Some of the best children's shows are ones where kids can enjoy the action on stage and parents can appreciate the subtler messages contained therein. Such is the very enjoyable The Number 14 presented by the Axis Theatre Company at the New Victory Theater.
A combination of mime, slapstick, acrobatics, music, and the best and worst of human nature, the story takes place on the Number 14 bus (nice set by Pam Johnson), where a large collection of passengers come and go—including many we've all probably met at one time or another.
These include a woman who talks to the driver incessantly while trying to find change for the fare as an impatient passenger waits behind her, a group of boisterous schoolchildren and their stressed-out teacher, and a person who keeps coughing and hacking up who-knows-what into everybody's faces. There's also the unseen bus driver who sometimes drives the vehicle as if it were a race car, causing people to do some very amusing flips and summersaults.
Basically housing an ever-changing mass of humanity, a bus ride can also be something magical, especially in the way it fosters a sense of temporary community (for instance, when several passengers (including one very cranky elderly woman who just wants to be left alone) slowly begin humming "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and then burst into song, laughing and joking with each other). There's also the chance of meeting that special someone, with love striking a couple straight out of a magazine ad (quite literally) as well as a pair of nerdy types.
The various passengers are played by a very talented troupe of actors (Brian Anderson, Kristian Ayre, Darlene Brookes, Marjorie Malpass, Matt Palmer, and Mike Stack) who do a great job making these people feel real, annoying, and, in some cases, quite poignant. Well directed by Wayne Specht, the continuous action keeps things moving at a brisk pace, so if there's one segment which seems to drag, it will be soon replaced by another hopefully more to one's liking. Plus, clocking in at 75 minutes, the show doesn't overstay its welcome.
It may or not be true that "everybody's human on the Number 14," as one character points out, but the show is certainly a lot of fun for children (and adults) of all ages.
The Number 14
Presented by the Axis Theatre Company
The New Victory Theater
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
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