MUSICAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES OPENS IN WESTON

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company presents its fourth annual production for families with young children, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, playing at family-friendly times and prices from June 18 through July 6. A delightful musical adapted by James E. Grote and George Howe from the Caldecott Award-winning book by author Doreen Cronin and illustrator Betsy Lewin, the show will perform at the theatre’s intimate OtherStages venue at the Weston Rod and Gun Club, just a mile and a half north of the Weston Playhouse on Vermont Route 100.

Young families and the young-at-heart alike will delight to the New England premiere of this 60-minute musical about Farmer Brown and his frustratingly literate barnyard. When the cows commandeer an old typewriter and post demands for electric blankets, a battle of wills ensues. In no time, every animal on the farm goes on strike with hilarious – and tuneful – results.

Click, Clack, Moo marks the return of Weston favorites Frances Limoncelli and George Howe. Limoncelli, who last appeared in Weston’s Ragtime, will direct, and Howe, remembered for his work in Weston’s Act IV Cabaret, will be music director. The longtime friends and collaborators now work for Chicago’s award-winning Lifeline Theatre, where this musical originated. They will be assisted in Weston by choreographer Terrie Robinson, set designer Blair Mielnik, costume designer Amy Johnson, lighting designer Nelson Emig and stage manager Emily Levin.

“For years, George and I played cows and other farm animals on the stage of Weston’s Act IV Cabaret,” says director Limoncelli. “Now we’re bringing Vermont families a hilarious farm ‘moosical’ about working together for what you believe in. It has everything: hilarity, heart, satire and a message that’s really worth sharing – plus an original George Howe score!”

All roles in Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type are played by Weston’s Young Company, a diverse group of performers chosen by audition from the nation’s top undergraduate musical theatre programs. The 2008 Young Company includes Rachael Cain from NYU/CAP 21, A. J. Holmes from the University of Michigan, Michael Howell from Syracuse University, Hannah McMurray from the Boston Conservatory, Tara Novie from Pace University and Paul Rawlings from Baldwin-Wallace College. The Young Company will be seen throughout the summer in the popular after-hours Act IV Cabaret and in the Weston MainStage production of Les Misérables.

Performances of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type have been scheduled in mornings, afternoons and early evenings at times convenient to families with young children.  Reservations may be made by calling the Playhouse box office at 802-824-5288 or by visiting the theatre’s website at www.westonplayhouse.org.  MasterCard, Visa and American Express are accepted.  All seats are general admission; the house opens 30 minutes prior to curtain and ample parking is available.  The performance lasts approximately one hour without intermission, and reservations are strongly recommended.

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the Vermont Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals who believe in the impact that the performing arts can have on its community.

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