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Think of him as a pint-size Sam Spade.

"The Adventures of Nate the Great," which opened Friday at the Rose, centers on a kid who likes to solve mysteries and find missing things.

He'd prefer to look for diamonds or pearls or a missing million dollars. Instead he finds himself tracking down a missing picture of a dog drawn by a friend, a missing change box lost by another friend and a missing prize for a smartest-dog contest.

Based on the children's books by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, "The Adventures of Nate the Great" was adapted for the stage by Pamela Sterling. Its key to audience involvement is getting the kids in the audience focused on the clues that will solve the mystery.

Director James Larson helps the kids focus on Nate's key "Aha!" moments by using lighting effects and recorded music as a "clue" to pay attention.

A Thursday preview audience from nearby Liberty Elementary was definitely keyed into the first mystery, the missing painting, which also had a lesson about primary and secondary colors.

But by the third mystery, which took the longest to solve, you could feel and hear a case of rustling restlessness here and there.

That might be an indication this show is better for kids in fourth grade or below than for older students. Or it might be a matter of pacing slowed by transitions in which scenery turned or moved on and off while the main characters marked time down front.

But it clearly wasn't a big issue. The show received a nice round of applause at curtain call, and the restlessness never got past that low rustle.

Mark Parrott's colorful scenic design features three tall, fancily framed home doorways mounted atop short flights of stairs. They rotate to form backdrops for other locations.

Andy Saladino makes a likable Nate, and the kids giggled at his love for pancakes and nervousness about barking dogs. Sara Kaus is Nate's energetic assistant, Kate. Kate Morgan, Amanda Waldron and Lauren Krupski play Nate's main clients with plenty of personality.

The rest of the 12-member cast portrays an entertaining array of neighborhood characters: Andrew McGreevy as a 4-year-old who likes to paint, Aaron Mann and Joshua Mullady as a couple of dogs, Brian Guehring as a kid with a pet rat, plus Tim Siragusa, David Ebke and Amanda Kibler as other kids.

The show runs about an hour without intermission.

Contact the writer:

402-444-1269, bob.fischbach@owh.com