What do "mother lion, wolverine and burning lava" have in common? In the Kanawha Players production of "Bright Ideas," they are all mantras that get little Mac's parents through the ins and outs of raising a child in the 21st century. I'm not sure if it's all the statistics available on-line these days or the bookcases filled with volumes on self-help and parenting, but something's got to give before the Joshua and Genevra Bradley totally lose it.

Played by real-life couple Jason and Jamie Dunbar, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley start with high hopes for their son, Mac, but somewhere along the line, the stakes get raised a bit higher.

A brainstorming session on how to secure the future for their 3-year-old generates lots of ideas and lots of thinking outside the box, but absolutely pushes the envelope.

A supporting cast of other parents, played by Tara Pauley, Scott Spencer, Rhiannon Hipshire and Kate Woestman, take parental one-upmanship to a superhuman level.

The action leads to Mac's fourth birthday party, and everyone is invited - yes, everyone. After all, Mrs. Bradley has done everything in her power to make sure the party is perfect. She is a cross between Lady MacBeth and Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality."

Private tutors played by Terry Terpening, Tony Slack and Pat Werhle were perfectly cast, perfectly executed. I don't want to spoil anything, but the interaction between Mr. Doodle and Mr. Frownie is worth the price of admission.

This script is well-written, almost Shakespearean in its portrayal of the ridiculous and the sublime, yet I have witnessed hints of reality in these characters during my own years of teaching (OK, and parenting).

The stage at the Kanawha Players Theater looks more like a T-shaped obstacle with all the lights on, but once the action begins, brightly colored sets appear and disappear from both sides. Directors Jeff Haught and James Raywalt, and Technical Director Michael Harris certainly should win a design award for their efforts.

All of the major life themes are addressed: love, justice, consumerism, ambition, jealously, suburbia and education. This play has it all and this cast delivers.

Kanawha Players will present "Bright Ideas" at 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow night, and October 17 and 18 at their home on the corner of Washington and Beauregard Streets in Charleston.

What do "mother lion, wolverine and burning lava" have in common? In the Kanawha Players production of "Bright Ideas," they are all mantras that get little Mac's parents through the ins and outs of raising a child in the 21st century. I'm not sure if it's all the statistics available on-line these days or the bookcases filled with volumes on self-help and parenting, but something's got to give before the Joshua and Genevra Bradley totally lose it.

Played by real-life couple Jason and Jamie Dunbar, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley start with high hopes for their son, Mac, but somewhere along the line, the stakes get raised a bit higher.

A brainstorming session on how to secure the future for their 3-year-old generates lots of ideas and lots of thinking outside the box, but absolutely pushes the envelope.

A supporting cast of other parents, played by Tara Pauley, Scott Spencer, Rhiannon Hipshire and Kate Woestman, take parental one-upmanship to a superhuman level.

The action leads to Mac's fourth birthday party, and everyone is invited - yes, everyone. After all, Mrs. Bradley has done everything in her power to make sure the party is perfect. She is a cross between Lady MacBeth and Sandra Bullock in "Miss Congeniality."

Private tutors played by Terry Terpening, Tony Slack and Pat Werhle were perfectly cast, perfectly executed. I don't want to spoil anything, but the interaction between Mr. Doodle and Mr. Frownie is worth the price of admission.

This script is well-written, almost Shakespearean in its portrayal of the ridiculous and the sublime, yet I have witnessed hints of reality in these characters during my own years of teaching (OK, and parenting).

The stage at the Kanawha Players Theater looks more like a T-shaped obstacle with all the lights on, but once the action begins, brightly colored sets appear and disappear from both sides. Directors Jeff Haught and James Raywalt, and Technical Director Michael Harris certainly should win a design award for their efforts.

All of the major life themes are addressed: love, justice, consumerism, ambition, jealously, suburbia and education. This play has it all and this cast delivers.

Kanawha Players will present "Bright Ideas" at 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow night, and October 17 and 18 at their home on the corner of Washington and Beauregard Streets in Charleston.