Review: Oodles of fun in 'Toy Tales' at Great American Playhouse

We love that.

A sampling: “What do you call a pig that does karate?” “Pork chop.”

And: “If you want more time, wear two watches.”

One more, this one from the GI Joe character: “I got kicked out of the Marines. They said I was rotten to the core.”

See? Bad.

GAP has let loose with this production, a take on the “Toy Story” movies.

Off-script quips, those jokes, deliciously silly looks and situations were abundant.

The highlights:

• The story is just plain silly. Rusty, our toy cowboy hero, is desperately afraid his human owner, who has a birthday approaching, is going to abandon him. Meanwhile, the toy kingdom — that is, the little boy’s bedroom — in which Rusty serves as sheriff is in a bit of a bind, courtesy of some bad guys who are intent on some heavy unethical behavior. Ah, but there is help in the form of Buck Universe, who is the new toy in town, and he comes with a cool spaceship (though the wing is broken) and an even cooler spacesuit. He decides to help rid the town of those rotten apples. Rusty is not too keen on the idea, and takes some convincing that Buck is a good guy.

• Randy McDonald takes on the role of Rusty, and is a stitch as this macho cowboy with a voice that keeps cracking — think a young boy entering adolescence.

• The other toys Rusty rules over include Bo Peep (Amy DeHaven, who gave the nursery rhyme character a flirtatious manner and a quick temper), who seems to have a mad crush on good ol’ Rusty; Jessie (a no-nonsense Jacqueline Williams), his trusty deputy who is just a tad weary of playing second fiddle to a guy, and GI Joe, who is wound up as tight as a toy soldier (a very funny Michael Claridge, who also took on the role of Bob the Builder).

• And then there’s Barbie. Jennifer Ackerley Lawrence was a complete hoot as the Barbie Doll. She had big eyes, a tiny waist, and an outfit for every occasion. There was cowgirl Barbie. Intergalactic Barbie. You get the idea. Lawrence’s Barbie was a bit empty headed, but her portrayal was never mean- spirited. And her character almost never lost the doll hands — straight, rigid, with fingers that looked to be stuck together. It was a kind of brilliant touch.

• The bad guys were led by Stinky Pete, given breath by Nick Seivert, who always seems to have a twinkle and a willingness to go off script for a good laugh. There were plenty of flatulence jokes (hence Pete’s name, we figure), and Seivert seemed to delight in the great bad taste of them. As did we.

• Of all the outlandish characters, this may be the ultimate one: One-eyed Bart, played by a very game Brian Paradis, is a Mr. Potato. With an eye patch, of course.

• Sean MacArthur, who wrote and directed the piece, donned the spacesuit for the cause. His Buck Universe was charming — it was easy to see why Rusty might be threatened by him.

Stay for the olio — the short music program after the play ends. This time around, it’s called “Rootin’ Tootin’ Hi-Falutin’ Country Western” olio.

There’s more bad jokes (“I’m addicted to line dancing; I’m in a two-step program”), and some beautiful voices singing such songs as “Mama Don’t Allow,” “Man of Constant Sorrow,” and, yes, even “Stand By Your Man.” OK, that last still makes us squirm.

The GAP cast has oodles of fun on stage. That means the audience has oodles of fun, as well.