Harold and the Purple Crayon at Center for Puppetry Arts

Spark your child’s imagination and love of drawing with a colorful trip to see Harold and the Purple Crayon at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Presented in the Mainstage Theater, this delightful puppet show features a curious young boy named Harold, who discovers the power to draw anything he can imagine with his oversized purple crayon! A break from the typical trip to the movies, this show artfully engaged a packed audience full of youngsters by combining blacklight rod puppetry and new projection technology.

My 6-year-old twins enjoyed sitting inside the cozy dark theater watching Harold go on multiple adventures, from creating an enchanted garden, to visiting the circus and even taking a wild ride on the moon! They particularly enjoyed jumping up and dancing to some of the catchy music featured in Harold’s unique travels.

As a parent, I enjoyed taking my children on this outing as it was both entertaining and “artfully” educational. At the end of the show, the cast explained how the puppet show was performed, as well as the technology used to create Harold’s bold drawings as onstage holograms. After the show, it was time to go make and decorate our own Purple Porcupine Rod Puppet in the Create-a-Puppet Workshop. The directions for making a puppet were on the tables, along with an array of craft supplies.

We wrapped up our outing with an interesting and interactive tour of the Worlds of Puppetry Museum. The life-size large collection of Jim Henson puppets intrigued my children and sparked a warm sense of Sesame Street nostalgia for me! Harold and the Purple Crayon was fun for all, and definitely worth the trip!

– Monica Croom

A curious young boy has the power to create anything he can imagine, simply by drawing it with his purple crayon. From enchanted gardens to a circus and wild ride to the moon, see where Harold and his crayon can take you. April 2-May 26. Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., 10 and 11:30 a.m.; Sat., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Sun., 1 and 3:00 p.m. Sun. (closed Mondays).

Ages 4 and older. $25 for ages 2 and older; children 1 and younger, free. Includes show, Create-a-Puppet Workshop and Worlds of Puppetry Museum admission.