MAGICAL EVENTS MAKE BOREDOM VANISH.

Byline: Luanne J. Hunt Correspondent

There's magic in the air when it comes to family entertainment.

Three Southland venues are offering a diverse lineup of shows that promise to enchant and amaze children and their parents.

Today, the Carpenter Center will present ``The Magic School Bus Live!'' Disney on Ice's ``Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey'' hits the Arrowhead Pond Wednesday through March 20. And ``Harry Anderson's World of Magic'' takes place Friday through March 20 at Cerritos Center.

Energetic and fun describe ``Harry Anderson's World of Magic.'' Anderson, who is best known for his role as Judge Harry Stone on the NBC sitcom ``Night Court,'' brings his unconventional brand of magic to the stage. The show also features comedian Jay Johnson, mime artist Tina Lenert and magician Mike Caveney.

``Everybody in the show is a former member of the Left-Handed League,'' said Anderson, who lives in New Orleans. ``The group was around back in the 1980s. We were this little group of bandits who didn't belong to the Magic Castle or any other legit magic club. We still get together every year and do shows like the one at Cerritos.''

Anderson, who starred on ``Night Court'' from 1984 to 1992, dreamed of being a magician long before he made a name for himself on the small screen. He learned his skills hanging out with street magicians while growing up in Chicago. In 1962, Anderson moved to Los Angeles and joined the magic club in his junior high school.

After graduating from North Hollywood High School in 1970, he began performing his tricks in Los Angeles-area nightclubs. He eventually was discovered by a talent agent, who helped him land his role on ``Night Court.''

``I much prefer magic to doing television,'' said Anderson, who starred as humorist Dave Barry on the sitcom ``Dave's World'' from 1993 to 1997. ``Magic is so spontaneous, and I really enjoy sharing it with people.

``But I by no means rank among the world's great magicians. I am, however, among the world's best-known magicians because of my exposure through TV.''

Anderson's sitcoms may have long been canceled, but he is still getting plenty of exposure. He and his wife, Elizabeth, own a magic shop in New Orleans called ``Sideshow.'' Harry says working at the shop not only keeps his skills honed, but reassures him he won't be doing a disappearing act any time soon.

``Even if I'm only playing to two or three people in the shop, it's completely satisfying for me,'' said Anderson. ``Some days I get to perform all day long and pass on that excitement. There's nothing like being in front of a live audience.''

The ice show ``Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey'' is all about kicking back and enjoying an afternoon or evening of Disney fun.

Choreographer Cindy Stuart has created a spirited voyage that will take audiences from the misty streets of London to the colorful Hawaiian coastline. The humor-filled, high-energy show features scenes from Disney's ``Peter Pan,'' ``Lilo and Stitch,'' ``101 Dalmatians'' and ``The Little Mermaid.''

Stuart, a former professional ice skater, choreographed ``Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey'' from a unique perspective. She said she looked at the ice as a canvas and put the routines together while looking down on it.

``I look at the ice surface that way and use it as my canvas,'' said Stuart, who has choreographed routines for skating champions Nancy Kerrigan and Katarina Witt. ``That way, I get more than a one-dimensional angle. The view from above is crucial.''

Once Stuart mapped out the song and dance numbers for the characters, she spent a great deal of time figuring out the precise number of performers for each routine. She said the best way to do that was on a spreadsheet. When she is dealing with precise movements that include dozens of dalmatian characters and foot-stomping pirates, the numbers dictate what kinds of patterns she is able to create.

Along with working out the logistics, Stuart strives to make the scenes as realistic as possible. For the dance-class segment in ``Lilo and Stitch,'' Cindy took hula lessons. In the opening scene in London where Mickey and his friends perform a 1930s English dance called ``The Lambeth Walk,'' she used authentic dance moves from that era.

``This show is fresh and appealing to the audience because it's new to them,'' said Stuart. ``It has a great balance of music, energy, fun and familiar faces.''

``The Magic School Bus Live!'' is a musical production based on the award-winning television program and best-selling book series ``The Magic School Bus.'' Like the books and TV show, the stage adaptation centers around the unique teaching methods of Ms. Frizzle, who takes her class on fascinating field trips.

Frizzle and her eager students explore the environment, hoping to glean greater understanding about the mysteries of science.

``Everybody would love a teacher like Ms. Frizzle,'' said Jack Descroches, producer of ``The Magic School Bus Live!'' ``Her motto is, 'Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.' She pushes kids to seek out the answers for themselves, and it's amazing how much they discover.''

In Descroches' production, Ms. Frizzle leads her class on two adventures, ``The Traveling Sound Show'' and ``Recycling.'' On the first, the magic school bus breaks down right beside the city dump. The kids must solve a variety of problems and find their solutions as they investigate the properties of sound.

In ``Recycling,'' the kids face a dirty dilemma when they stop to take a lunch break. As they are enjoying their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Ms. Frizzle informs them they are dining atop a newly proposed landfill. With the help of the audience, the students learn all there is to know about recycling and how the disposal of trash can preserve the Earth.

``Kids have grown up with the terms 'recycle, reduce and reuse,' '' said Descroches. ``But this lesson pushes them to rethink how it really helps the environment. It's a lesson even parents can be reminded of.''

HARRY ANDERSON'S WORLD OF MAGIC

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and March 19; 3 p.m. March 20.

Tickets: $20 to $40 Friday; $25 to $45 March 19 and 20. Call [phone] or [phone]; www.cerritoscenter.com.

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS MICKEY AND MINNIE'S MAGICAL JOURNEY

Where: Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, 2695 Katella Ave., Anaheim.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Friday; noon, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. March 19; noon and 3:30 p.m. March 20.

Tickets: $13 to $50 ($10 on Wednesday only). Call Ticketmaster, [phone], or go to www.ticketmaster.com or www.disneyonice.com.

THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS LIVE!

Where: Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach.

When: 2 and 5 p.m. today.

Tickets: $15. Call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Ms. Frizzle and friends will explore new adventures when ``The Magic School Bus Live'' rolls into Long Beach today.

(2 -- color) The Disney gang enjoys a hula on ice in ``Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey,'' playing at the Arrowhead Pond through March 20.