“Cheaper by the Dozen" at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre -- December 12 through 21.
Friday, December 12, through Sunday, December 21
Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4850 35th Avenue, Moline IL
Based on the beloved novel by sibling authors Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, and the inspiration for movie comedies in 1950, 2003, and 2022, playwright Christopher Sergel's Cheaper by the Dozen closes the 2024-25 season at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre, this heartwarming and moving family sure to deliver seasonal warmth, sentiment, and laughs during its December 12 through 21 run.
Suppose you're an attractive high-school girl and you're not only a member of a large and unique family with 11 other siblings, but your father is, in fact, one of the great pioneers of industrial efficiency. Then suppose he decides, for no apparent reason, to apply his unorthodox methods to you and to the rest of your big family. The results are terribly embarrassing, funny, and, as Cheaper by the Dozen demonstrates, extremely effective. To teenage Anne, however, the chief effect seems to be that of making them seem ridiculous to everyone else at school – especially to the boys. Dad, however, pushes ahead with better organization for his large and delightful family. He puts up a chart for the young people to initial after completing each household task, uses a rung as an imaginary bathtub to demonstrate how to take a really efficient bath, and appoints a utilities officer to levy fines on wasters of electricity. Yet while the situations are often uproarious, there's a serious reason behind Dad's newfound need for familial order.
Directing Cheaper by the Dozen is frequent Playcrafters participant Emma Terronez, whose recent on-stage appearances at the Barn Theatre include roles in The Diary of Anne Frank, The House of Blue Leaves, Little Women, and Sense & Sensibility. Put-upon daughter Anne is portrayed by Chloe Hansen, recently featured in Playcrafters' Charlotte's Web and Miracle on 34th Street, while her parents are played by fellow venue veterans Joe Urbaitis (The Odd Couple) and Emmalee Hilburn (Paint Night). Completing Terronez's gifted cast are: Levi Bacon; Caleb Beyer; Cami Beyer; Whitney Brown; Bradley Franks; Nathen Heartfelt; Jonna Hicks-Bird; Azalea Hilburn; Ashley Hoskins; Carson Kowalik; Archie Nolen; Ella Hoskins Richmond; and Lennon Roberts.
Cheaper by the Dozen runs at Moline's Barn Theatre December 12 to 21, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Admission is $16-18, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 and visiting Playcrafters.com.
