Category Archives: Family-Friendly

Photo by Tony Arrasmith/Arrasmith & Associates.

Audiences will love the wildly entertaining show based on the children’s book playing April 5 through May 19

CINCINNATI – From shopping to baking to jumping on the bed, these five little monkey siblings are getting into some trouble! This spring, Playhouse presents its final Off the Hill touring show with Ernie Nolan’s adaptation of Eileen Chistelow’s children’s book series, FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS. Brought to life through the Bruce E. Doyle Acting Intern company, this zany production will travel to community centers throughout the Greater Cincinnati area from April 5 through May 19.

When Christelow was taught an old nursery rhyme that her daughter learned in preschool — “Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped her head” — she thought that it would create a nice picture book. Twelve years later, after becoming an author and illustrator, she revisited the idea for a new project. With the remarkable success of Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Christelow expanded the story into a best-selling children’s book series where the treasured monkey siblings get into all kinds of mischief.

Audiences will love tagging along for the wild adventures of this adorable monkey family, including the stories: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake, Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree, and Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping.

Nolan’s script integrates plot lines from four of the ten monkey books while also preserving its witty cumulative verse. From baking cakes to sitting in trees, or going shopping and jumping on beds, Nolan gives distinct personality traits to each monkey sibling which only heightens the hilarity of their ongoing mishaps.

Under the direction of Brian Robinson, the Playhouse’s production of FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS brings the storybook to life with a whimsical set by Playhouse Scenic Artist Kenton Brett and a frenetic soundscape by Sound Designer Trey Tatum. Audiences will love the technical magic of an exploding birthday cake and snapping jaws of a crocodile. Brett designed the oven with a trick door that allows a cake to go in, and then with a simple flick, the stove bursts open to reveal an exploded cake inside.

“Thematically, FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS celebrates the innocence and discovery in the wonders of childhood,” explains Playhouse Director of Education and Community Engagement Daunielle Rasmussen. “The monkeys have a curiosity and an excitement for learning. While it gets the monkeys into trouble, there is an earnestness and beauty to their childlike spirit.”

FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS is recommended for children ages 3 and up and runs approximately 50 to 60 minutes. The Playhouse’s production will journey all over greater Cincinnati, from Oxford to Cheviot to Union to Covington and many places in between.

Click here for ticket information and Off the Hill locations.

FIVE LITTLE MONKEYS is the last production in the 2018 – 2019 Off the Hill series. Support of Off the Hill touring plays is provided The John C. Griswold Foundation and KeyBank. Seasonal support of education and outreach by The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation. The Bruce E. Coyle Acting Intern Company is supported by Jerry and Betsy Shroat.

The Playhouse is supported by the generosity of almost 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Playhouse with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Playhouse also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation.

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