Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that in these fractious times, some of the kids attending Sunday's performance of Peacemaker were not completely clear on the concept at the beginning of the show.

As the Blues battled the Reds in the form of puppets dressed in the respective colors, one little boy rooted for his favorite: "Go, Blue! Get 'em! Yeah!"

But as Theatre Britain's Texas premiere of David Holman's whimsical and touching fable unfolded, all the kids and adults eventually got on board with the message of peace. And by the show's end, they seemed genuinely excited by the possibility of friendship between two warring worlds.

Peacemaker gives us a narrator, Simp (Karyn Lush Wright) from the Land of Red, where everything is that color, from hankies to alarm clocks. Once people from the Land of Red befriended people from the Land of Blue. But that was before a fight between a Red and a Blue turned into a battle that caused the people of both lands to build a wall between them.

Now the graffiti on the Red side, where the play is set, reflects the fear and defiance that have curled up like thorns over the many years of no contact: "Red Is Right!" "Boo Blue!" "No Blues Is Good News!"

But despite the warnings of the Reds' officious Mr. Man (Gary Minyard), Simp, affectingly played by Ms. Wright, is less concerned about Blues than about learning how to juggle in time for a carnival. When Bluey (James Hoult) from the other side of the wall offers to teach her in exchange for dancing lessons from Simp's dancing friend, Franny (Dilhya Ross), she is tempted. Especially when he seems just as frightened of them as they are of him.

Under the deft direction of Theatre Britain's executive producer Sue Birch, the play strikes a light but involving tone as the actors intermittently look to the kids in the audience as if seeking guidance for what they should do next.

The set, designed by Claire Nelson, keeps things pleasingly simple with the Red world in front of the wall and a glimpse of the Land of Blue on the other side when Simp, Franny and Bluey knock out a few blocks so they can meet for a little while.

But one of the best effects is the most subtle. The kids sit on blue mats in front of the theater seats to watch the show, thus making them honorary members of the feared Land of Blue, getting a glimpse into the Land of Red.

Cool, too, are the handouts that encourage the kids to think about what they've seen. Those with a lot to say can even send their thoughts about what will happen next to Simp and Franny to Theatre Britain at P.O. Box 1395, Addison, TX 75001.