Editor's Note: This is a second installment of The Mom Review, a summerlong series of reviews of family-friendly theater, dance, art exhibits, etc., by iBerkshires Community Editor Rebecca Dravis and her 8-year-old daughter, Noelle, who hope to give you some ideas for summer family fun.

I've never seen two-dozen young children sit so quietly for 45 minutes.

That's one takeaway from the magical show "Bleu!" that Noelle and I went to see at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, where it is playing for this weekend only.

"Bleu!" is presented by the Italian theater company Compagnia TPO, whose website bills itself as "interactive theater for children." At the opening show on Wednesday, July 2, it was indeed theater in that it clearly told a story. But unlike the theatrical stories most children are used to hearing, this one was told through music and movement, not words.

"Bleu!" narrates the meeting of two characters: a sailor and a magical and mysterious being who is a sea nymph. From the company's website: "It all starts when "She" drops a pearl into the sea so that "He" can find it. The sailor will have to undertake an adventurous journey, plowing the sea waters and diving to the lowest abysses, transforming the story into an active discovery and search for knowledge."

But here's the cool part: The stage is a large "dance carpet" onto which images are projected. Noelle was familiar with the concept of the electronic, interactive dance floor from visiting a mall in New Jersey with a similar feature, but I have never seen one around the Berkshires. So she was eager to try this one out out — and she got her wish. For "Bleu!" is highly interactive, with the two dancers inviting children on stage in small groups throughout the show to interact with themselves and the floor.

And here's the even cooler part: With the exception of a few whispers between the dancers and the children — who ranged in age from around 4 or 5 to 8 or 9 years old — the children were able to figure it out. Intuitively, Noelle knew that when the star she was standing on started to move, she should chase it around. The children who rode in the "boat" seemed to know to line up and "ride" it around.

I'm not a child psychologist or a teacher, who may witness children's amazing fearlessness and intuition on a more regular basis. I'm just a mom who thought it was really neat that these kids participated in the show in a fun and meaningful way with little guidance from a grownup. I repeat: There was little guidance from a grownup. What a novel idea, in this helicopter-parenting age we live in!

From a technical perspective, the set was beautiful, the music lovely, the dancers talented. I was riveted for the entire 45 minutes, despite being soaked from dashing to the Doris Duke Theatre in a downpour and thunderstorm. Or maybe it was BECAUSE I was soaked: I felt right at home in the underwater setting. I bet adults and kids over the age of 4 or 5 will feel the same way, even on a sunny day.

Now for Noelle: The stage was really cool, the way you stepped on stuff and it moved. I liked how they beamed the light on the gauzy curtains on the stage and you could see shapes, like bubbles. The music really went with the show. I liked how the dancers were so flexible and rolled around. It was like rhythmic gymnastics. I would go see it again.

"Bleu!" continues Thursday and Friday, July 3 and 4, at 4:14 and 8:15 p.m.; Saturday, July 5, at 11:15 a.m. and 3:15 and 8:15 p.m.; and Sunday at 11:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. General admission tickets for adults are $28 with youth tickets $10. For more information, visit jacobspillow.org.

Welcome to The Mom Review!

Throughout the Berkshire summer season, my 8-year-old daughter Noelle and I will be attending family-friendly theater, dance, art exhibits, etc., and reporting back on what we think about them. I will write the bulk of the column and Noelle will wrap things up with her thoughts in her very own "Now for Noelle" section at the end. We hope this will help you decide what to do with YOUR kids this summer.

We kicked off our adventure Friday, June 13, with a bang ... and a disco ball! We went to see Mill City Productions' presentation of "Cinderella Goes Disco" in North Adams.

Mill City stages its shows in the Heritage State Park building next to the visitors center, near Freightyard Pub and the North Adams Museum of History and Science. I've seen a couple "grownup " shows there, but this is the first "kid" show I've seen with Noelle. 

I had a feeling she would like it when I read how interactive it would be, that kids would be invited on stage. Noelle's hand is always first in the air when audience volunteers are sought; within the last year she has done science experiments onstage during a live presentation at the Boston Museum of Science and sang and danced with Jack and Annie at a "Magic Treehouse" event at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.

Plus, even at 8, she has had this obsession with disco lately. I'm not sure where that came from.

"Cinderella Goes Disco" is written by Shubert Fendrich, and the Mill City performance is directed by Courtney Shapiro, who says in the program that "just because you are a grown-up doesn't mean you have to lose who you were as a kid, or lose what you love." That's very true, and while the show is very clearly geared toward young children - I would say ages 4 to 8 will enjoy it the most - there are plenty of moments that will make the adults chuckle.

Even the plot itself is amusing: The Fairy Godmother (called "Persephone" here), while trying to convince Cinderella to go to the big disco that evening, tells her about how her magic has worked well with two other princesses: Beauty from "Beauty and the Beast" and Aurora from "Sleeping Beauty." So it's like two fairy tales within a third fairy tale.

Now to the interactive part: From the very beginning, kids are invited to be part of the show. The two boys sitting in front row center were called up immediately to help Cinderella sweep and then again to portray lawyers who break the bad news to Beauty's mother that there is no inheritance. (You just have to see the show to understand; I'm not going to spoil every story line here!) Noelle and a couple of other children then jumped on stage to be guests at the Beast's ball, where he and Beauty very quickly fall in love. Noelle then volunteered again with another boy to play Sleeping Beauty's parents, the King and Queen, and the two did a very convincing job of falling asleep in their chairs when the spell was put on the kingdom. A group of children pretended to be the thorn wall which the Prince must cross to reach Sleeping Beauty, and then Noelle and most of the other kids were able to dance on stage during the disco ball scene. (Make sure you check out the video of that below!)

The actors seemed very well-prepared to deal with whatever the kids threw at them, taking the chance to hone their improvisational skills. But I will emphasize that the interactive part also works best with kids 4 and up: The younger ones aren't quite able to follow the directions, and while they are surely cute, it makes it a little more difficult to watch. But you know your kid best: If you have a 3-year-old who just loves the spotlight and listens well, send him on up!

Overall, the show was cute for younger kids, mildly amusing for adults, and a perfect length (45 minutes), especially for a 7 p.m. show. Older kids might be bored, so watch how you mix siblings at this one. The show plays again today, Saturday, June 14, at 2 and 7 p.m.; then Sunday, June 15, at 2 p.m., then next weekend at 7 p.m. Friday, June 20; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, June 21; and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 22. Tickets are only $5 for adults and $4 for kids.

Now for Noelle: I never saw that coming, how they put all three fairy tales in one fairy tale. I'm glad I just wasn't sitting through one big performance. I got to be part of the performance, which was really fun. I liked how the people in the play asked for your opinion, like "should we do this" or "should we go there." My favorite part was when I was the queen. That was really fun. I would go see it again!