Jack Theiling and Ben Klocke in Lyle the Crocodile

Moving into a Victorian brownstone in the heart of New York City would be an adventure in itself, but imagine moving in and finding a full-grown crocodile in the bathroom. This is the start of a series of events in director Andrea Moore's Lyle the Crocodile, the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's latest family musical. Being familiar with author Bernard Waber's 1960s picture books on which this show is based, I feared the production would be too baby-ish for my “sophisticated” eight-year-old granddaughter Ava. But she consented to attend the June 25 performance with me, and afterward we agreed that the story was appealing to both elementary-school-age children and their parents. She did, however, point out that kids may have to know a little about Lyle's time and place (New York City in the 1950s), and about its references to turning crocs into purses and shoes, which she informed me was now illegal.

Miss Manners dictates that in social settings one should not bring up religion. But can I just say that when I was a shy child of six, seeing a Catholic nun in full habit scared the bejeezus out of me? Nuns were mysterious. You never saw them eat or drink or sweat. Never did I see a nun dance. And they were always worried about the soul. But the nuns in the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse’s musical comedy Sister Act know soul – as in soul music, sung with such energy that it had me clapping and swaying in my seat. And could those nuns dance! This joyful musical based on the 1992 film was a crowd-pleaser on opening night, and I predict the same for future performances.

Sara King and Samantha Pauly in Legally Blonde: The MusicalSpeaking with producer Dennis Hitchcock prior to Friday's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse performance, my partner thanked him for staging Legally Blonde: The Musical. And while I understand that many of Circa '21's patrons love their Church Basement Ladies, I share my partner's gratitude for the opportunity to see a bona-fide Broadway hit gracing Circa's stage. Having seen the production, I also appreciate how well director Jim Hesselman handled the material, playing up the bubbly, colorful fun of this stage version of the Reese Witherspoon movie.

Tom Walljasper, Kristin Gilbert, and John Payonk in HairsprayThe Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's Hairspray lacks polish from what seems to be, in the chorus roles, a fairly green cast. Yet even though that softens the strength of the production, it doesn't seem to diminish any of the fun. I had an incredibly good time watching Saturday night's performance, and while the entire show isn't quite worth the standing ovation it received, the final song, "You Can't Stop the Beat," does deserve that special accolade intended for exceptional performances.