It may just be barely springtime in Kansas City, but at the Coterie Theatre - located inside Crown Center - you can already feel the sweltering, overbearing heat of the first week of August. The Coterie has been transformed into the small town of Treegap, and a visit to this odd little place is a must for KC area families this spring.
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| Aurelia Power (as Winnie Foster), Fisher Stewart (as Jesse Tuck), Gary Neal Johnson (as Angus Tuck), Nancy Marcy (as Mae Tuck), Tyler Rowe (as Miles Tuck), and Jonathan Lloyd Schriock (as Stranger in the Yellow Suit) in Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and adapted by Mark J. Frattaroli. Directed by Jeff Church. Live on stage at The Coterie, February 27 - April 5, 2018. Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of Coterie Theatre. |
Tuck Everlasting tells the story of Angus and Mae Tuck and their boys Miles and Jesse, who live an extraordinary life thanks to a spring of water they discover in the woods of Treegap. After drinking from the spring, they never age - not a single day. The family separates to throw off suspicions, but they reunite once every ten years near the spring where it all started. It just so happens that young Winnie Foster runs into Jesse Tuck near the spring during one of the family's reunions...and before she knows it, she is drawn into their secretive and adventurous world.
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| Gary Neal Johnson (as Angus Tuck), Nancy Marcy (as Mae Tuck), and Aurelia Power (as Winnie Foster) in Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and adapted by Mark J. Frattaroli. Directed by Jeff Church. Live on stage at The Coterie, February 27 - April 5, 2018. Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of Coterie Theatre. |
As usual, the Coterie has put together a production that is thought-provoking, charming, and heartwarming all at once. Each of the characters brings their own piece to the story, and their lives are all undeniably changed by the friendships which are made as the show unfolds.
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| Aurelia Power (as Winnie Foster) and Fisher Stewart (as Jesse Tuck) in Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and adapted by Mark J. Frattaroli. Directed by Jeff Church. Live on stage at The Coterie, February 27 - April 5, 2018. Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of Coterie Theatre. |
The cast features Gary Neal Johnson, Nancy Marcy, Fisher Stewart, Tyler Alan Rowe, Jonathan Lloyd Schriock, George Forbes, Aurelia Power, and Bonita Hanson. The cast worked well together as an ensemble and created a magical world onstage that was easy to believe. Gary Neal Johnson may be recognized by Kansas City audiences as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the KC Rep, and I enjoyed the chance to see him portray another character as Angus Tuck. Fisher Stewart, who played Jesse Tuck, kept the audience in stitches with his acrobatics and comedic timing.
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| Gary Neal Johnson (as Angus Tuck) and Aurelia Power (as Winnie Foster) in Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and adapted by Mark J. Frattaroli. Directed by Jeff Church. Live on stage at The Coterie, February 27 - April 5, 2018. Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of Coterie Theatre. |
The production is recommended by the Coterie for families with children who are 9 or older. The show runs about 65 minutes with no intermission and is a perfect way to spend an afternoon or evening while exploring Kansas City.
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| Aurelia Power (as Winnie Foster), Fisher Stewart (as Jesse Tuck), Tyler Rowe (as Miles Tuck),and Gary Neal Johnson (as Angus Tuck) in Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and adapted by Mark J. Frattaroli. Directed by Jeff Church. Live on stage at The Coterie, February 27 - April 5, 2018. Photo by J. Robert Schraeder and courtesy of Coterie Theatre. |
Tuck Everlasting plays now through April 5 at the Coterie. Tickets are available online.
Disclosure: I received press passes to attend this production at The Coterie Theatre. I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own.
