ADRIAN — With his long legs and his crooked knees, Gerald the Giraffe couldn’t possibly learn to dance. Could he?
That’s the story of “Giraffes Can’t Dance,” a children’s book by Giles Andreae that has been adapted into a musical playing from March 6-8 at the Croswell Opera House.
The musical uses puppets, African rhythm, and lots of dancing to tell Gerald the Giraffe’s story. All the animals in the jungle know their own special dance, but Gerald — played by Delayna Garcia of Cement City in the Croswell’s production — can’t seem to move without a clumsy step. But with the help of a wise cricket, played by Mitchell LaRoy of Blissfield, Gerald finds his own song and learns to dance to the beat of his own drum.
The cast of the show also includes Nate Adams, Virginia Atkinson, Maya Gangadharan, Cassidy Giddens, Erica Murray and Carter Steude, all of Adrian; Diane DuRussel of Manchester; and Elliana Rhine of Delta, Ohio. Jimmy Stewart of Onsted and Fletcher Foreman of Adrian play the djembe.
The show is directed by Kylie McElrath, with music direction by Leah Fox and choreography by Jessica Briggs.
Composers Leela Oleszkiewicz and Elton Bradman worked closely with playwright and lyricist Gloria Bond Clunie for this new show, which was first commissioned by Bay Area Children’s Theater in Berkeley, California, and the Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Giraffes Can’t Dance” runs the weekend of March 6-8, with performances on Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
The Saturday afternoon show is a sensory-friendly production with adaptations made for children who have sensory processing issues or are on the autism spectrum.
Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for students, and may be ordered online at croswell.org or by calling 517-264-7469.
The Croswell is at 129 E. Maumee St. in downtown Adrian.
