Barney's Big Surprise Explained

Barney's Big Surprise
Producer:Solan Coleman
Starring:Bob West
Julie Johnson
Patty Wirtz
Director:Clark Santee
Music:Joe Phillips
Studio:Lyons Partnership, L.P.
Distributor:Lyrick Studios
Runtime:78 minutes
Language:English

Barney's Big Surprise (also known as La Gran Sorpresa de Barney in Latin America) was Barney the Dinosaur's first national tour. The show started in 1996 and played in 60 cities, with a program of 28 old and new Barney songs. Originally planned for theaters (and modeled after the earlier Barney Live in New York City at Radio City Music Hall in New York City), it was revised to become more like a rock concert for young children; most of the venues were small arenas with around 5,000 seats, with some larger arenas used as well.[1] A video of the show, which had been taped at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, was released in 1998.[2]

Cast

The cast list below is taken from the video release and does not show all cast members that have performed in this show.

Additional cast

Songs

Act 1 songs

  1. Barney Is A Dinosaur
  2. If You're Happy And You Know It
  3. Welcome To Our Treehouse
  4. The Baby Bop Hop
  5. Happy Birthday To Me
  6. The Airplane Song
  7. My Kite
  8. Car Sing-Along Medley (In The Car And Having Fun, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Mister Sun)
  9. Mr. Knickerbocker
  10. Tinkerputt's Song
  11. We Are Little Robots
  12. The Rainbow Song

Act 2 songs

  1. Hey Look At Me! I Can Fly!
  2. Ducks That I Once Knew
  3. Happy Birthday To Me (reprise)
  4. If All The Raindrops
  5. Old McDonald Had a Farm
  6. I'm Mother Goose
  7. Nursery-Rhyme Medley (Humpty Dumpty, Hey Diddle Diddle, Little Miss Muffet, Little Boy Blue, 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe, Sing A Song Of Sixpence)
  8. Old King Cole
  9. Happy Birthday To You
  10. I Love You

Reception

Los Angeles Times critic Lynne Heffley noted that the "feel-good formula" for the stage show was similar to a Barney television episode: "hugging, singing, dancing, more hugging and a little advice", and she found the result to be "lively, expertly staged and a lavish visual treat", although she suggested earplugs given the loud volumes.[3] In the Chicago Tribune, Eric Fidler commented that "Judging Barney through the eyes of an adult is pointless. For an adult unable to relax and suspend judgment, the show was a vision of some twisted hell. But kids were in heaven."[4]

Notes and References

  1. Jodi Duckett, "Barney Barnstorms Across The Land: 'Barney's Big Surprise' Extravaganza Set To Rock Corestates Spectrum", The Morning Call, February 2, 1997.
  2. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/barney_barneys_big_surprise/ Barney - Barney's Big Surprise (1997)
  3. Lynne Heffley, "Don't Laugh but 'Big Surprise' Is a Purple People Pleaser; Barney and friends take their feel-good brand of merriment on the road in lavish style." Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1996.
  4. Eric Fidler, "Barney's Live Show Works By Keeping Kids-first Ethic", Chicago Tribune, March 17, 1997 (from Variety).

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