Children's Theatre offers two world premieres and blockbuster revivals in 2016-17 season

March 1, 2016 at 8:49PM
Reed Sigmund, left, and Bradley Greenwald, who played the title roles in 2007, will headline "A Year with Frog and Toad" at the Children's Theatre Company this year.
Reed Sigmund, left, and Bradley Greenwald, who played the title roles in 2007, will headline “A Year with Frog and Toad” at the Children’s Theatre Company this year. (Mike Nelson/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Children's Theatre Company has announced a 2016-17 season that will include blockbusters from years past, a new musical adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "The Sneetches" and the world premiere of Naomi Iizuka's "The Last Firefly."

"This is a season of journeys through odd and unusual worlds, filled with opportunities, challenges and imagination," said artistic director Peter Brosius.

The season kicks off July 15-Aug. 14 with the revival of director Greg Banks' charming adaptation of "Pinocchio," with Elise Langer returning as the title character.

The fall brings Mo Willems' "Elephant & Piggie's We Are in a Play!," a cheery import from the Kennedy Center featuring characters inspired by Charlie Brown (Sept. 13-Oct. 23).

"Firefly," based on Japanese folk tales and directed by Brosius, centers on Boom, the son of Thunder, who searches for his father (Sept. 27-Nov. 13). Brosius also will direct the revival of the ever-popular "Cinderella," with Traci Allen Shannon, who wowed audiences in a sold-out run in 2013 (Nov. 8-Jan. 8, 2017).

Playwright Philip Dawkins' adaptation of "Sneetches" is a fable about discrimination and difference (Feb. 7-March 26, 2017).

Director Peter Rothstein will revive "A Year With Frog and Toad," which premiered at CTC in 2003 before going to Broadway, where it was nominated for three Tonys. Actors Reed Sigmund and Bradley Greenwald, who played the title roles in 2007, will headline the production (April 18-June 18, 2017).

Rohan Preston

Dean Holt Traci Allen Shannon Autumn Ness Reed Sigmund. A new Dr. Seuss musical will premiere at the Children's Theatre next year, the company has announced. Playwright Philip Dawkins' adaptation of "The Sneetches," with music by David Mallamud, is one two new shows and four musicals in the company's just-announced upcoming season. The 2016-2017 roster includes revivals of "Cinderella," "Pinocchio," and "A Year with Frog and Toad," the Tony-nominated show that premiered there. The other premiere
Dean Holt Traci Allen Shannon Autumn Ness Reed Sigmund. A new Dr. Seuss musical will premiere at the Children's Theatre next year, the company has announced. Playwright Philip Dawkins' adaptation of "The Sneetches," with music by David Mallamud, is one two new shows and four musicals in the company's just-announced upcoming season. The 2016-2017 roster includes revivals of "Cinderella," "Pinocchio," and "A Year with Frog and Toad," the Tony-nominated show that premiered there. The other premiere is "The Last Firefly," playwright Naomi Iizuka's epic drawn from Japanese folktales. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
A new Dr. Seuss musical will premiere at the Children's Theatre next year, the company has announced. Playwright Philip Dawkins' adaptation of "The Sneetches," with music by David Mallamud, is one two new shows and four musicals in the company's just-announced upcoming season. The 2016-2017 roster includes revivals of "Cinderella," "Pinocchio," and "A Year with Frog and Toad," the Tony-nominated show that premiered there. The other premiere is "The Last Firefly," playwright Naomi Iizuka's epic d
Reed Sigmund, left, and Bradley Greenwald, who played the title roles in 2007, will headline “A Year with Frog and Toad” at the Children’s Theatre Company this year. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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