Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Disney’s gently pitched stage adaptation of WINNIE THE POOH soothes and utterly charms

• By drediman
• November 23, 2021
• No Comments

Since the stage adaptation of the Oscar-nominated animated film Beauty and the Beast opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre back in 1994, Disney has become a trusted brand in theatrical entertainment. Currently augmenting the entertainment juggernaut’s current offerings on the Great White Way (i.e., the long-running hits The Lion King and Aladdin) is this fall’s family-friendly stage version of Winnie the Pooh at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row complex.

In short, the musical adaptation (with nostalgia-inducing songs by the Sherman Brothers) – which I caught last weekend – is utterly charming. While aimed squarely at the young ones in the audience, I was nonetheless, as a seasoned adult theatergoer, thoroughly smitten by the genuine stage magic conjured by the production. It’s a scenario in which script, music, design elements, and performances have seamlessly come together in service of a singe purpose and vision – a feat that most theatrical endeavors frankly fail to fully accomplish. Indeed, for all of an hour, I was a wide-eyed child all over again as I followed Pooh in his adventuresome pursuit of honey.

Winnie the Pooh has been smoothly and unassumingly directed with loving attention to detail by Jonathan Rockefeller, who gently pitches the show such that the overall effect is as soothing as it entertaining (in stark contrast to Aladdin a few blocks down on 42nd Street, which bombards the senses, for better or worse). The enchanting puppetry beautifully balances hand-made craftiness with the property’s iconic artwork. Last but not least, the small cast of actors-cum-puppeteers are nothing short of winning (especially the wonderful Jake Bazel’s beguiling work as Pooh), embodying the characters with disarming sweetness and innocence.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

WINNIE THE POOH
Off-Broadway, Musical
Theatre Row
1 hour (without an intermission)
Open run