Saturday, December 1, and Sunday, December 2, 3 p.m.
St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center, 2101 North Gaines Street, Davenport IA
A special one-act version of the hilarious fairytale musical that won Great Britain's 2000 Olivier Ward for Best Musical – and triumphed over such contenders as Mamma Mia! and The Lion King – the family entertainment Honk! Jr. will make its area debut at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center on December 1 and 2, demonstrating why Broadway World praised the show's “lightness of touch” and adding that there's “plenty for kids, parents, and grandparents to enjoy.”
Based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling, Honk! Jr. tells the story of an odd looking baby duck, Ugly, and his quest to find his mother. Soon after Ugly is born, he is seduced away by a wily cat who wants to eat Ugly for dinner. Eventually, Ugly manages to escape, but he also has no idea how to return home. Along his way, though, he encounters a beautiful swan named Penny tangled in a fishing line. After saving her, the two birds fall in love. But what will Ugly do when Penny inevitably has to return to her flock and fly south for the winter? That and other questions are raised and answered in the charming, hour-long presentation of Honk! Jr., a family production that Broadway Baby called “a jolly good, fun-filled egg.”
Directing her first production for St. Ambrose is Andrea Moore, a longtime veteran of the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse whose family shows in Rock Island have included Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas, Jingle Arrgh the Way, and this past summer's Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical. Serving as music director is Saul M. Nache, whose 2018 credits have included music directing Big River for the Mississippi Bend Players and portraying the lead in Opera Quad Cities' The Marriage of Figaro. And with student actors Joseph Lasher playing Ugly and Allison Hutson as Penny, the Honk! Jr. ensemble is completed by Emily Chezum, Christian Colmenares, Anthony Duckett, Declan Durr, Sarah Goodall, T.J. Green, K. Hampton, Keegan Harry, Sam Lange, Ellie Larson, Rebecca Meissen, Rebecca Moews, Halie Osborn, Luke Peterson, and Erika Seabloom.
St. Ambrose University's Honk! Jr. will be performed at 3 p.m. on December 1 and 2, tickets are $8-9, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)333-6251 or visiting SAU.edu/galvin.
