Alex and the Shrink World

This is the story of a boy who shrinks to the size of an ant because it's much more fun than dealing with his baby sister. Alex's parents and teacher have the mistaken notion that he is just "zoning out," muttering and staring off into space, but the audience sees Alex's adventures with two busy ants, a couple of zany cockroaches and Mister Mouse, their ringleader. They sing and dance and have a wonderful time culminating in Alex's coronation. But the responsibilities of the King of the Shrink World include dealing with King Brown, a very nasty spider who tells Alex, "I'm gonna bite your baby sister and I'm gonna bite you!" As Alex's journeys to the Shrink World get more dangerous, his parents and teacher decide that the boy may be in need of some professional help. They take Alex to see Dr. Candin, a warm and eccentric child psychiatrist, who draws Alex out by using a couple of delightful puppets. Alex shows Dr. Candin the Shrink World and gets her advice on how to handle his adventures there as well as some insight into his feelings about his baby sister. At the climax of the play, Alex faces King Brown and realizes that it's all right to be mad about having a baby sister and yet still love and protect her. He defeats King Brown and holds his sister in his arms, even if she is "yechy." Don't worry though, Alex may be feeling a little better, but he'll still visit the Shrink World from time to time.