'Madagascar Jr.' to delight audiences next four nights at Little Theatre
The colony of penguins that took over the boat didn't concern Cindy Light as much as it did the lion, the zebra, the hippo and the giraffe.
That's because the larger animals were tossed to and fro as the birds steered the ship away from New York's Central Park Zoo during their escape.
Light, the show's director, was watching the spectacle safely from the audience, laughing as her cast hit their lines perfectly.
"Madagascar Jr., The Musical," will be performed Thursday through Sunday at the Bucyrus Little Theatre.
Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for students. They can be purchased online at bucyruslittletheatre.com. A processing fee will be added.
Shows begin 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, then 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Performances run about 90 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.
Junior musical a new experience for some
The junior show has been cast and crewed by 32 youngsters ages 7 to 17. Nearly a dozen parents have helped along the way.
"There's a lot going on," Light said. "Most of the show, all of them are on stage."
The musical is a comedy that closely follows the plot of the DreamWorks motion picture "Madagascar."
Only two of the production's members live outside of Crawford County.
"We actually had auditions for this in April when the kids were still in school," Light said. "That allowed for people to go on vacation all summer."
Some of the families missed a handful of rehearsals throughout the spring and summer, but the extended rehearsal period helped the show go on successfully.
"It was long in days, but I think it helped everybody be able to be involved," Light said.
The real test came in recent days when the students put on their costumes and stepped onto the stage with lights and microphones and ran the show from the top.
The start of tech week was a little shaky, as was expected — many of the kids were on a real stage for the first time in their lives.
"Tonight they're doing so much better," Light said two nights before the show opened. "It just takes a couple nights with costumes and lights and everything, and then they step up."
Students enjoy their characters
Two of the show's stars are Wynford students: Samantha Dornbirer, 15, and Jack Gatchel, 17.
Of the two, Dornbirer is the longest tenured at Bucyrus Little Theatre. This weekend's musical will be her fifth show at the venue. She's been in seven other performances at school.
Her role in "Madagascar Jr." is that of Gloria the Hippo.
"Gloria is a very sassy, large hippo," Dornbirer explained. "I am considered to be the third largest land animal on Earth. I am very confident with how large I am, and I tend to show it off."
Although Gloria might be sarcastic, she also sympathizes with all of her fellow creatures. She's very maternal.
One of her cohorts during the escape from the zoo is Melman the Giraffe, portrayed by Gatchel. It's his debut show at the Little Theatre, and his third overall.
He described his character as being "a bit of a hypochondriac."
"He always thinks he's coming down with a new sickness, which is why you see him coughing and sneezing and grasping at his stomach," Gatchel explained.
The entire idea of leaving the zoo and heading out into the wild is entirely against Melman's personality.
"He's always the one to say we should turn around and get out of this situation," Gatchel said. "But he can break character a few times and take a leadership role every now and then."
He's is excited for the curtains to open for the first time Thursday evening.
"I like the experience a lot," Gatchel said. "It's different from other plays I've been in."
ztuggle@gannett.com
419-564-3508
Twitter: @zachtuggle
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: 'Madagascar Jr.' to delight audiences next 4 nights at Little Theatre
