| Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation | |
|---|---|
 Broadway promotional poster | |
| Music | Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman |
| Lyrics | Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman |
| Book | Jonathan Rockefeller |
| Setting | England |
| Basis | Winnie-the-Pooh byA. A. Milne |
| Productions | |
Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation is a 2021musical based on thefilm franchise of the same name. The music and lyrics were written byRichard M. Sherman andRobert B. Sherman[1] with a book by Jonathan Rockefeller. The production also borrows elements from theshort stories of the same name.
Produced byDisney Theatrical Productions, the musical had its debut at theTheatre Row Building inNew York City in October 2021 and was met with a positive critical response.
In 2019, it was reported that there had been plans to adapt theWinnie the Pooh stories into a Broadway musical with a book written byPulitzer Prize-winningplaywrightEdward Albee (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), but those plans were put on hold when Albee became busy.[2] In May 2021,Disney Theatrical Productions announced that theWinnie the Pooh stories would be adapted as a musical, utilizing puppetry to portray the characters.[3]
Previews occurredOff-Broadway at theTheatre Row Building inNew York City from October 21, 2021, until its world premiere on November 4, 2021.[4][5] Jonathan Rockefeller adapted the characters, while utilizing several pieces of music and lyrics from theSherman Brothers.[6] In September 2021, the cast was revealed to consist of Jake Bazel asPooh, Chris Palmieri asTigger, Kirsty Moon asPiglet/Roo, Emmanuel Elpenord asEeyore/Owl/Rabbit, and Kristina Dizon asKanga, while Sebastiano Ricci served as an understudy.[7] After an open call for young actors, Kaydn Kuioka, Max Lamberg and Cooper Lantz were cast to share the role ofChristopher Robin.[8] The production closed on January 30, 2022.[9]
A production began playing at Mercury Theatre Chicago inChicago for a limited 13-week run lasting from March 15 to June 12, 2022.[10]
The production returned to the Theatre Row Building in New York City for a limited 6-week run lasting from June 18 to July 31, 2022.[11]
In June 2022, a US touring production was announced. Performances began on September 16, 2022, atIrving Arts Center inIrving, Texas and were originally set to conclude on May 7, 2023, atMarcus Center inMilwaukee,Wisconsin.[12] However, the production went on hiatus, ending its run early on February 26, 2023, atNorth Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center inCharlotte, North Carolina.[13]
In August 2022, aUK premiere was announced. Performances began on March 17, 2023 inLondon'sRiverside Studios..[14] The cast consisted of Benjamin Durham, Laura Bacon, Harry Boyd, Alex Cardall, Chloe Gentles, Lottie Grogan, and Robbie Noonan.[15] Following the London run, the production toured the UK and Ireland until September 2023.
| Character | Off-Broadway[16] | Chicago[17] | US national tour[18] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2022 | |
| Pooh | Jake Bazel | Will B. Rupert | Coldin Grundmeyer |
| Tigger | Chris Palmieri | Josh Bernaski Sebastiano Ricci | Josh Bernaski Luke Dombroski Blake Rushing |
| Eeyore/Owl/Rabbit | Emmanuel Elpenord | Frank Cesario | |
| Piglet/Roo | Kirsty Moon | Emilie Rose Danno Tina-Kim Nguyen Carolyn Plurad | Kaitlyn Lunardi Melissa Xiaolan Warren Hannah Lauren Wilson |
| Kanga | Kristina Dizon | ||
| Christopher Robin | Kadyn Kuioka Max Lamberg Cooper Lantz | William Daly | Ross Coughlin |
The show features songs from severalWinnie the Pooh films, includingWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree,Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day,The Tigger Movie, andPiglet's Big Movie; all songs were written by theSherman Brothers, except where otherwise noted.
† Music and lyrics byCarly Simon
Alex Reif ofThe Laughing Place gave a positive review, saying the show "captures the charm and whimsy of A. A. Milne's timeless stories and Disney's memorable animated adaptations."[19] Alexia Fernández ofPeople commented on the production, saying the life-sized puppetry was "stunning".[20] Writing forYahoo!, Fernández also said the show "has already broken theatre box office records for the largest advance of any show atTheatre Row inNew York City.[21]
