“Schoolhouse Rock Live!” at the Timber Lake Playhouse -- May 5 through 9.
Tuesday, May 5, through Saturday, May 9
Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL
From May 5 through 9, a TV pop-culture phenomenon comes to thrilling stage life when Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse presents Schoolhouse Rock Live!, the beloved show – presented as part of the venue's Magic Owl Children's Theatre program – inspired by the Emmy Award-winning 1970s Saturday-morning cartoon series that taught history, grammar, math, and more through clever, tuneful songs.
Boasting music and lyrics by various artists and a book by George Keating, Scott Ferguson, and Kyle Hall, Schoolhouse Rock Live! follows a teacher, Tom, who is nervous for his first day of teaching. When he turns on Schoolhouse Rock!, the characters come alive and help him prepare for his lesson. This entertaining and educational show features popular songs including "I'm Just a Bill," "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly," "Do the Circulation," "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla," "Conjunction Junction," and "The Great American Melting Pot," and it premiered at Chicago's Cabaret Voltaire in 1993, directed by Scott Ferguson in a partnership with Theatrebam Chicago. The musical moved off-Broadway in 1995, and since then, it has been performed by various schools and community theatres. Schoolhouse Rock Live! is also a jukebox musical of sorts, because it re-uses songs originally written for the TV series, and composed by artists including Bob Dorough, Dave Frishberg, George Newall, Lynn Ahrens, Kathy Mandry, and Tom Yohe.
As evidence of Schoolhouse Rock!'s enduring popularity and importance, the album Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks was released in 1996 by Rhino Records, with 15 covers of Schoolhouse Rock! songs including the main theme. Covers by notable artists included "Three is a Magic Number" by Blind Melon, "No More Kings" by Pavement, "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" by Ween, "My Hero, Zero" by The Lemonheads and "Verb: That's What's Happening" by Moby. On August 18, 1998, Rhino also released Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote!: A Benefit for Rock the Vote, a tribute album containing covers and original songs in the style of Schoolhouse Rock!, all with an electoral theme. It was released as a fundraiser for Rock the Vote, an organization advocating for political awareness and voting among young people. Several well-known artists contributed tracks to the album, including Isaac Hayes, Joan Osborne, The Sugarhill Gang and The Roots, alongside original Schoolhouse Rock! performers Bob Dorough, Essra Mohawk and Grady Tate.
Schoolhouse Rock Live! will be performed at the Mt. Carroll theatre May 5 through 9, with two performances daily at 9:30 a.m. and noon. Admission is $19, and more information and tickets are available by calling (815)244-2035 and visiting TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
