“Junie B. Jones: The Musical" at the Timber Lake Playhouse -- May 7 through 11.
Tuesdays, May 11, through Saturday, May 11
Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL
Praised by DC Theater Arts as "a genuine joy to watch," the family entertainment Junie B. Jones: The Musical opens the 2024 season at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse with a 10-performance run from May 7 through 11, the outlet adding that the characters in this Barbara Park adaptation "say the silliest things and die on the hills of the most meaningless opinions, and in doing so, bring genuine belly laughs to the adults in the room."
In Junie B. Jones: The Musical, America’s favorite elementary-school student comes to life onstage in this tune-filled riot based on three books in Park’s popular book series of the same name. With their show created by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, the team that brought audiences Dear Edwina, Junie B. is entering her first day of first grade, and a lot of things have changed for her. Junie's friend Lucille doesn't want to be her best pal anymore. On the bus, our young heroine makes friends with Herb, the new kid at school. Also, Junie has trouble reading the blackboard and her teacher, Mr. Scary, thinks she may need glasses. Throw in a friendly cafeteria lady, a kickball tournament and a "Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal," and first grade has never been more exciting. Though written as a piece of theatre for young audiences, Junie B. Jones: The Musical is fun for the entire family and highlights the timeless themes of friendship, acceptance, and humility.
Since the original book was published by Random House in 1992, a total of 31 Junie B. Jones titles have been published, with 28 of them stories that take place in the Junie B. Jones series, and three of them activity books titled Junie B.'s Essential Survival Guide, Top-Secret Personal Beeswax: A Journal by Junie B. (and me!), and Junie B.'s These Puzzles Hurt My Brain! Book. Several box sets, multiple book bind-ups, and a Valentine's Day card collection have also been released, between 1992 and 2013, and the series has been translated into Spanish, Italian, and French.
The Junie B. Jones series also made the American Library Association's list of the Top 100 Banned or Challenged Books from 2000 to 2009, with the reasons cited including "poor social values taught by the books, and Junie B. Jones not being considered a good role model due to her mouthiness, bad spelling, and grammar." While author Park appreciated being on banned lists with writers she respected (including Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison), she did write that, "Some people believe that the value of a children's book can be measured only in terms of the moral lessons it tries to impose or the perfect role models it offers. Personally, I happen to think that a book is of extraordinary value if it gives the reader nothing more than a smile or two. In fact, I happen to think that's huge."
Junie B. Jones: The Musical runs in Mt. Carroll from May 7 through 11, with performances every day at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Admission is $10, and more information and tickets are available by calling (815)244-2035 and visiting TimberLakePlayhouise.org.
