NO LYIN’ ABOUT THIS ADORABLE LION

A story about rules and when it is right to break them

The four-year-old I took to the Adam Theater production of Library Lion at the Calderwood Pavilion in the Boston Center for the Arts was terrified when he saw the picture of the lion’s large and expressive face on the cover of the program. He had never been to a live theater event before, and once we entered the Calderwood Pavilion with its rows of seats and its broad, blue-curtained stage, he wanted to leave.

The picture of the lion, a life-sized puppet created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, looked very scary (his words). Assurances from adults he knew as well as some he didn’t that the lion was a gentle lion and that it would be up on the stage, not near his seat, did not reassure him. Nor did the fact that he was far from the only young child in the audience.

Robert Saoud

Once the curtain opened to reveal the colorful shelves of books (scenic design, Cameron Anderson) and the gentle piano (Tomer Sne, piano and music director) started to play, my companion became less anxious. The fact that there was no lion on the stage helped as well. Director Ran Bechor surely understands the need to reassure young audience members before bringing the main attraction onto the stage.

Based on the best-selling children’s book, Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen, the stage adaptation, Library Lion: A Musical Play, opens with librarian Mr. McBee (Robert Saoud) singing a song about library rules. My young friend is very familiar with libraries, so a song about rules like no shouting, no food or drink, and no running was reassuring.

Janis Hudson, Jayden Declet, and Ken Crossman

Two children (played by adults Jayden Declet and Kevin Crossman) arrive and learn the rules as well. Head librarian Ms. Merriweather (Janis Hudson) comes in and sings about the magic of books. Here we have a little stagecraft: as books open, sparkling scraps of paper fly into the air. Through all of this, my four-year-old friend was curious and engaged, though still wary. The lion had not made its entrance yet. We moved to a seat in the back row, just in case.

By the time the handsome lion with its soulful eyes and luxurious mane appears, my young friend had been soothed by the calming piano, now joined by cello and clarinet. He turned to me and said, “You were right. It’s a gentle lion.”

Janis Hudson

Having mastered his own anxiety, he, along with many of the children in the audience, chuckled at the startled fright of one character after another as they first encounter the lion in the library. He joined in to clap on the songs and literally bounced up and down in his seat with pleasure. When Mr. McBee and Kevin take to the aisles with flashlights to search for the lion after it goes missing, the child beside me shared an anxiety very different from the feeling that made him want to leave when we first arrived. Now he was involved in the story, and eager to know what would happen next.

In short, Library Lion is a charming production and a perfect first theatrical experience, with just the right amount of excitement and reassurance, for a very young future theater fan.

The full cast of Library Lion

Library Lion is directed by Adam Theater’s Artistic Director Ran Bechor. Book and lyrics are by Eli Bijaoui, with music by Roy Friedman and Yoni Rechter, who also composed the songs. Kate Brehm is the director of the puppet and movement.

Library Lion was first staged in 2024 in the Boston Public Library, where it was seen by 1,000 children and educators. In 2025, it moved to the Calderwood Pavilion and was seen by 3,000 audience members in two weekends. In 2026, the show plays for three weekends, with seven school-day matinees.

Ken Crossman, Jayden Declet and lion (puppeteer Amy Liou)

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photos by by Nile Scott Studios

Library Lion
Adam Theater
Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont
Sat at 2 & 5; Sun at 12 & 3; Mon at 11a & 2p (Jan 19)
70 minutes, no intermission
ends on January 25, 2026
for tickets, visit Boston Theater Scene

for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston

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BIO: Lynne Weiss is a member of the Boston Theater Critics Association. Her work has also appeared in Literary Ladies Guide and in The Common, Black Warrior Review, and the Ploughshares Blog. She has an MFA from UMass Amherst and has received residencies from Yaddo, the Millay Colony, and Vermont Studio Center and grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. A lifelong social justice activist, she is at work on a novel set in 1930s Cornwall. Her reviews, travel tales, and progressively optimistic opinions are on her substack.