It's rough not to be charmed by "John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean," a whimsical trip to the depths of the sea, where three fish discover the true value of their friendship. With a fleet, pre-kindergarten-pleasing book by Tartaglia and a catchy score by William Wade that evokes the Sherman Brothers' work for Disney, the show unfolds underneath a cloak of black light, making the Puppet Kitchen's ingenious day-glo puppet creations seem to float within an inky ocean. Thanks to the work of a crack team of eight puppeteers and Donna Drake's generally meticulous direction, the illusion of seeing sea creatures "perform" within their natural habit is almost always complete.
The story is simple enough that even the youngest audience members can grasp it. Three fish—the butch Tank, the neurotic Dorsel, and their spunky girl pal Bubbles—are enjoying a sand day off from school when they discover a treasure map. If they follow it and collect three medals, they'll receive the riches. They swim off, and along the way they meet a group of jiving jellyfish, who perform a swing tune and some aerial choreography that would make Busby Berkeley proud; a nerdy octopus; and a punctilious seahorse.
Kids eat up the tale and comic characters, sitting rapt as the show merrily unfolds. And while their guardians may wish that Tartaglia had put some spice in his whimsical story, they, too, will find themselves swept along with the proceedings. Tartaglia, along with Drake, Michael Shawn Lewis, Meledi Montano, and Cathlene Grant, provide the prerecorded voice tracks for the action, and though the taped vocals and music give the show a distant canned feel at times, the cleverness of the staging—which also includes some pretty cool glow-in-the-dark bubbles—inevitably overrides any quibbles that may arise for grownups.
Presented by Philip Katz, Michael Shawn Lewis, and John Tartaglia at New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., NYC. Opened March 31 for an open run. Wed., 11 a.m., 2 and 7 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.; Sun., noon. (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250, or www.telecharge.com. Casting by Melanie Lockyer Casting.