“Junie B. Jones, “The Musical” reviewed by Danna Bazan (12 years of age)

[rating=4] Today, I went to the “Junie B. Jones, the Musical” production at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.. Upon entering the theater, I knew that we were in for a great time. I was there with my friend ,Rosemary, who is 12.

I liked the musical because in some scenes they show how every stage of life is difficult and you have to overcome that. The songs made little kids very happy, and they began dancing at their seats.

Some of the scenes were so funny, we would need to catch our breath. The jokes are really funny!

You could see that the choreography was well done and that the actors had practiced hard. We also noticed how easy it was for the actors to bring smiles to our faces ( not just the kids, but the adults as well).

The story really tells how every first grader feels and acts on their first day of school You can also imagine every scene like you were there. For Rosemary and I, it wasn’t that long ago.

Some of the words in the play may have upset the parents. They are inappropriate words like “stupid” and “What the heck”, but as far as 60 minutes of great fun, I think your kids will have a great time by seeing this show at The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.

EDITORS NOTE:

Thanks to Danna for covering for me Saturday as I was out-of- town. The beauty of the Marriott for young audience program is that it opens up a new door for young people, allowing them to witness live theater. This production is the exploration of the works of Barbara Park and has been transformed for the stage by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich. The show is directed and choreographed by Johanna McKenzie Miller with musical direction by Ellen Morris.

One of the ideas that the youngsters will get is that  “when life deals you lemons.. you just need to make lemonade”

The story is about “change” and how a first grader, riding the bus to school on her first day, deals with all that life throws at her.

Elizabeth Telford handles the role of Junie B. and the other cast members are: Lydia Burke, Rashada Dawan, Jackson Evans, Adam LaSalle and Allison Sill.

The costumes are by Amanda Vander and they are special ( as always at Marriott).

After the show, the actors come back on stage to talk to the audience about how they do what they do and answer questions from the audience members. A real treat!

“Junie B. Jones” will continue at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire thru  August 11th

performance schedule:

Wednesdays  10 am

Thursdays  10 am

Fridays  10 m

Saturdays 10 am

Sundays  10 am

and sometimes there are 12:30 p.m. shows as well.

Visit www.marriottTheatre.com or call 847-634-0200 for tickets

18.23 per person including taxes

Free parking at the theatre which is on the Marriott resort grounds, 1 Marriott Drive

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Junie B. Jones, the Musical”.