Review: At "Show Up, Kids!," Showing Up Is Just the First Step

Show Up, Kids!

Written by Peter Michael Marino and the kids

Directed by Michole Biancosino and the kids

Presented at Q.E.D.

27-16 23rd Ave, Astoria, Queens

August 17-September 28, 2024

Denisse Estefany Mendoza. Photo by Mikiodo
The creation of Peter Michael Marino, Show Up, Kids! relies on the stellar improvisation skills of one performer (Denisse Estefany Mendoza 8/17-9/14 and Kento Morita 9/21-28) and the natural tendency of young children to participate enthusiastically in nearly any new experience. Based on the premise that the performer is too nervous to show up, the host (Mendoza or Morita) recruits the kids in the audience to put on the show, allowing them to choose every aspect of the production. The result is an experience just as enjoyable for the grown-ups as the kids.

Billed for ages 3-10, the show is perhaps best suited for the younger end of that range, although even the older kids in the audience quickly moved past their pre-teen tendency to scoff at that deemed too “baby-ish” and got invested in contributing to a show of their own making. Lacking the inhibitions and hang-ups of adults, kids generally are enthusiastic participants in new experiences, but what really makes this show work is not just that kids who might otherwise be squirming in their seats and struggling to stay quiet are allowed to yell out and get up. The performer draws on kids’ desire to show off their expertise when kids are more often than not the recipient, not the giver, of instruction. For example, when the host attempted to drink a juice pouch but was flummoxed by how to insert the straw (truly, a challenge for the uninitiated), the kids really got into explaining to this silly adult how to make it work.
Kento Morita. Photo by Mikiodo
The show that results from the interaction between host and audience is at times bordering on the absurd in the best way possible, eliciting genuine enjoyment from the grown-ups as well. If the kids revel in taking the lead and lean into being as silly as possible, the adults take pleasure in seeing the quirky thought process of kids made visible. There aren’t many things billed for kids that are equally as enjoyable for their attendant grown-ups, but Show Up, Kids! manages to be just that. For those looking for something fun and new to do in that sweet spot before lunch and naptime, it is truly a perfect way to spend an hour on a Saturday morning.

-Stephanie Pietros

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