BWW Interviews: Dorothy James and Perry Kroeger, KNUFFLE BUNNY at the Growing Stage

Knuffle Bunny opens at the Growing Stage, The Children's Theatre of New Jersey on April 19th and runs through May 18th. With music by Michael Silversher, the production is based on the book Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. It is the story of a little girl, Trixie, that loves and loses her beloved animal. As she fights to get the animal back, adventure ensues. With music, songs and dancing, this show promises to be a heart-warming and hilarious musical and is a production that is just right for a family outing this spring.

Broadwayworld.com interviewed Dorothy James, actor and puppeteer and Perry Kroeger who is currently the Artist in Residence for The Growing Stage. Both James and Kroeger are enthusiastic about the show.

They agree that Knuffle Bunny is a distinctive performance piece. James said, "Knuffle Bunny is unique because, although it is a musical, there is an abundance of non-verbal storytelling. Trixie, the main character, is only sixteen months old and hasn't yet spoken her first real words. Despite speaking and singing only in baby gibberish, she takes the audience on an adventure through Brooklyn to find her beloved stuffed animal, Knuffle Bunny. Along the way, an extraordinary variety of puppets are used not only as characters that Trixie and her parents meet, but also to create new environments ranging from a city street to a very exciting laundromat."

Kroeger said, "Knuffle Bunny is a unique performance piece because it has wonderful fantasy dream sequences that inspire creative set pieces and puppets."

Knuffle Bunny has possessed some interesting challenges for the cast and crew. James said, "The challenges of this production lie in exploring how each puppet contributes to telling Trixie's story. Some puppets are instinctually easier to animate than others. For example, one of the first puppets I work is a pigeon. In reality, pigeons move and breathe and fly. I can study pigeons or videos of pigeons, etc. and figure out what I need to do to my puppet to bring it accurately to life."

Kroeger also spoke about the challenges. He said, "One challenge is the building and manipulation of a six foot Knuffle Bunny marionette that can dance with Trixie."

Kroeger is pleased that Growing Stage is able to hire three professional puppeteers to do Knuffle Bunny. And, as a puppeteer, James gave us some important insights into the show. She said, "I've worked on a number of projects where I've been visible to the audience the way I am in Knuffle Bunny. In those projects, my goal was to keep the focus entirely on the puppet so that I seemed to disappear. What's different in Knuffle Bunny is that the puppeteers don't disappear. We act as an extension of our puppets; if my pigeon is scared, I'm scared. If my pants are angry, then I'm angry too."

Both Kroeger and James agree that working at The Growing Stage is fun and fantastic. They are complimentary of the cast and the creative team for Knuffle Bunny. They also believe that the audiences will enjoy the show. James said, "The songs are super fun and catchy, the sets, puppets, and costumes are colorful and vibrant, and most of all, the story is relatable."

Kroeger added, "Audiences will enjoy Knuffle Bunny because it is a colorful peek inside the mind of a toddler."

For more information on The Growing Stage in Netcong, New Jersey and ticketing for Knuffle Bunny, visit their website www.growingstage.com.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Growing Stage

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