Wheelock Family Theatre Announces 2019-2020 Season

Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University announces its 2019-2020 Season including Roald Dahl's musical Willy Wonka (October 25-November 24, 2019), Little Women: The Broadway Musical (January 31-February 23, 2020), The Little Prince (April 8-May 24, 2020), and Bud, Not Buddy (April 28-May 24 2020). Subscription packages are now on sale. Visit www.wheelockfamilytheatre.org to view savings options and benefits. Single tickets for the 2019-2020 Season will go on sale September 3, 2019.

Like Little Women's Jo March says "I may be small, but I've got giant plans," Wheelock Family Theatre's Artistic Director Emily Ranii shares that she's got big ideas too. "It's all about young protagonists pursuing plans far beyond their years. They make an impact through honesty, rebellion, perseverance, and love. First up for fall: Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka-a seemingly ordinary boy does something quite remarkable; he wins a candy-coated test of character through honesty and kindness. Then, next winter, is Little Women: The Broadway Musical-four sisters defy their time period and their gender through telling adventurous stories in their attic. As winter turns to spring, one door closes for an African-American boy and another opens in Bud, Not Buddy-Bud goes on a quest for family and finds his home in a Jazz band. Finally, in The Little Prince, a child alone on his own planet teaches an adult that 'the thing that is important is the thing that is invisible. Like a flower on a star. Like a well in the desert. Like an elephant in a boa constrictor.'"

Mainstage Season at Wheelock Family Theatre

Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka
October 25-November 24, 2019
Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Adapted for the Stage by Leslie Bricusse and Timothy Allen McDonald
Based on the Book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl
Directed by Emily Ranii

Roald Dahl's timeless musical story of the world-famous candy man and his quest to find an heir comes to chocolate-covered life. The delicious adventures experienced by Charlie Bucket on his visit to Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory light up the stage in this captivating adaptation of Roald Dahl's fantastical tale. Featuring the enchanting songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder and new songs by Leslie Bricusse (Jekyll & Hyde, Doctor Dolittle) and Anthony Newley, Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka is a scrumdidilyumptious musical guaranteed to delight everyone's sweet tooth. Recommended for ages 6+.

Little Women: The Broadway Musical
January 31-February 23, 2020
Book by Allan Knee | Music by Jason Howland | Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott
Directed by Nick Vargas | Musical Direction by Jon Goldberg

Based on Louisa May Alcott's life, Little Women follows the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but the publishers are not interested. On the advice of her friend, Professor Bhaer, Jo weaves the story of herself, her sisters, and their experience growing up in Civil War America. The original production starred the unparalleled Sutton Foster, who received Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations for her performance. Recommended for ages 8+.

The Little Prince
April 8-May 24, 2020
By Rick Cummins and John Scoullar
Adapted from the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Directed by Emily Ranii

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's classic tale tells the story of a child, the little prince, who travels the universe gaining wisdom. The Little Prince tells the story of a world-weary and disenchanted Aviator whose sputtering plane strands him in the Sahara Desert and a mysterious, regal "little man" who appears and asks him to "Please, sir, draw me a sheep." During their two weeks together in the desert, the Little Prince tells the Aviator about his adventures through the galaxy, how he met the Lamplighter and the Businessman and the Geographer, and about his strained relationship with a very special flower on his own tiny planet. The Little Prince talks to everyone he meets: a garden of roses, the Snake and a Fox who wishes to be tamed. From each he gains a unique insight which he shares with the Aviator: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly." "What is essential is invisible to the eye." At length, both the "little man" and the Aviator must go home-each with a new understanding of how to laugh, cry, and love again. Recommended for ages 8+.

Bud, Not Buddy
April 28-May 24, 2020
Adapted by Reginald André Jackson | From the novel by Christopher Paul Curtis
Directed by Dawn M. Simmons

Set in Michigan during the 1930s, Bud, Not Buddy tells the story of 10-year-old Bud Caldwell, an orphan on the run from abusive foster homes, and his quest to find his father. Bud's journey sets him on the trail of a jazz band known as Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression. A flier for one of Calloway's shows leads Bud to Grand Rapids and Calloway, the man he believes to be his father. Bud gets into all sorts of trouble along the way and develops his own "Rules and Things" to help him navigate a world of confusing expectations. Rich with adventure and humor, Bud, Not Buddy is a coming-of-age tale for young and old alike. The novel also won the Coretta Scott King Award. Recommended for ages 8+.

Non-Mainstage Special Events at Wheelock Family Theatre

Elephant & Piggie's "We Are In A Play!"
December 2019
Based on the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems
Published by Hyperion Books for Children
Script and Lyrics by Mo Willems | Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Directed by Jeri Hammond

Back for a limited engagement, Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie brings you a rollicking celebration of friendship and fun. With their backup trio the Squirrelles, Gerald and Piggie sing, dance, and laugh their way through a day where anything can happen. This play was commissioned by and first produced at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Recommended for ages 3+.

Winter Teen Performance Ensemble
Radium Girls
December 19 - 21, 2019
by D.W. Gregory
In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage-until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court.

Spring Teen Performance Ensemble
The Drowsy Chaperone
June 5 & 6, 2020
Music & Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Book by Bob Martin & Don McKellar
With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. As the music plays, the recording comes to life! Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, The Drowsy Chaperone is a love note to the Jazz Age musical.

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