Cincinnati – The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati already announced Disney Channel’s smash hit movie musical, Disney’s Descendants, is coming to life on stage as the opening title of its 101st season at the Taft Theatre.
Now, the nation’s oldest professional theatre for young audiences is announcing three additional shows that will wow young and old alike in 20-21! From the chronicles of everyone’s favorite Christmas elf, and the tale (tail?) of a doctor that can talk to animals, to the enchanted story of an unlikely human/amphibian pair, this TCT season has something for everyone.
TCT’s Producing Artistic Director, Roderick Justice, says: “Season 101 is full of adventure! We hope everyone will join the fun as we take audiences on an exciting expedition with Dr. Dolittle to have a chat with the rarest of creatures in the animal kingdom, a heart-warming journey with Buddy the Elf to locate his family and find his purpose, an aquatic voyage to transform an enchanted frog back to his true form, and an epic quest to discover if descendants of the most infamous Disney villains are inherently evil or if they have the power to shed their evil stigma. Packed with spectacular entertainment and valuable moral lessons, the stories told in TCT’s 101st season are not to be missed.”
TCT’s 2020-2021 MainStage Season at the Taft Theatre:
- Disney’s Descendants: October 10-19, 2020
- ELF THE MUSICAL JR.: December 5-December 14, 2020
- DOCTOR DOLITTLE JR.: February 13-Feb. 22, 2021
- PRINCESS & FROG: April 17-April 26, 2021
Disney’s Descendants:
Public Performances: October 10-11, 16-18, 2020
Ideal for ages 4+
Directed by Roderick Justice
Choreographed by Brandon Kelly
About the Show:
It is present-day, and in the kingdom of Auradon, all of Disney’s beloved heroes and royalty are living happily ever after, safe from the terrifying villains and troublesome sidekicks they have banished to the magic-free Isle of the Lost. That is until Ben, the benevolent teenage son of Belle and King Adam (The Beast), offers a chance of redemption for the troublemaking offspring of the evilest villains. Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos – the children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil, and Jafar – are welcomed to Auradon Prep to attend school with the children of their parents’ sworn enemies. Now entering a completely foreign world and way of life, the four Villain Kids have a difficult choice to make: should they follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn to be good?
Credits:
Book by Nick Blaemire; Songs by Johan Alkenas, Adam Anders, Aristeidis Archontis, Antonina Armato, Howard Ashman, Par Astrom, Stephen Mark Conley, Doug Davis, Charity Daw, Andrew C. Dodd, Josh Edmondson, Pipo Fernandez, Nikki Hassman, Samuel Hollander, Ben Hosteler, Hannah Jones, Jack Kugell, Craig Lashley, Andrew Lippa, Jeannie Lurie, Alan Menken, Grant Phillip Michaels, Anthony Mirabella, Shayna Mordue, Chen Neeman, Susan Paroff, Shelly M. Peiken, Joacim Persson, James K. Petrie, Timothy James Price, Adam Schlesinger, Adam Schmalholz, Tyler Shamy, Jodie Shihadeh, Nikki Ann Sorrentino, Thomas Armato Sturges, Ali Dee Theodore, Matthew Wong, David Zippel. Music Adaptation by Madeline Smith. Vocal and Incidental Arrangements by Madeline Smith. Additional Lyrics by Nick Blaemire. Orchestrations by Matthew Tishler. Music Produced by Matthew Tishler.
ELF THE MUSICAL JR.
Public Performances: December 5-6, 11-13, 2020
Ideal for ages 4+
Directed by Roderick Justice
Choreographed by Eric Byrd
About the Show:
Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Credits:
Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin. Music by Matthew Sklar. Lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Based upon the New Line Cinema film written by David Berenbaum. Originally produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures In Association with Unique Features.
DOCTOR DOLITTLE JR.
Public Performances: February 13-14, 19-21, 2021
Ideal for ages 4+
Directed and Choreographed by Eric Byrd
About the Show:
This classic tale of kindness to animals is based on the fantastical 1967 movie musical of the same name. Meet the wacky, but kind, doctor who can talk to animals, taking the audience on a journey from the small English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh to the far corners of the world. When Doctor Dolittle attempts to help a seal named Sophie, he’s wrongly accused of murder and stands trial before General Bellowes. Once pronounced innocent, Dolittle is free to continue with his search for the Great Pink Sea Snail — the oldest and wisest of the creatures on earth.
