Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and friends are hitting the road. VeggieTales has announced a 50-city tour of the entertaining and inspirational characters.
Beginning Sept. 4 in Austin, Texas, the new 80-minute stage show — featuring “singing, dancing and a whole lot of silliness” — will go coast-to-coast from Los Angeles to Boston and north-to-south from Minneapolis to Orlando.
However, the VeggieTales God Made You Special, Live! Tour does not enter Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina or Virginia. Perhaps a future Atlantic seaboard tour is planned. But one has to be curious.
The “spectacular singing and dancing” performance that is “perfect for kids of all ages” gets close to Georgia — reaching the border town of Chattanooga, Tenn., on Oct. 2 and then in Montgomery, Ala. on Oct. 5.
But why bypass Georgia? Are the Tomato and the Cucumber offended that Georgia was called the “peach state” instead of being named after one of them? Is it our love of BLTs that creates such fear?
South Carolina is the real peach state, producing more of the fruit than their neighbors to the west. Maybe Bob and Larry know that. And a fuzzy peach was the villain in Larry’s hairbrush song.
It could be an identity issue. Bob and Larry may front the VeggieTales crowd but — like the peach — have seeds that qualify them as fruits as well. (Nothing personal intended.)
And it was while living in Durham, N.C., long ago that I acquired a taste for cucumber and mayo sandwiches. Maybe others in the Tar Heel state share that appetite.
Whatever the reasons, the VeggieTales are taking their roadshow elsewhere. But many children (and their parents) will be able to enjoy some very creative entertainment. According to the press release, tickets range from $12 to $25 for the shows “coming to a church or theater near you!” Well, near some of “you.”
“This show is really, really cool,” said featured performer Larry the Cucumber, according to the release. “We’ve got bubbles, smoke machines, disco balls, awesome lights, interactive video screens, confetti cannons, and bubbles! Bob and I along with all of our Veggie friends come out on stage and give the kids our best show ever!” Did I mention the bubbles?”
For a tour schedule and additional information on VeggieTales, visit this site.
Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and former executive editor and publisher at Good Faith Media.
