, be it the large Idol that rolled on and off stage, the incompetent delivery men who couldn’t tell their packages from a pack of dogs, or the wild dance offs and eating contests.
An excellent way to spend a summer day, Good Good Trouble on Bad Bad Island has something for everyone to enjoy, whether it’s the Spidernook’s dance moves or the Wailing Walrus’s music. It reminds us all that even things that at first may seem terribly terrible or horribly horrible can still be quite enjoyable with the proper disposition.
Running Time: 45 minutes (with fifteen minutes for cast autographs afterwards).
Good Good Trouble on Bad Bad Island plays through August 10, 2014 is playing at NextStop Theatre-269 Sunset Park Drive, in Herndon, VA. For tickets, call the box office Find information about tickets here.
