Lightwire Theater’s “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Tortoise & the Hare” at Racine Civic Centre on Saturday, February 23

Children's theater is a great way to gently introduce kids to theater before they realize that most plays are just about sad guys talking. Get kid-friendly kicks with this GrouponLive deal to see Lightwire Theater present The Ugly Duckling and The Tortoise & the Hare at Memorial Hall of Racine Civic Centre on Saturday, February 23, at 10 a.m. Doors open at 9 a.m. Choose between the following seating options:

• For $16, you get one ticket for floor-level seating (up to a $27.85 value, including all fees). Seats are located in the rear, in rows K-Y.
• For $12, you get one ticket for balcony-level seating (up to a $19.95 value, including all fees).

Blending ballet, puppetry, and a laser light show, the story dancers of Lightwire Theater update two timeless fables with costumes outlined in electroluminescent wire. Fresh off her appearance in the semi-finals of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, the bright-blue star of The Ugly Duckling appears as a cross between a firework and a cartoon character. During the show, she bursts from her shell and clownishly trips up the precise parade of her green stepsiblings. Hans Christian Andersen’s moral rings as true as it did 169 years ago, but the innovators bring the story to its natural climax as the growing swan faces off against a dastardly ninja cat. The Tortoise & the Hare receives a similar update as its overconfident bunny is waylaid by such distractions as his cell phone and a television. In the creators’ hometown of New Orleans, the Gambit wrote that “the staging is unique, and the colored outlines are not garish but poetic.” The puppeteers of pure light might seem familiar to fans of America’s Got Talent: the stars of Lightwire’s other show, Darwin the Dinosaur, were featured prominently on the program this year. Catch all the creatures in action by viewing live performance videos here.

The Ugly Duckling

Darwin the Dinosaur