ADRIAN — In “Last Stop on Market Street,” playing from March 15-17 at the Croswell Opera House, audiences will find a story about learning how to put yourself in other people’s shoes and find beauty wherever you look.

But that’s not all, says director Jen Letherer. The musical is also a whole lot of fun.

The hourlong “Last Stop on Market Street” is based on an award-winning children’s book by Matt de la Peña. In the show, a boy named CJ is reluctantly visiting his Nana in Chicago and takes a bus ride through her neighborhood. 

CJ is more comfortable with his tablet and phone than with meeting new people, Letherer said. But Nana makes him connect to people, “and in doing so, he begins to see the world differently.”

He also learns that the people he meets on a bus ride through Nana’s neighborhood — a blind man, a heavily tattooed man, a pair of teenage softball players, the patrons of the soup kitchen where Nana volunteers — are all more than they seem.

The musical features a lively hip-hop score written by the late Lamont Dozier, who produced music for Motown Records in the 1960s, and his son, Paris Ray Dozier.

“I think kids are really going to enjoy the neighborhood and the music,” Letherer said.

The role of CJ is played by Zameon Conway, a student at Adrian’s Springbrook Middle School who is in his first Croswell production. Nana is played by Bennice Byles, also of Adrian, whose previous Croswell shows include last season’s “The Prom.”

The cast also includes Megan Clark, Sophie Cox, Evan Garcia, Becca Glover, Brenna Gifford, Christopher Harlan, Molly Humphries, Maxwell Lam and Carter Steude, all of Adrian; Delayna Garcia of Cement City; Jase Sword of Hudson; and Phiona Taylor of Tecumseh.

Anjewel Lenoir is the assistant director and costumer, Debra Ross Calabrese is the choreographer, and Taieshia Tindall is the music director.

For Letherer, the heart of the show is Nana and the way she connects with the people all around her — and Nana’s way of looking at the world is something everyone can learn from.

“She sees the world as beautiful and fascinating,” Letherer said. “She sees the world as somebody full of gratitude, as someone who wants to connect. She sees that there is beauty in everyone and in every place.”

“I think we can all benefit from seeing the world the way Nana does — and the show is an opportunity, for an hour, to see the world the way Nana does.”

Show times for “Last Stop on Market Street” are:

• Friday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
• Sunday, March 17 @ 2:30 p.m.

The 2:30 p.m. show on Saturday is a sensory-friendly production with modifications designed for children who are on the autism spectrum or have sensory processing issues.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $10 for children, and may be ordered by calling 517-264-7469 or online at croswell.org.