Schoolhouse rocked by 'New Kid'

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Katie Couric may be in the ratings basement as anchor of the CBS Evening News, but she rates high as a children's book author. Her pint-sized treatise on kindness, "The Brand New Kid," has been spiffily adapted to the stage by Melanie Marnich and Michael Friedman as a tuneful new musical perfectly attuned to the fads and fears of today's children.

Director Nick Olcott offers up a show that's sunny without sticking in your craw and assembles a top-notch cast of adult actors portraying a gaggle of strong personalities who are embraceable, but never cutesy.

Based on the 2000 picture book, "Katie Couric's The Brand New Kid," the show deals with a self-satisfied and somewhat smug group of children, none much different than the other, in the small town of Delasky. The first day of second grade brings scary change, as a new student named Lazlo S. Gasky (James Gardiner) shows up and upsets the equilibrium.

He's foreign (from Hungary), wears geeky clothes, talks with an accent and has hair that, in the words of smart and popular Ellie McSnelly (Erika Rose), "looks like it can conduct electricity." There's so much to taunt Lazlo about, school brats Ricky Jensen (Diego Prieto) and Peter Barsinsky (Michael Grew) scarcely know where to start. Being boys, they glom onto the flatulent nuances in Lazlo's last name, and the merciless teasing takes off.

Ellie and her material girlfriend, Carrie O'Toole (Cristina Flagg), first stand aside and let the boys talk smack about Lazlo, who sings forlornly of being "miserable and invisible." But then, Ellie's compassionate side kicks in and she befriends the boy, who takes her home to his strudel-baking mom (Donna Migliaccio), a talking poodle and a treehouse (Mr. Prieto) that welcomes her with open arms. Her burgeoning friendship with Lazlo gives her the courage to stand up to the boys, fostering what grown-ups call "a teachable moment." The production values are low-tech and endearingly goofy, with the actors rolling homemade-looking set pieces on and offstage and hoisting aloft brightly-painted props, such as suns, marble composition books, oversized pencils and other grade school talismans. Alex Cooper's set is a multilevel playground with swings and a jungle gym, which niftily converts into a classroom and Lazlo's home.

Miss Marnich and Mr. Friedman have crafted funny, upbeat musical numbers, paying tribute to the street gang rhythms of "West Side Story" for "We Can't Help Ourselves," an ode to harassment, and the satiric zing of "The Producers" with the tongue-in-cheek "The Strudel Song." The cast brings "The Brand New Kid" brightly to life, especially Miss Rose as the poised, good-hearted Ellie, capturing the fidgets, insecurities and sweetness of a 7-year-old. Mr. Gardiner's Lazlo is wise beyond his years, with a touch of Ed Grimley in his character that is poignant rather than a parody. Miss Flagg is a strutting diva-in-the-making as the fashion-forward Carrie, and Miss Migliaccio brings brass and deft physical comedy to a variety of roles, including a buck-toothed, battleaxe cafeteria lady and the formidable teacher, Miss Kincaid. Mr. Prieto is so convincing as a bumbling bully you want to send him for a time out, while Mr. Grew displays an affecting vulnerability as his go-along sidekick.

The Kennedy Center's buoyant production of "Katie Couric's The Brand New Kid" shows children that what makes you weird can also make you wonderful.

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WHAT: "Katie Couric's The Brand New Kid," book and lyrics by Melanie Marnich, music and lyrics by Michael Friedman

WHERE: Family Theater, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.

WHEN: 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., Friday; 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m., Saturday; 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., Sunday; 7:30 p.m., Dec. 1; 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., Dec. 2; 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9; 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., Dec. 10; 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., Dec. 16-17.

TICKETS: $15

PHONE: 202/467-4600

MAXIMUM RATING: FOUR STARS