IF YOU GOWhat: "Honk!"When: 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday and June 29; 1 and 7:30 p.m. June 30.Where: Catoosa County Colonnade, 264 Catoosa Circle, Ringgold, Ga.Admission: $15 adults, $12 students, $11 groups.Phone: 706-935-9000.Website: www.colonnadecenter.org.
Much like the best of Pixar films, "Honk!" the musical adaptation of "The Ugly Duckling," offers humor on two levels, according to Jonathan Humble, director of the Ever After Productions show, which opens today at the Catoosa County Colonnade.
"It definitely appeals to anybody," he said. "It's geared to children, but it also has humor that adults get and children don't."
The adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's beloved tale was written by Anthony Drewe (book and lyrics) and George Stiles (music).
The production, according to Humble, is, in parts, "witty" and "hilarious" and, in parts, "very deeply moving."
"You'll treat yourself to equal amounts of laughter and tears," he said.
The full-length musical includes such notable characters as Ugly, who is shunned for his appearance; his mother, Ida, who is the only one supportive of him; and a host of other farmyard animals such as a turkey, ducklings, chickens, geese and a tomcat who'd love nothing more than to have Ugly for dinner. The cast includes about 40 children and teenagers plus several young adults.
"Honk!" was produced several years ago at the Colonnade, Humble said, and there were requests to bring it back. Ever After Productions chose the play because, with the country's recent attention on bullying, it offers a "powerful message," he said, that it "is OK to be unique and different."
"It's our differences that make us great," he said. "Even if we don't fit the cookie-cutter mold, we're special in our own way."
Like the play itself, its many songs -- such as "A Poultry Tale," "Look at Him," "Warts and All" and "Every Tear a Mother Cries" -- can be fun or serious, Humble said.
"Kids are going to get a kick out of it," he said, "and adults will get a great message from it."