It’s a Toddling Town With ‘Rugrats’ on Stage

When the actor dressed as a glittery silver flashlight shouted into the Universal Amphitheatre audience, “A baby’s gotta do. . . . “ and paused, hundreds of pint-sized audience members, bouncing in their seats, finished the sentence with a deafening roar of in-the-know gusto: “. . . what a baby’s gotta do!”

Yep, it’s the Rugrats, in the flesh--or rather, in the foam. Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Susie and Angelica, magnified in sculpted foam, are mega-stars in “Rugrats--A Live Adventure,” a big-budget nationally touring stage show from Nickelodeon and PACE Variety Entertainment Inc., at the amphitheater through Tuesday.

Judging from the screaming enthusiasm at Thursday’s opening (a benefit for the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation), the special effects, vivid cartoon projections, oversized set pieces, pop music rhythms, zippy dances, lavish costumes and the whimsical Rugrats themselves--not to mention a Godzilla-sized version of toy dinosaur Reptar--make this show one hot little kids’ ticket.

Designed to adhere faithfully to the original Arlene Klasky-Gabor Csupo-Paul Germain cartoon creation, this plot-driven musical--written by Jon Cooksey and Ali Marie Matheson, former head writers for the TV show, and directed and choreographed by Danny Herman--is about baby Tommy Pickle’s efforts to help timid toddler Chuckie see life as “esciting,” not scary.

But 4-year-old meanie Angelica torments Chuckie, telling him that a thunderstorm is really Reptar, coming to munch him up.

To help, Tommy emulates his inventor dad, Stu, and uses a ball and a cardboard tube to create a “People-ator” that can turn “stuff” into “peoples” to help Chuckie feel safe. That’s where glittery Mr. Flashlight comes in. But when Angelica steals the device, the world is her cookie and it’s up to Chuckie to save the day, bravely climbing “The Entire State Building” with Tommy and then making the show’s most memorable entrance with 38-foot-tall Reptar--a bit overwhelming for wee fans.

The dance numbers and the music by Devo duo Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh--lively hip-hop, Latin, gospel and reggae rhythms--charge the show, although at times, along with some lyrics and dialogue, it loses clarity because of decibel level and audience hubbub.

Puppet designer G.W. Mercier also did the delightful sets. Gregg Barnes’ eye-candy costumes include a dancing hammer, a pig-snouted German opera singer, alphabet flashcards that come to life and giant purple and yellow bees, whose samba is a musical highlight. The actors, who “speak” in dialogue prerecorded by the TV show’s voice-over artists, are concealed inside the huge sculpted heads and body suits, identical to the cartoon characters right down to Chuckie’s untied shoelaces and Tommy’s commodious diaper.

After intermission--and beware, there are $10 flashlight “peopleators,” $15 T-shirts, key chains, dolls, banners, caps, cups and other “Rugrats” goodies galore to catch demanding little fans’ attention--the babies defeat Angelica with a kiss, not violence, and all the wacky fantasy is revealed as just pretend.

One other caveat: Try not to get seats on the extreme left or right; you’ll lose some of the action.

* “Rugrats--A Live Adventure,” Universal Amphitheatre. Tonight, 7:15 p.m.; Tuesday, 4:15 and 7:15 p.m. $20-$33. (213) 252-TIXS, (714) 740-2000. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.