“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse -- March 21 through May 18.
Thursday, March 21, through Saturday, May 18
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Lauded by Talkin' Broadway as a family entertainment that "bounces onto the stage with confidence, energy, and goodwill to spare," the children's-book adaptation Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical enjoys a March 21 through May 18 engagement as Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, this charming and hilarious song-and-dance extravaganza also hailed by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as " a buoyant and kind show" in which "the script is funny" and "the pop-meets-Broadway songs are bouncy and clever."
Award-winning author Jeff Kinney’s popular literary character takes center stage in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical as Greg’s cartoon diary becomes a hilarious and heartfelt stage treat. Middle school -- ugh. It’s the worst. But Greg is determined not to be at the bottom of the popularity chart. He’ll leave that to his weird neighbor, Fregley. Or maybe Greg’s best friend Rowley Jefferson. But it’s not going to be Greg. No way. But will Greg’s plans to become popular lead him to sacrifice his one true friend? And can anyone avoid the dreaded Cheese Touch? Family audiences are invited to grab a hall pass and not be late for an adventure familiar to everyone who actually survived middle school, and exciting and hilarious for everyone who has yet to attend.
Kinney spent eight years working on his first Wimpy Kid book before showing it to a publisher. In 2004, Funbrain and Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid that had received almost 20 million views by 2009. Nonetheless, many online readers requested a printed version. In February of 2006, during the New York Comic Con, Kinney signed a multi-book deal with publisher Abrams Books to turn Diary of a Wimpy Kid into a printed book series. The first installment was released in April of 2007, and a mere two years later, Time magazine named Kinney one of the magazine's 100 most influential people. To date, the series consists of 19 main entries, as well as an activity book, and a spin-off series centering on Rowley Jefferson has three installments as of 2021. 20th Century Studios also produced a live-action film series of the same title from 2010 to 2017, as well as three animated films in the early 2020s. As of 2020, more than 250 million copies of the Wimpy Kids have been sold globally, making it the fourth best-selling book series of all time.
Directing and co-scenic designing Circa '21's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical is longtime venue favorite Kimberly VanderGinst, whose recent credits include acting in Murder on the Orient Express and Mamma Mia!, and directing the children's shows Elephant & Piggie's We Are in a Play!, Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook, and A Year with Frog & Toad. Show co-star Bobby Becher serves as musical director, with Andrea Moore as choreographer, and additional members of VanderGinst's creative team include: lighting designer and sound engineer Emmett Boedecker; stage manager and props designer Kendall McKasson; costume designer Bradley Robert Jensen; co-scenic designer Richard Baker; scenic artist Becky Meissen; and production manager Jeremy Littlejohn.
Middle-school protagonist Greg Hefler is portrayed by Jack Carslake, previously seen in Circa '21's A Christmas Story: The Musical, Disaster!, and Beauty & the Beast, with Greg's best pal Rowley played by Marlo Reed and weird neighbor Fregley by Brighton Greim. And with Greg's older-brother nemesis Rodrick enacted by Daniel Hauskins, additional members of Wimpy Kid's adult-and-student ensemble include: Ashley Becher; Bobby Becher; Vivian Browne; Arnav Mali; Kirsten Sindelar; Krianna Walljasper; Fulton Young; Luke Young; Mark Young; and Olivia Young.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical makes its Rock Island premiere from March 21 through May 18, with scheduled 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. performances on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Admission to the show-only performances is $10-11.50, with the special "Girl Scout Workshop Day" on April 6 $18.50, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting Circa21.com.
