This past two weekends the show “The House at Pooh Corner” has been played at Belmont University. It’s a show written by A. A. Milne and adapted by Bettye Knapp. It was directed by Shawn Knight, and assistant directed by Sami Hansen, as well as produced by Paul Gatrell. In summary, the story is about how Pooh and all his friends in the 100 Acre Wood deal with Christopher Robin leaving for school.
Winnie the Pooh was played by Alexandra Ebbs. Piglet was played by Erin-Grace Bailey. Christopher Robin was played by Jack Tanzi. Rabbit was played by Dixie Currey. Rabbit’s nieces, Early and Late, were played by Teacora Sherrill and Hayley Pellis. Kanga and Roo were played by Megan Huggins and CJ Waligurski. Owl was played by Evelyn Petty. The loveable and depressed Eeyore was played by Jacob Gill. The bouncy and energetic Tigger was played by Jake Wallace.
Going into to the theatre you had to enter through Pooh’s Cottage and sign in to his guest book. This did a remarkable job with bringing the story to life in an immersive way. You literally walked into the world of the 100 Acre Wood. Another interesting part was that the costumes were not walking fur suits, but instead they looked like what you expected the characters themselves to wear. Some of the characters had ears and tails, but the outfits spoke more about narrative of the characters. The lighting was colorful, and the sound design really helped transition the different scenes together.
The story ended up as a delightful tale that deals with some of the realities of growing up, yet retain the importance of what it means to keep your childhood friends. The story touched some people so much they began to tear up. I’m not going to spoil the play for you in case you get a chance to see it in the future. I’m going to recommend that if you ever get the chance to see this play, that you should, and that it will be a delightful experience that touches you and helps you go back to the way you were when you were a kid.
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