On July 17th, The Knockturnal had the pleasure of attending Disney’s “Winnie-the-Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation.”
The play was held off Broadway at the Hundred Acres Theatre. The play took place in the Hundred Acre Woods, which featured a stone wall, a “cabige” patch, and a small bridge over a creek. A note on tree let the audience know that Christopher Robin had “Gone to School.”
All the most beloved characters from the stories appeared as life-sized puppets. There were Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, Rabbit, Owl, and Tigger, too! Created and directed by Jonathan Rockefeller, the show was inspired by the books of A. A. Milne and the classic Disney adaptations.
The story centered on Pooh’s quest for a “smackerel” of honey. His search led us through the four seasons. In Fall, Pooh together with Piglet and Eeyore followed a bee to its storehouse of honey in a tree. Yet just as Piglet reached the hole with the honey, a bluster came through and blew him away. Leaves fell into the crowd, and then it was winter.
Pooh and Piglet then set out to greet Miss Winter. With Owl’s questionable directions, they found a snow-woman whom they took to be none other than Miss Winter herself. She turned out to be rather cold towards them, but they brought her inside to warm her up. And so closed winter.
Spring brought out Tigger and Roo, who got in the way of Pooh and his honey by trampling Rabbit’s garden, over which Rabbit had asked Pooh to stand guard. Rabbit dropped his jar of honey when he saw what had been done to his garden, but Tigger showed him a new way of gardening that was “290 percent more fun.” What happens next you’ll have to see for yourself.
The play features an original score by Nate Edmondson and some songs from the Sherman Brothers, including “Winnie The Pooh,” “The Blustery Day,” “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers,” “Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce,” and A. A. Milne’s “The More It Snows.” It teaches lessons about friendship, loyalty, acceptance, and teamwork. We highly recommend it.
The show will embark on a national tour this Fall. Shows will begin in Irving, Texas and crisscross the United States through May 7th, 2023. This is a wonderful show for grown ups and kids alike. Be sure to get your tickets. Don’t miss it!
