Never underestimate the power of music, especially combined with nostalgia. If you

Published 7:00 am Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Never underestimate the power of music, especially combined with nostalgia. If you don’t understand how anyone could get misty-eyed over the lyrics “Three times six is 18, three times five is 15, three times four is twelve and three times three is nine and three times two is six,” then you’re not of the generation that grew up with Schoolhouse Rock, and you won’t be taking these catchy tunes to the grave like we will. These educational musical cartoon shorts aired on ABC in the 70s and 80s, starting with “Multiplication Rock” and moving on to cover science, grammar, American history, and economics. Kids from the ArtsWest Musical Theater Adventures Camp—none of whom could be old enough to have seen these first-hand—present a revue of live production numbers recreating the best of them, from the smoky shuffle of “Conjunction Junction” (which Winona Ryder and friends reminisced over in Reality Bites) to “I’m Just a Bill,” which in three minutes probably clarified the workings of Congress more indelibly for more people than a year of Civics class. You’re singing along just by reading those titles, aren’t you? Aug. 22-26, 7:30 p.m.