‘Dragons Love Tacos!’ @ CenterStage Theatre Works

—Carol M. Rice

There are few things more magical than watching a child fall in love with theatre, and I was honored to witness several such children at CenterStage Theatre Works’ production of Dragons Love Tacos!, currently running at the Frisco Discovery Center through June 15. The wide-eyed smiles and laughter from the audience of mostly young kids was absolutely contagious, and the adults were swept up in the magic as well.

Dragons Love Tacos! is based on the award-winning children’s book of the same name by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri—and playwright Ernie Nolan’s interactive adaptation is simply charming, especially as performed by these energetic actors.

When a Man comes out of the TV to teach a Child and her dog Leroy about the secrets of dragons, the dragons themselves arrive—suitcases in hand—to help. Dragons apparently LOVE to have parties, and while they DO love tacos, they do NOT like spicy salsa.

So, when even mild salsa made with jalapenos ends up on their tacos, chaos abounds! Fortunately, much as it happens with the infamous Cat in the Hat story, everything is cleaned up by the time mom gets home.

Jacob Eiseman is The Man, who is our host and narrator. He is necessarily charismatic and has the young audience members mesmerized...at least until the dragons come in!

Red Dragon (Adelaide Laurence), Silver Dragon (Eric Sheffield), Yellow Dragon (Alyssa Mullen), and Blue Dragon (Anna Kharisma Fontenot) are a whirling dervish of excitement and chaos from start to finish. They all have unique personalities, with Yellow as the sweet and perky dragon, Silver as the one in charge, Red as the feisty go-getter, and Blue as the happy-go-lucky dragon. Each of these actors has excellent physical comedy skills, and the children’s response is completely worth their efforts.

The Child is played with great facial expressions by Ella Decker. The Child doesn’t talk much in the play, but when she does, the words are forceful and meaningful.

As Leroy the Dog, Geetha George isn’t afraid to give it her all—from yipping to growling to bounding around the stage with her squeaky toy, George is a joy to watch.

Dragons Love Tacos! wouldn’t be possible without the imaginative props and costumes designed and created at the Dallas Children’s Theater (dragon cosumes by Lyle Huchton). The elaborate headpieces and distinctly different-yet-complementary looks for each of the dragons; George’s adorable dog get-up; Eiseman’s electric blue suit; and even Decker’s simple, youthful look—all are spot-on. Alison Kingwell is credited as costumer for the production and had done a super job sourcing from the best. The scenic design by Avery Murphy is cheerful and colorful, and coordinates well with Kingwell’s bright props. So many tacos of various sizes—my favorite being the tacos stuffed in the pockets of a giant pair of jeans.

As director, Charlotte Taylor brings out the joy and silliness of the story. She has cast the play well, and her actors deliver in spades (or tacos, to keep the theme going). Everyone completely commits to the crazy absurdity and interactive nature of Dragons Love Tacos!, and the kids love it!

On that note, I want to send a special shout-out to CenterStage Theatre Works for producing works for children that are acted by adults. While there are many area theatres offering classes for kids who want to learn about acting and being onstage (usually resulting in a performance or two), there are very few opportunities in the area—especially this far north in the Metroplex—that provide opportunities for children to be exposed to live theatre made just for them. I’m of the firm belief that this is what will create the next generation of theatre patrons: the “grow your own audience” approach is crucial for theatre to survive in an electronic age. [Off my soapbox.]

Dragons Love Tacos! is a blast for the kids, but did I mention that the adults were up and dancing in a conga line with the dragons too? It really is a ton of fun for the whole family.

WHEN: June 11-15, 2025
WHERE: Frisco Discovery Center, 8004 Dallas Parkway, Frisco TX
WEB: cstheatreworks.com