Mickey Mouse throwing a music party for friends

How cool would a show that features the casts of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," "Little Einsteins," "Handy Manny" and "My Friends Tigger & Pooh" be to a preschooler?

Roughly as cool as a show that features Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, Prince and, maybe, Madonna, would have been for a preschooler's mom and dad.

And it's why when "Playhouse Disney Live!" arrives in Las Vegas this weekend for four shows at the Orleans Arena, the audience is likely to be packed with excited kids who'd happily wave lighters around in tribute if they were old enough to play with matches.

The live-action "Playhouse Disney Live!" features characters from four popular shows from the Disney Channel's preschool programming block. Combining four individual shows into one is "a challenge," admits Alana Feld, the show's producer, but "what's also great is we had an opportunity to create an original story with these four shows."

The plot: Mickey Mouse is throwing a music party and invites characters from the other shows to attend, asking each to bring along a piece of favorite music. The show then follows the groups as they travel the world, searching for the perfect songs.

"I think what's really important and so great for the audience is that the show is so interactive," Feld says. "Throughout the entire show, the audience is out there helping to make the music and helping characters find something or getting up to dance. So the kids are constantly engaged, as are the parents."

Feld knows something about entertaining kids. She's the daughter of Kenneth Feld and grew up in the family business, Feld Entertainment Inc., which produces "Disney on Ice" and a roster of other Disney shows, as well as such venerable attractions as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

For many of the kids in the audience, "Playhouse Disney Live!" will be their first experience at a live show. So, Feld says, "it's really about making sure they're engaged."

Feld believes that, even in a world of high-tech entertainment, kids still can be enthralled by a live show.

"I don't care how much TV you watch. You can watch all the video in the world," she says. "There's nothing like seeing your favorite Disney characters live, in person, right in front of you."

As the show's producer, she continues, "there's nothing like walking into an arena or a theater and seeing their smiles, just the sheer joy and excitement a child has when they see those characters in person."

And, Feld notes, "we make parents heroes, because their kids are so thankful. We make parents look good."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.