Elephant & Piggie characters make way to Lutcher stage

The Lutcher Theater presents a Kennedy Center commission, based on the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems, Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play! This Lutcher Incredible Kids Event is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 5, for two performances at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and are available by calling 886-5535. Group specials are also available.

Elephant Gerald is an elephant: lumbering, formally attired, prone to melancholy. Piggie is (what else!) a piggie: perky, smiley, full of fun. Total opposites? No way! In Mo Willems' beloved, award-winning, best-selling children's books, Elephant Gerald and Piggie are best friends!

And in We Are in a Play!, a brand-new vaudevillian romp of a musical, Elephant Gerald and Piggie sing and dance their way through plenty of pachydermal peril and swiney suspense--facing fundamental questions like, what do you wear to a fancy pool costume party? Should you share your ice cream? And how can two friends play with one toy? Backed by nutty back-up singers The Squirrelles, our duo even gets the audience involved in the action.

Young patrons can expect a musical experience ripped from the pages of their favorite books. They’ll be doing the "Flippy Floppy Floory" dance all night long! This show is recommended for age 4 and up.

Script and lyrics were written by Mo Willems, with music written by Deborah Wicks La Puma. The production was directed by Jerry Whiddon and choreographed by Jessica Hartman.

Since 1992, Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour has been a leader in bringing imaginative and original works to communities around the nation. The tours begin with a fully mounted production and engagement at the Kennedy Center for Washington, DC metropolitan area audiences. Prior to the touring season, the shows are re-worked specifically for the road, complete with performing company and production staff. Many works are specifically commissioned by the Kennedy Center and affiliates in order to contribute to the development of new plays and musicals for young audiences.

This company was seen recently at the Lutcher Theater in Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical based on the Caldecott Honor-winning picture book Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems.

Lutcher Incredible Kids Events is sponsored by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, the Service League of Orange, the Lutcher Theater Service Guild and by Gopher Industrial.

The Frances Ann Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts is located at 707 Main, Orange.