Johnny & the Sprites, with Tartaglia, Set for a 2nd Season

According to Variety, John Tartaglia will continue his adventures with the magical creatures known as Sprites.

Disney has picked up "Johnny and the Sprites," co-created by and starring Tartaglia for a second season.

"When we developed 'Johnny and the Sprites,' our goal was to create entertaining and educational content while introducing our viewers to the world of Broadway style music....Since our premiere we have experienced extremely gratifying ratings and feedback telling us that our stories and music are resonating with kids and their parents," said Nancy Kanter, Disney Channel's senior vice-president for original programming.

The children's show concerns a singer/songwriter who is befriended by a bevy of fairylike creatures after moving to a house in the woods.  "Johnny and the Sprites" also features Natalie Venetia Belcon - Tartaglia's former Avenue Q co-star - as Johnny's neighbor, and has featured original music written by such theatre veterans as Gary Adler, Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler (with a title song by Stephen Schwartz).

A Tony Award-nominee for originating the roles of Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q, Tartaglia currently plays Lumiere in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast.  He worked on "Sesame Street" for eight seasons and has also appeared at Encores! in Carnival, as well as in benefit concerts of Children of Eden and Hair.

Filming will start this fall at the Kaufman Astoria Studios.

Visit this link for more information on "Johnny and the Sprites."

Photo of John Tartaglia with recent "Sprites" guest star Sutton Foster