Interview: Kelsey Krull Plays Pink Pilot Pup Skye in PAW PATROL LIVE! THE GREAT PIRATE ADVENTURE

A stroll outside of Madison Square Garden following a family-oriented show typically includes two things: lots of character-inspired costumes, and lots of smiling faces, children and adults alike. For many children who wander out with popcorn buckets and new toys, this is their first theatrical experience that has hopefully made for a memorable day for the whole family. When PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure makes a tour stop at the Hulu Theater this upcoming weekend, we'll see that same joy flooding out of the Garden. Performer Kelsey Krull from PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure spoke with BroadwayWorld about bringing these animated pups to life for audiences from all over.

The Great Pirate Adventure is PAW Patrol Live!'s second touring production, first taking the stage in the fall of 2017 and plans to tour the U.S. and Canada through the end of 2018. Based on the Nickelodeon animated television show, PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure features the multitalented, heroic pups - including Chase (Brandon Delsid), Rubble (Jordan Elman), and Skye (Kelsey Krull), along with Ryder (Tony Ardolino) - on a mission to find the pirate treasure before Mayor Humdinger (Matt Lamb) does.

Krull has been with the show since it began touring in September. Prior to joining PAW Patrol Live!, she had heard about the animated television show from her younger cousins, with the popularity of the show reaching many children in the two-to-six age group. "Each pup has their own individual talent which is great for the kids because every kid can identify with each pup," Krull says. Kids can see themselves within these characters, with the theatrical experience bringing the at-home television experience to the stage before their eyes. Now, they get to sing, dance, and play along with the pups as they save the day. "[They] go through the journey with that pup while they're in their seats."

Krull gets to bring a fan favorite, Skye, to life every day. Skye is the pilot pup, and the only female pup on the squad. "[Skye] gets to bring a different energy to the PAW Patrol - a female presence. She's pink which is great," Krull jokes. Young audience members dress up like her, and cheer her on as she's introduced. "It's awesome when you first come out onstage to hear all the kids screaming her name. It's awesome to be able to represent a character that means so much to so many people."

The familiarity of these characters is at the heart of PAW Patrol Live!. Kids at home see the pups every day on the screen - with their families, when they wake up in the morning, during lunchtime. These characters are a constant presence, and Krull and her fellow cast members took as much care and did as much research for their portrayals as they would any theatrical or true-to-life role. "These children know these pups inside and out. They are their best friends, they see them every day on TV and you want to represent them in the most honest way possible," Krull explains. Preparation involved watching lots of PAW Patrol, and collaborating with Nickelodeon during the rehearsal process to get these pups just right. In addition, the actors had to work on morphing into their characters via their intricately constructed costumes.

On the television show, Skye often dons aviation goggles and wings when jetting off to the rescue. She swaps wings for a pink pirate hat and white puffy shirt in The Great Pirate Adventure as the pups head off on a treasure hunt. Krull says these unique costumes are made by hand, taking thousands of hours to craft in a reimagined style of traditional bunraku puppetry, making for a look that doesn't distract from the action happening onstage. The mouths and eyes move, the pups' ears wiggle - the brightly colored, fully functional four-legged costumes animate these characters in real life. "It's a really effective image and illusion for the children - and the adults, too - that we're there helping the pups come to life," Krull says. "We're one entity with our costumes with our pups."

In this way, PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure is on such a scale artistically as any Broadway production, only the performers get to bring this story to a great many locations while on tour. Krull, having worked on VStar Entertainment's Sesame Street's touring productions as well, says bringing the "gift of theatre" to so many children is the reward of it all. "These children are in such a developmental stage in their lives," she says. "To be exposed to PAW Patrol Live! and other children's shows -- it's a milestone for them. And it's awesome to think that I'm a part of that."

PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure will play the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden March 22nd through March 25th. V.I.P. - Very Important Pup - packages are also available, which include premium seating, an V.I.P. after party with Ryder and two PAW Patrol characters, an exclusive PAW Patrol-themed cinch bag, unique photo ops, activities, and more.

For tickets to the nine MSG performances, future tour dates, and more information on the PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure, please visit https://www.pawpatrollive.com/.

X barks the spot in the new tour PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure! It's Pirate Day in Adventure Bay, and Mayor Goodway is getting ready for a big celebration! But first, Ryder and his team of pirate pups must rescue Cap'n Turbot from a mysterious cavern. When they do, they also discover a secret pirate treasure map! The PAW Patrol set out over land and sea to find the treasure for Mayor Goodway's celebration before Mayor Humdinger finds it first! The pups will need all paws on deck for this pirate adventure, including some help from the newest pup ... Tracker!

To post a comment, you must register and login.