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SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK
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“Schoolhouse Rock” was an ABC TV series that enchanted late boomers and Gen Xers for thirteen seasons from 1973 to 1986, returning to the air in 1992. It developed a cult following, featured on literally a dozen fan sites with the emergence of the Internet. It was referenced in motion pictures (“Reality Bites”, “Detroit Rock City”, “Never Been Kissed”) and in the ultimate form of tribute, spoofed by “The Simpsons”, “Family Guy” and Drew Carey.
What was “Schoolhouse Rock”? One of the select few of television series ever to possess redeeming social value, it was comprised of fifty-one animated short films that combined cartoon animation with bouncy pop songs with remarkably infectious hooks that addictively entertained while simultaneously educating its audience on a wide variety of subjects, including mathematics, science, American history, civics and government and even progressive gender politics ( via a segment on women’s suffrage and the contributions of women).
Despite being educational, it was, above all else, loads of fun. The music would be considered pop rather than rock by 2007 standards, but it was rocky at the time of the series’ genesis.
A company in Chicago called Theatre BAM created the stage version of the show “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” in 1993, taking it off-Broadway in 1995, where it was a hit and ran for 11 months. The new 2007 L.A. production by Greenway Arts Alliance marks the show’s professional Los Angeles Premiere.
The show’s plot is simple: Tom, a young teacher newly credentialed, nervously anticipates teaching his first class. Trying to relax with a video game, he encounters five characters who are actually different aspects of Tom’s personality emerging from various objects in the room as Tom’s imagination takes flight. The five are there to prepare Tom for his first day of teaching. The story is, of course, a device to launch twenty-or-so musical numbers from the original TV series, performed live on stage with the magical immediacy that only live theatre can provide. Will Tom ultimately emerge fully prepared to fill the bright young minds of his students with useful and fun information? You betcha.
