“Hey Piggie, did you see this? We are going to be in a play at LCT!”
Catch these two Mo Willems characters on stage in their very own musical! There’s sure to be lots of singing, dancing, and silliness as these two best friends team up with the singing Squirelles for a musical adventure that will have you giggling out loud and clapping along to the beat. After all, the best part of being in a play is having YOU in the audience!
WHAT: Book and Lyrics by Mo Willems
Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Based on the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems
WHEN: Sunday, February 25 – 2:00pm
Saturday, March 3 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm
Sunday, March 4 – 2:00pm
WHERE: Lexington Children’s Theatre Main Stage
418 W. Short St, Lexington, KY 40507
TICKETS: $19 adults, $16 children
Sponsored By: Bank of the Bluegrass
Onstage and offstage best friends Robert Hooghkirk and Emily Asbury play Gerald the Elephant and Piggie in Elephant and Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” “We’ve been friends for about five years. We actually met at a theatre company, and found out we had both worked at another company, just six months apart from each other. We’ve been working together on and off ever since,” says Hooghkirk. “On my first day at that theatre company, he was the first person to talk to me. Throughout the years we have been in so many shows together and in all of those shows we have been married, siblings, complete strangers that never meet, animals, a student and teacher, but we’ve never played best friends… so it’s really an exciting, new adventure for us,” says Asbury.
“Emily and Robert are such good friends and so close to each other that we are miles ahead of building that onstage relationship than we would be if we brought in two perfect strangers to play Elephant and Piggie,” says Larry Snipes, Director.
There are many parallels between Robert and Emily’s friendship and the friendship between Gerald and Piggie. “I love Piggie! Piggie is always talking Gerald into doing things. She is here for a good time, and she always wants to be creative and fun,” says Asbury. “It’s exactly like our personal relationship. It is Gerald being afraid of something and Piggie saying, “no it’s okay, do it,” which is what Emily does for me, because I am afraid of doing things. Whether Emily convinces me to go to the gym with her, or try a new food, she’s always talking me into trying something new,” says Hooghirk.
“Friendship isn’t about getting along all of the time, and that’s okay. Part of being a friend is accepting both the good and the bad things about people. Through the magic of friendship I feel like you make each other better,” says Asbury. “Friendships are fluid, you have great times and hard times, ups and downs, but ultimately you come back together. Friendships that are lasting never die,” says Snipes.
“Imn the show Gerald and Piggie say, ‘we’ll be best friends even after it ends,’ which to me means even after the show is over we’ll still be friends, even after the book is closed we’ll still be friends. Emily and I do not live in the same state, so even after Elephant and Piggie is over we’ll still Skype each other and catch up. There are ways of making sure the friendship lasts a lifetime, even if we aren’t always in the same location. It’s very comforting knowing that even though we aren’t always together that we’ll still be close friends,” says Hooghirk.
Join LCT for Elephant and Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” to see this fantastic story about friendship and fun! Performances of Elephant and Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” will be February 25th, March 3rd, and 4th. Mark your calendars for February 25th at 1:00pm for our Elephant and Piggie party! Elephant and Piggie will be joined by our friends from the Lexington Philharmonic and their instrument petting zoo – there will even be some sweet treats, too! A free pass is required, please register with the Box Office.
Elephant and Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” is sponsored by Bank of the Bluegrass.
Review!
Lex Fun 4 Kids writer Kelly and her family enjoyed the opening performance of Elephant and Piggie! Check out their review!
Today was our family’s first visit to the Lexington Children’s Theatre and I can’t believe we waited so long! My kids love everything they’ve come across from Mo Williems. I can’t even tell you how many times I have read “The Pigeon Needs a Bath”. So when an opportunity came up to check out a play based on his books we jumped at the chance!
The set itself was simple but brightly colored and the costumes were bright, colorful and fun! There was a definite 70’s vibe from the “squirelles” white go-go boots to “Elephant Gerald” and his tweed bell bottoms. Both my children loved the costumes and the music. They couldn’t wait to meet everyone after the show! I see myself making some Piggie and Elephant ears in the future.
The show itself is just over an hour which was a perfect amount of time for my 6 and 3 year old. We especially loved how the characters broke the 4th wall and spoke directly to the audience. It was timed perfectly as my kiddos were starting to get a little restless when it suddenly dawned on Elephant and Piggie that they were IN A PLAY and had an audience and everything! They had us clapping, waving our hands and laughing and my once restless kids were happy once again!
Throughout the show my kids laughed, and sat on the edge of their seats however the real compliment comes from my husband who claims he’s “not big on plays”. I caught him SEVERAL TIMES laughing and enjoying himself! With his stamp of approval I can honestly say this is a great play for all ages. The jokes are witty, the actors are engaging and the story is fun!
For those of you with kids that are sensitive to noise you need not fear. My kids are not fans of loud noises (even though they are full of loud noises!) and not once did they shrink back and hold their ears. There were two instances I was worried about there could be noise problem and both times there was no issue!
Some tips:
-Drinks and snacks aren’t allowed in the theater so wait until after the show to grab some coffee!
-Be sure to take time to meet the actors after the show. They were incredibly friendly and the kids really enjoyed meeting them!
-There are several restaurants within walking distance if you’d like to make this into a family date
-If you aren’t yet familiar with Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems check some out from the local library before you go or enjoy some follow up to the show and grab some after your visit.
-Lex Fun 4 Kids Writer, Kelly