After beginning performances October 20, Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation opened at the Hundred Acre Woods Theatre on Theatre Row November 4. The new stage production features the iconic Disney characters, created by A. A. Milne, in a new story with music by the Sherman Brothers.
The show is developed and presented by Jonathan Rockefeller, whose company Rockefeller Productions created the family-friendly puppet shows The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Paddington Gets in a Jam. Like other Rockefeller shows, Winnie the Pooh features life-size puppets of the cartoon’s beloved characters.
The Sherman Brothers—Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman—are the Oscar- and Grammy-winning songwriting duo behind many Disney classics including Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and The Aristocrats. They wrote the music for the original Winnie the Pooh featurettes that made up the 1977 musical film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The new musical stage production includes familiar tunes such as "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" and "A Rather Blustery Day."
The cast features Jake Bazel as Pooh; Chris Palmieri as Tigger; Kirsty Moon as Piglet/Roo; Emmanuel Elpenord as Eeyore, Rabbit, and Owl; and Kristina Dizon as Kanga/Owl.
The production also has original music and orchestrations by Nate Edmonson, costume design by Lindsay McWilliams, lighting design by Jamie Roderick, and scenic design by David Goldstein, Matthew Herman, and Johnny Figueredo. Lead puppet builders are Matthew Lish and Ben Durocher.
