Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit Tale makes its world premiere at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre with performances beginning October 14. Performing on the company's Hertz Stage, the run will continue through December 23. The musical is being presented in partnership with the High Museum of Art's exhibition Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, honoring the late author of the original Peter Rabbit books and running through January 7.
The musical is written and directed by Mark Valdez, with choreography by Rachel Van Buskirk. Original music is by a group of musicians including Christian Albright, Christian Magby, AnnMarie Milazzo, Divinity Roxx, Eugene Russell IV, and Jacob Ryan Smith.
“Many people grew up on Beatrix Potter’s stories. Peter Rabbit is a part of our mainstream culture. It’s been an opportunity of a lifetime to create a new story for these well-known and much-beloved characters,” said Valdez in an earlier statement. “We’ve put together a new story that is funny, hopeful, and immersive. We’re looking at these characters through a contemporary lens, inviting young people to not only consider the pain of loss and grief but also the possibilities that come from communal stewardship of our land and environment.”
The work follows the beloved characters of Peter Rabbit's world as they gather for a surprise party. They quickly realize that Mr. McGregor, who owns the garden above the rabbit's den, has terrible plans for the surrounding land. The tale encourages audiences to acknowledge fears and work together to overcome challenges.
The cast features Pamela Gold (The Walking Dead) as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jontavious Johnson (Outer Banks) as Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise, Shelli Delgado (Little Raindrop Songs) as Squirrel Nutkin, Kylie Gray Mask (Good Bad People) as Benjamin Bunny, Wesley Tunison (Vinyl) as Jeremy Fisher, and Juan Carlos Unzueta (The Incredible Book Eating Boy) as Peter. Rounding out the company as understudies are Sims Lamason, Patty de la Garza, Halli Rider, Isreal Vaughan, and Matthew Wangemann.
The creative team also includes set designer Kat Conley, shadow puppet designer & filmographer Raymond Carr, costume designer Garry Lennon, lighting designer Karin Olson, sound designer Hidenori (“Hide”) Nakajo, music supervisor and composer Brandon Bush, music director, orchestrator, and conductor Imani Quiñones, and stage manager Barbara Gantt O’Haley.
Visit AllianceTheatre.org.
