Three new summer events have been announced to enhance the theatre-going experience at Disney's Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation. The family-friendly entertainment, now running at the Hundred Acre Theatre at Theatre Row through July 24, will offer a sensory-friendly performance, nostalgia nights, and themed treats with dessert partners throughout the city.
The sensory-friendly performance is set for July 20 at 11 AM and will include lowered audio and raised house lighting. Fidgets and designated relaxation spaces will be available and no shushing is allowed. Older Pooh friends can enjoy specialty cocktails, puppeteer talkbacks, and free swag on Nostalgia Nights, running the remaining three Saturday nights: July 9, 16, and 23 at 7 PM. Finally, audiences can embark on their own pre- or post-show Hunny Hunt with special Pooh-inspired desserts at sweet shops throughout New York City. Check those out here.
Created and directed by Jonathan Rockefeller, and inspired by the books by A. A. Milne and their Disney animated adaptations, the family-friendly show brings together Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Owl (and Tigger, too!). The show features life-size puppets controlled and voiced by a cast including Jake Bazel, Will Rupert, Sebastiano Ricci, Josh Bernaski, Emmanuel Elpenord, Emilie Rose Danno, Tina-Kim Nguyen, and Vicki Oceguera.
Accompanying the modern narrative is an original score from Nate Edmondson, which features some of the songs written for the animated feature by The Sherman Brothers, including "Winnie the Pooh," "The Blustery Day," "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers," "Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce," and Milne's "The More It Snows."
The production also has a set design co-designed by Jack Golden and Joshua Warner, lighting design by Jamie Roderick, costume design by Lindsay McWilliams, original music and orchestrations by Edmondson, and puppets built by Rockefeller Productions (lead builder Matthew Lish).
Following the Off-Broadway summer run, the show will set out on a 9-month U.S. tour, kicking off in Irving, Texas, September 16.
For more information on the Off-Broadway run, visit WinnieThePoohShow.com.
