Because the Geffen Stayhouse’s latest production, “The Door You Never Saw Before: A Choosical Musical,” is made for young audiences, Buzz theater critic Laura Foti Cohen recruited a guest reviewer from the show’s target demographic. Julien Stromberg, age 8½, lives in Brookside with his parents, Julie and Winston Stromberg, his younger siblings Leo and Astrid, a pack of cute rescue dogs, and a parakeet.  He is in 2nd grade at Citizens of the World Silver Lake Charter School and loves Roblox, techno music, and tickles.  This is his first review.
Geffen Stayhouse presents a Zoom show for kids called The Door You Never Saw Before: A Choosical Musical. Set in the land of Marmonicania, the story is about someone who was Your Voice and comes out to see you for the first time ever.
There was a ghost who was trying to destroy the city by making the city stink. The smell was so bad that all the people in the city left, except the Mayor. To defeat the ghost, we needed to use a medal, made of metal, that gave us mettle. All the people that were watching the show got a real medal that came in an adventure suitcase. We also got cool glasses and some other things. The suitcase was delivered by FedEx before the show.
To defeat the ghost, we needed to find the City’s Mayor and give him the medal. In our adventure suitcase, there were also maps to help find the Mayor. The show’s characters gave us clues and we did puzzles together to find where to look on the map to find the Mayor.
Together, we went to different places. At one place, we found out what was making the city smell and solved the problem so all the people could come back to the City. I don’t want to give away the ending by telling you what we had to do.
I really liked that the show was like an adventure. I also liked the backdrop and the songs. I really liked how everyone watching the show had glasses and medals on.  I thought 70 minutes was a good length for the show. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars because I did not like the kids in the breakout rooms, but it was a good story with an adventure and I liked the ending.
The Door You Never Saw Before, by Matt Schatz, runs through June 27, with performances Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00am and 2:00pm. It’s recommended for children 6-9. Tickets, including a pre-delivered adventure suitcase, are $55 per household, are $55 per household. Additional suitcases may be purchased for $25 each. Family/Friends viewing-only tickets for separate households are available for $30 each and must be purchased alongside a regular family household ticket. Available by phone at 310.208.2028 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org.Â
