“Disney’s Winnie The Pooh”

[rating=4]”A Tigger’s a Wonderful Thing!”. I remember all of the great cartoons that my kids and grandkids watched growing up and of course, the great books authored by  A.A. Milne with illustrations by E.H. Shepard. Hearing that a new musical “live” production was coming to The Mercury Theater Chicago made me wish I still had a little one to join me. This not being the case, as my grandchildren are just a bit older than the typical Pooh reader, and the fact that my regular “rent-a-kid” mother just gave birth to a future children’s theater helper, I was put in a position that required some quick thinking.

As I entered the theater, which is now considered  “The Hundred Acre Woods”, and headed to my seat in the third row ( this is an are called the VIB section, to be explained later) I met the McKee family, here visiting grandma from Washington. I asked the boys, Henry ( age 8) and Alastair ( age 6) to help me if they could. After the performance, we would talk about the show, as they saw it so you can get the idea as to the thoughts of a child , rather than that of an old geezer like me.

This one hour musical show , inspired by the books of Milne takes us on a journey, using puppetry with people to make the magic appear. The presentation is new, but does use the characters we love and the situations of the past intertwined with some new ideas. Many youngsters will be seeing live entertainment, called theater for the first time. This is an exciting way to introduce the young ones to live theater. The music in the show is from the original works that Disney has produced using the wonderful  songs of the Sherman Brothers.

The story is filled with love and understanding as well as “friends” and how each character relates to the others. Jake Bazel does Pooh and while his voice is not 100% the voice of the film, his demeanor is perfect. The puppetry is designed so that he becomes his character and after awhile, one forgets that there is a man as a puppet, but in fact, we see Pooh. This is true of all the life size characters.

Chris Palmieri is a dynamic Tigger ( and even though I loved the cartoon voice, Paul Winchell, I loved this guy) and Emmanual Elpenord handles Eeyore, Rabbit and Owl to perfection. I must say, his Eyeore is amazing!

Piglet, Roo and kanga are handled , in rotation by Chicagoans Emilie Rose Danno, Carolyn Plurad and Tina-Kim Nguyen. I believe this mornings show had Emilie Rose Danno doing Piglet. There is a young man who plays Christopher Robin, a very  perfect William Dally. He is in the very beginning  and the ending of the story.

The story involves Christopher Robin going to school, leaving a note for Pooh, but it is a blustery day and it blows away, so Pooh has no idea where he has gone. Pooh needs to eat some honey and the search begins. Along the way, he and his friends, Eyeore, Piglet and all the others encounter visitors like the seasons and deal with each one they face. There some adorable songs and scenes will make the kids happy.

Alastair loved the singing and said it brought a smile to his face. Henry was into the jumping, in particular Tigger’s “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers” number and the  “Whoop-de-dooper Bounce”. I also felt that these high energy numbers were terrific. I have to agree with others who have seen this show, “Winnie The Pooh is an hour that is sweeter than honey.”

The production will hold fort at The Mercury Theater Chicago located at  3745 N. Southport in Chicago through June 12th with performances as follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Saturdays 10 a.m. , 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sundays  11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Tickets range from $38.00   The Very Important Bear tickets are $79 and include a book and after the performance an onstage photo op with the cast. You also sit in the first 3 rows.

To order your tickets visit www.WinnieThePoohShow.com

Also- if you sit in the first few rows, you will have falling leaves and snow coming down on you, so be prepared for season changes on Southport. By the way, the theater is following all CDC rules and regulations on Covid.

Everyone 12 and over will be required to show proof of vaccine before entering theater. Children 5-11 proof of one shot. Children under 5, proof of COVID-19 PCR test taken 72 hours before performance or a negative COVID test within 6 hours of performance.

Street parking is metered.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Disney’s Winnie The Pooh”.

Be prepared, the lobby is now a Winnie the Pooh shop- they have lots of merchandise to purchase.