It amazes me how far childrens shows have come since I was a kid.  Back in the 70s, when I was growing up usually if you wanted to see your favorite kids shows brought to life they were attached to a show on ice like the Ice Capades or Disney on Ice or what have you.  Not so anymore.

Last night I witnessed Curious George Live at the BOK Center.  It started it’s 4 day run Thursday night and will continue through Sunday afternoon.  Curious George is the main character from the series of children’s books by H.A. Rey that debuted in 1941 and whose adventures and misadventures were chronicled in seven original books.  

Curious George has undergone several transformations over the years, most recently his new adventures have been made into a successful children’s TV show featured on PBS, a new series of children’s books and a feature length film released in 2006.

The live show used the BOK Center’s theater seating configuration and was sadly about a quarter full, if that.  That was surprising given how well known Curious George is.  The story in the show was a problem-solving adventure about George and his friend the Man In The Yellow Hat who are trying to win the prestigious "Golden Meatball" award to cheer up Chef Pisghetti, who shut down his Italian restaurant because he thought that people would like the mass produced square meatballs of a fly-by-night professor over his home made round ones.  

The story took kids from the unnamed city Curious George resides in to Rome, and it features upbeat and inspirational song and dance numbers. The story taught kids practical ways to solve problems and to always look out for your friends.   I attended last night’s show with my girlfriend and her children, aged 8,6 and 1 and they all enjoyed it quite enormously.  The show runs through Sunday afternoon with shows at 7pm Saturday, and 2:30 and 4:30pm on Sunday.  Tickets are available online at bokcenter.com or at the BOK Center box office.

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Photos: Kevin Pyle