Credits:
Book, Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. Based on the Doctor Dolittle stories by Hugh Lofting and The Twentieth Century Fox film. Dr. Dolittle originally produced in the United States by the Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh, PA, Van Kaplan, Executive Producer.
PRINCESS & FROG
Public Performances: April 17-18, 23-25, 2021
Ideal for ages 4+
Directed by Roderick Justice
Choreographed by Maddie Burgoon
About the Show:
When a beautiful, but spoiled, princess throws her new golden ball down the palace garden well, she encounters an enchanted prince-turned frog, whose only hope at breaking his curse and turning back into a human is to be invited for dinner. Oh… and to be kissed on the nose by a princess. But, this frog prince isn’t the only one under an enchanted curse. With the help of his amphibi-friends, the two form an unlikely bond by teaching each other the importance of self-discovery, friendship, and standing up to bad influence. This fresh new musical adaptation will have you croaking the showtunes all the way home!
Credits:
Book and Lyrics by Debra Clinton. Music by Jason Marks. Based on The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm and adapted from the musical Croaker, this world- premiere adaption by Roderick Justice was commissioned and produced by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati.
Season Subscriptions & Flex Pass Packages
Subscriptions to the TCT 20-21 MainStage Season are available now at www.thechildrenstheatre.com.
For the first time, TCT is offering traditional subscriptions and flex pass packages.
- Traditional Subscriptions — Guaranteed seats, same seats, same time for every show. Ticket exchanges. Free parking – BEST DEAL!
- NEW Flex Pass Package(s) of 6 vouchers to be redeemed at any performance.
Prices range from $43 for all four shows in Balcony Price Level 5, to $123 for all four shows in Orchestra Price Level 1, to $150 for a Flex Pass Package. Please note: Becoming a Traditional Subscriber is the only way to guarantee seats to Disney’s Descendants.
Subscriptions and Flex Pass Packages are on sale now at https://thechildrenstheatre.com/subscribe/
Single tickets for all shows will go on sale on August 24, 2020.
A. James Jones as Buddy the Elf in TCT’s 2016 production of ELF THE MUSICAL JR. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
Showtimes Are Changing in 20-21
To better accommodate our little patrons, TCT has adjusted its MainStage weekend showtimes. TCT will now host 11 AM shows on both Saturdays! The 5 PM showtimes will be discontinued and Friday 7:30 PM show will be moving up to 7 PM. (This does not affect showtimes for the rest of the 2019-2020 season.)
ALS interpretation and audio description will be offered on the first Saturday at 2 PM performances of all productions. Sensory-Friendly performances will be held on Wednesdays at 1 PM during the runs of DISNEY’S DESCENDANTS, DOCTOR DOLITTLE JR. and PRINCESS & FROG
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is supported by ArtsWave and the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans
TCT EXTRAS:
The following productions are part of TCT’s 20/21 Touring Division. To bring the magic of live theatre to your school, community center, church, office, library, or other venue please visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com to book our touring productions.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Directed by Deondra Kamau Means
Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale
Directed by Eric Byrd
Bah-Humbug! A One-Man Christmas Carol
Directed by A. James Jones
Nutcracker Rocks!
Directed by A. James Jones
Me…Jane: The Dreams & Adventure of Young Jane Goodall
Directed by Maddie Burgoon
Jaqueline and the Beanstalk
Directed by Scott Hunt
Martin’s Dream
Directed by Dr. Daryl Harris
Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots
Directed by Roderick Justice
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As the novel coronavirus COVID-19 begins to have an increased impact on our nation’s communities, we feel it’s important to connect with you directly and let you know the safety and security of our audiences, performers, and staff is our highest priority. We are following the lead of our city, state, and federal elected officials as we implement strategies recommended by public health authorities and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for our organization.
A note from your Know Theatre family:
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