Studio East and StoryBook Theater have announced three new shows for this spring in Kirkland. The youngest audiences, and their parents, can see StoryBook Theater’s 55-minute version of A Little Mermaid. For older audiences Studio East presents Avenue Q School Edition, the unique part-puppet, part-human musical. And finally, the entire family can view the world premiere of Wonderland! – a new musical version of the classic story, Alice in Wonderland.
A Little Mermaid
Life underwater isn’t easy for Sirena, a little mermaid who dreams of running and dancing. In this StoryBook version of Anderson’s classic, the audience decides whether Sirena should keep her legs or high-tail it back to sea. The show includes elaborate costumes, a silly two-headed sea slug and enchanting mermaids.
Tickets to A Little Mermaid are $15 (including service fees) and can be purchased at kpcenter.org or (425)893-9900. The local, professional cast will perform at the Kirkland Performance Center at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 29, and at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on April 30, May 6 and 7. Single tickets for Kirkland shows are only available from KPCenter.org. May 7 performances are ASL interpreted for the deaf.
Avenue Q School Edition
Avenue Q School Edition is the winner of the Tony “Triple Crown” for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. This puppet–filled comedy tells the tale of Princeton, a recent college grad, who moves into a shabby New York apartment way out on Avenue Q. Together, Princeton and his new friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their purpose in the big city.
“I couldn’t be more proud of all those involved in this light-hearted, in-your-face, morality puppet show that resonates so loudly in the times we all find ourselves; even though the show is close to 15 years old now,” said director Chris Mayse.
The show is recommended for ages 12 and up and has a running time of approximately two hours with an intermission. Adult tickets are $19, while students and seniors are $17. All performances are at the Studio East Mainstage Theater located at 11730 118th Ave NE in Kirkland. Shows beginning at 2:30 p.m. include the dates March 18-19 and 25-26; while 7:30 p.m. shows run March 17-19 and 24-26.
Wondrland!
Director Samuel Jarius Pettit and musical director Justin Beal have adapted the well-known story of Alice in Wonderland into a modern fairytale suited to children and young adults in this time period.
In this Studio East original, Alice finds herself trapped in a crazy video game called Wonderland. In order to escape she must complete all the levels and defeat the Red Queen. But can she get past the hardest obstacle of all… her own self-doubt?
This adaptation reimagines classic characters like the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and Caterpillar, while also riffing on well-known video games such as “Super Mario Bros.”, “The Legend of Zelda,” “Dance Dance Revolution” and more.
The show is recommended for ages 8 and up and has a running time of approximately two hours with an intermission. Adult tickets are $19, while students and seniors are $17. All performances are at the Studio East Mainstage Theater located at 11730 118th Ave NE in Kirkland.
Shows beginning at 2:30 p.m. include the dates May 20-21, 27-28 and June 3-4; while 7:30 p.m. shows run May 19-20, 26-27 and June 2-3.
