Lavender, William. The Invisible People. Anchorage Press, 2000. ISBN 0876024002. $50. 75 pp. Reviewer: Elizabeth Moss Reading Level: Primary Rating: Dependable Genre: Plays; Fantasy Plays; Fairy Tale Plays; Subject: Friendship--Juvenile drama; Imagination in children--Juvenile drama; Theme: The importance of friends Production Requirements: 2 sets needed, costumes as you will Acts: 2 Run Time: 60 min. Characters: 2 female, 6 male, Chorus Cast: children and/or adults Time Period: Contemporary Cindy is a little girl who has two imaginary friends. Her brother doesn’t believe in her imaginary friends. Cindy makes her way to the village of invisible people where she is kidnapped by a mean invisible general. Eventually she is freed and the general reforms, becoming a nice person. Cindy then realizes she is growing up and her invisible friends are no longer needed. The characters in this piece, particularly the invisible people, are what makes this show fascinating. They are funny and energetic and they drive the action of the play. The character of Cindy is good and consistent until she realizes she needs to grow up. The change is very sudden and rushed. I was slightly confused as I tried to determine the purpose of the play. The purpose is not the need to give up invisible people, because the invisible people are too much fun. Nor is it about the need to create invisible people because Cindy grows out of them. The basic theme is one of friendship and the need for friends, but it is not very specific. The play moves between Cindy’s real world and the village of the invisible people, so two sets are needed that can be changed quickly. Some of the song numbers are weak and superfluous. However, the characters are fun enough to make this play worth producing.
