And the Tree Was Happy

Where the Sidewalk Ends is not for kids: The production by Boxcar Theatre, adapted for the stage by founding member Sarah Savage, is billed as a “contemporary retelling” of Shel Silverstein classics for adults who read them as children. The plot centers on the lifetime of a character named Shel, who wanders the world, searching for meaning and witnessing wondrous things — the structure is based on the holiest of holies, The Giving Tree, and the too-caring Tree is featured prominently in the show. Maybe we’ll get some answers, because The Giving Tree could certainly use some. Namely: What did the boy do in the city when he sold Tree’s apples? Did he see a prostitute? Where did he go on that boat, anyway? And what did he do with his wife and kids?

Related Content

• Where the Sidewalk Ends
  March 11, 2009
• Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips: Show Preview
  November 10, 2010
• Also Playing
  March 25, 2009
• Also Playing
  March 18, 2009
• New Spike Jonze Short Features Girls Song
  March 16, 2010

More About

• Shel Silverstein
• Sarah Savage

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Sidewalk’s staging, too, looks to be eye-opening, as almost everything — from the stage to the trash pile of beloved Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout (who would not take the garbage out) — is white, outlined in black, like Silverstein’s drawings. Puppets are used, bellbottoms are worn (Shel is of the 1970s), and Tree’s branch-arms drift over the stage.
Thursdays-Saturdays. Starts: Feb. 26. Continues through March 27, 2009