Cat and Mousekewitz? 'An American Tail' musical premieres at CTC

Get ready for some adventures with cats and Mousekewitz at Children's Theatre Company.

CTC has tapped top theater talent for its world premiere of "An American Tail the Musical," an adaptation of Universal Pictures' 1986 animated feature. Tony winner Itamar Moses ("The Band's Visit") is writing the book and contributing lyrics to the songwriting team of Michael Mahler and Alan Schmuckler, whose "Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Musical" also premiered at the Minneapolis theater.

"Tail," which opens Saturday, follows Fievel Mousekewitz and his family as they flee an army of cats to escape Russia by boat for freedom in America. It is being staged by Taibi Magar, who has directed several shows at the Guthrie Theater, and choreographed by Brooklyn-based Katie Spelman.

Being about cats and mice and set in the late 19th century, "Tail" has two layers of remove — animal characters and historical era. That distancing serves the creative team well since in 21st-century America many of its themes, including immigration, are polarizing and contested.

"Period pieces and shows that anthropomorphize animals make it much easier to say difficult things because you're not overtly saying it about right here and right now," said Moses, a son of Israeli immigrants. "If we just tell this story with these characters as it is, it eerily resonates with arguments we're still having."

Mahler, a Minnetonka native who first teamed up with Schmuckler when they were undergraduates at Northwestern University, said that they're aiming to capture lovers of the film and new fans while having fun telling an important story.

"We look at what stylistic touchstones were happening in New York when the story takes place, and reference all those cultures" in the music, Schmuckler said.

Mahler said the duo revised the songs multiple times to create a musical experience that's "hopefully as satisfying, as memorable and as moving as the material that already exists."

The most famous song from the film, "Somewhere Out There," won two Grammys in 1988 — song of the year and best song for a film or television. Mahler and Schmuckler use it as "an emotional and quality watermark" for their compositions.

The songwriters hope that the show's broad musical influences, which reflect the confluence of mingling cultures, speak to the true emotions of the story and reflect the nation's eclecticism and variety.

We asked Schmuckler and Mahler to break down some of the pivotal musical numbers in the show. Here are their answers about four numbers in "Tail" — three of them new — and how they contribute to telling the story of Fievel's flight to freedom.

"A Mouse's Tale": The opening number introduces us to Fievel, his family and his community in Russia as they celebrate Hanukkah. It is influenced by the klezmer music used in traditional Jewish celebrations. The musical starts with the celebration of the festival of lights just as the film does.

"Scraps": This song highlights the moment when Fievel and fellow sweatshop employee Tony Toponi become friends. Full of youthful energy and creativity, this song reveals Fievel's creativity and determination as he inspires his fellow sweatshop workers to escape by telling them a story that his father once told him.

"When the Cats Are Gone for Good": An Irish jig, this joyous number comes as all factions of mice, rich and poor, decide to work together and hold a rally to get rid of their feline oppressors. They squeak and scurry and celebrate at Mouseany Hall.

"Somewhere Out There": The lyrics of this ballad, "Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight / Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight," are sung by Fievel and his sister Tanya, who are separated by a distance and yearn to reunite.

'An American Tail the Musical'
Who: Book and lyrics by Itamar Moses. Music and lyrics by Michael Mahler and Alan Schmuckler. Choreographed by Katie Spelman and directed by Taibi Magar.
Where: Children's Theatre, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls.
When: 7 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends June 18.
Tickets: $15-$94. childrenstheatre.org or 612-874-0400.