Mr. Popper’s Penguins to land at Charleston Heights Arts Center
While it’ll certainly mark the first visit of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” — both the play and its signature flightless-but-very-talented-birds — to the Southern Nevada desert, Rainbow Company Youth Theatre’s production of the classic 1938 children’s story also represents a homecoming of sorts.
That’s because the musical adaptation of Richard and Florence Atwater’s book that Rainbow Company will present was written by Jody Davidson, who founded Rainbow Company Youth Theatre 36 years ago before leaving Las Vegas and creating and heading two other nationally recognized, award-winning children’s theater companies.
Showtimes for “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” will be 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and May 1 and 2, and at 2 p.m. Sunday and May 2 and 3, at the Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. The show is appropriate for ages 7 and older, and tickets are $5 (www.artslasvegas.org or 702-229-6553 or 702-229 4614).
Rainbow Company is a city of Las Vegas youth theater program that produces family-oriented live shows and, in doing so, offers valley youths ages 4 to 18 training in all aspects of the theater. And, like any good theatrical piece, its production of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” comes with “a cool backstory,” says Kris Shepherd, the company’s resident designer.
Davidson explains that her musical adaptation of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” — she wrote the book and lyrics, and the score is by Brett Schrier — was written several years ago and had a “very, very limited” run in 2010. Then, rights to the story were held for several years by the studio that produced the 2011 film adaptation of the book that starred Jim Carrey.
But once Davidson’s musical again became available to produce, she called Rainbow Company and asked its administrators whether they’d be interested in, in effect, re-introducing it.
They, of course, were. And, Shepherd says, Davidson’s musical now is being published, so the Rainbow Company production even marks “the last time it will be produced” before becoming available to theater companies around the country.
Shepherd says it’s exciting for Rainbow Company to, in effect, stage a very-nearly-premiere of a work created by the company’s own founder.
“We have the last handwritten scripts from Jody and we’ve been working on it closely with her,” he says. “We got to talk with her and make changes and work with her.”
Davidson, in turn, is pleased that Rainbow Company will reintroduce her play to the theater world, and not just for sentimental reasons.
“I knew that the first company I wanted it to be was Rainbow Company,” she says. “I knew Rainbow Company would do it justice, because you want the show to come back and you want other theaters to get good feedback, and I knew Rainbow Company would produce it in such a way that people would take notice. When you have a theater with that much panache, other theaters are going to notice.”
But, Davidson says, “Rainbow Company obviously is very special to me, having founded it 30-plus years ago. The fact that it’s still growing and thriving and doing quality work is rewarding to me.”
Karen McKenney is directing the play, while choreography is by Andy Lott. Musical director is Joe Cottone.
“Mr. Popper’s Penguins” is about an adventure-craving man who ends up caring for a brood of penguins. After discovering that the penguins can be taught how to dance, he takes them on the road to perform in shows.
Davidson says “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” was one of her favorite books when she was a kid.
What was its appeal? “I think part of it was the illustrations of the original,” she says. “It was just so charming.
“Also, there was something about the idea that … at any point in our lives, dreams can come true, and that’s a wonderful thing. We live our lives and we think it’s always going to be the same and, all of a sudden, a wonderful adventure opens up to us.”
By the way: Both Davidson and Shepherd stress that the musical is based on, and faithful to, the original book.
“It’s not like the movie with Jim Carrey,” Davidson says. “This show has a heart and soul, and it stays very true to the original book, which I think is important.”
Shepherd also was familiar with the book, and calls the story of Mr. Popper “a testament to following dreams.”
Part of the challenge in staging the musical was figuring out how to depict 10 penguins of varying ages onstage. Obviously, using real birds wasn’t considered, although, Shepherd recalls, laughing, “we had a woman call on the phone, and she was very upset when she found out we were not using real penguins.
“She was very upset. I wanted to say, ‘Not as upset as people would be if they found out we were using real penguins.’ ”
So, the task of creating realistic yet choreographically functional penguin costumes fell to Mariya Radeva-Nedyalkova, “an amazing costume designer,” Shepherd says, whose work will be worn by student-actors ranging in age from 10 to 18.
“The kids have to dance, they have to able to move around in them,” he says. “So that was one of the challenges we had to overcome.”
As befits the book’s target readers and Rainbow Company’s mission, the cast will include both adults and student actors. Also befitting both will be kids in the audience, some of whom probably will be viewing their first live theater production. Shepherd says watching kids in the audience is fun, and so is watching parents watch their kids watch the show.
Kids are “leaning forward and sitting on the edge of their seats,” he says. “We’re one of the few theaters in Las Vegas (that has) 20 booster seats specially for that reason, and we do try to make it an experience for the kids.”
Meanwhile, the company’s low ticket prices make live theater accessible to just about every family.
“What I love is a family of five can, for 25 bucks, see a good, two-hour show,” Shepherd says. “And we’re one of the last off-Strip companies that uses live music.”
Davidson, who now lives in Cave Creek, Ariz., near Scottsdale, had hoped she’d be able to attend next weekend’s performances. However, she doesn’t think she’ll be able to make it.
“I haven’t given up completely, but right now it’s going to be a long shot, which is breaking my heart,” she says.
And, fittingly, considering the adventure-and-dreams theme of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” Davidson has been following a new dream lately.
“I already had created three national award-winning children’s theaters, and I wanted to try something new, so I took my avocation since I was 11 years old, which is dog training, and I’m now a professional dog trainer,” she says. “And I recently started a search and rescue team, so I do search and rescue with my dog.”
“I still enjoy theater, obviously, and I still support the theater,” Davidson adds, “but, also, I felt a need to do something different.”
Davidson — who’s the daughter of comedian and former Las Vegas headliner Totie Fields — recalls that her father had a saying that made sense to her.
“(He said,) at a certain point in your life, you say to yourself, ‘Do you want to go around the Ferris wheel again and see everything again, or do (you) want to get off and try the merry-go-round?’ ”
But Davidson remains proud that Rainbow Company represents one of her rides around the Ferris wheel.
“Rainbow Company is one of the treasures of Las Vegas,” she says. “Quality, nationally recognized theater is being produced on a regular basis for the city of Las Vegas, and it’s set up in such a way that all families can go, and it’s always been that way.”
Through Rainbow Company, children are “being introduced to theater,” she says. “That’s the only way to ensure the continuation of the art form, and Rainbow Company has been doing this for literally generations.”
Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280, or follow @JJPrzybys on Twitter.
Preview
What: “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”
When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and May 1 and 2, and 2 p.m. Sunday and May 2 and 3
Where: Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St.
Tickets: $5 (www.artslasvegas.org or 702-229-6553 or 702-229 4614)
