“Madagascar” Comes to Bigfork

“DreamWorks Madagascar—A Musical Adventure” is coming to Bigfork's Edge Center for the Arts this July. Join us to follow the adventures of Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo as they make their escape from New York’s Central Park Zoo to explore the world. With an imaginative set and colorful costumes, “Madagascar: A Musical Adventure” is a high-energy, dance-filled musical celebration perfect for a family outing. Performances will be on stage at the Edge Center on Friday through Sunday, July 13 through 15, Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children.

                                             Photo by Steve Fischer for Stages Theatre Company

The musical presented in Bigfork is produced by the Stages Theatre Company of Hopkins and is aimed at the hearts and minds of audiences of all ages. “Move it, Move it with us this summer as Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and, of course, uproariously plotting penguins enter our stage in the musical adventure of Madagascar. Not content to live in blissful captivity, Marty lets his curiosity take over as he escapes to explore the world. His friends and some unusual penguins will not be left behind as they embark on an unforgettable voyage.”

                                                 Photo By Sandy Boren-Barrett for Stages Theatre Company

Every summer Stages Theatre Company brings a production with their special brand of fun and laughter to Bigfork.  They not only bring the cast and supporting staff, they also bring much of the sets they use on-stage at their theatre in Hopkins. The effort is extraordinary. The result is that Bigfork area audiences get to see a world-class creation and the young cast and crew get to experience what is like to be “on the road” for a few days. It is a great experience for both sides and always leaves a lasting impression on everyone involved.

Photo by Steve Fischer for Stages Theatre Company

Stages Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Sandy Boren-Barrett, who is also the Director of this play, says, “Everybody has a friend, that one best friend that makes you do things (good or bad), or try things that you might not be brave enough to try without them convincing you that you can do it.  That is Alex and Marty – they are there for each other, they laugh with each other, take risks for each other, and save each other when they need to be saved.  This is a story about wanting more, and finding that you actually had all you needed or wanted all along, you just needed a ‘best friend’ to remind you of that.  Madagascar is truly a musical ADVENTURE, it has fun, lively musical numbers that will keep your toes tapping and you dancing out the door.  We can’t wait to share it with you.” 
   

Photo by Steve Fischer for Stages Theatre Company

“I am grateful for the amazing opportunity that our summer tour to Bigfork provides, for our young actors, their families, and for the community that we at Stages Theatre Company have come to value and love.  We can’t wait to ‘Move It Move it’ with you all in this once in a lifetime production.”

                                                   Photo by Steve Fischer for Stages Theatre Company

This play is based on the DreamWorks Animation motion picture.  Book by Kevin Del Aguila. Original music and lyrics are by George Noriega and Joel Someillan.

                                        

                                                Photo By Sandy Boren-Barrett for Stages Theatre Company

Stages Theatre Company (STC) was founded in 1984 and since then has grown to become one of the largest professional theatres for young audiences in the country. STC engages young artists with themes relevant to their lives and produces work which features young people in significant and meaningful roles. It annually serves more than 130,000 young people and their families. STC has been producing these young people’s productions in Bigfork for a number of years and the productions have become part of a summer entertainment tradition at the Edge Theatre.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Edge Center in Bigfork

The EdgeWild Players in Bigfork open the stage season with a comedy that includes gangsters joking, dancing, and singing. Fake wooden Tommy guns, scared white faces, and the witty, savage satire heighten the entertainment of this period comedy by German playwright Bertolt Brecht titled “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.” It is a satirical look at the rise of a mythical, small-time thug in 1930s Chicago who is trying to take over the cauliflower racket by selling "protection" to small groceries. Sound interesting? That’s the magic of a great satirist like Brecht. His characters are so ridiculous that they can transport laughing audiences to a funny new reality. Place: The Edge Center Theatre, Bigfork. Date and time: June 21 through 23 at 7 p.m. and June 24 at 2 p.m. Price: $15 for adults, $5 for children.

The play was written in 1941 by the great modern playwright Bertolt Brecht. Director Patricia Feld is infusing it with the lively music that Brecht and Kurt Weill wrote for many of their classic plays. Among the songs is the familiar “Mack the Knife.”

                                                  

This play is also an allegory Hitler’s rise to power and the characters and events have direct parallels in history to Adolf Hitler’s henchmen. Brecht turns der Führer into vulgar American thug Arturo Ui, a small-time New York hoodlum who comes to Chicago with his gang to “sell protection” using intimidation, threats, arson, and murder. But, unlike the gangster movies of the 1920s and 1930s, this show is done for maximum laughs. The broad, vaudeville acting style, the between-the-scenes musical numbers, and the elaborate sets, costumes, and stage antics keeps things lively and funny.

                            

Patricia Feld, the Artistic Director for the Edge and director of this play says, “Our large cast has a ball with the mugging and the overly physical acting style.  The complex sets and 1930’s costumes will help to create an impressive and entertaining performance.”

The Edgewild Players have received a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council to rent lovely, historically accurate costumes, and the students of Bigfork School are creating props and helping to build the sets.

                                          

This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to appropriations from the Minnesota State Legislature's general and arts and cultural heritage funds.

The Fun starts Thursday June 21 and runs through Sunday June 24. The times and prices are June 21 through 23 at 7 p.m. and June 24 at 2 p.m. Price: $15 for adults, $5 for children. Some come and see something you really might not expect...but then that's what the Edge is all about; seeing the unexpected. It will be a great escape and you'll get lots of laughs, music and entertaining.