The Alliance Theatre to Present the World Premiere of THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY
The musical adaptation comes to life on the Hertz Stage at Alliance Theatre, July 13 – August 14, 2022.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 10, 2022
The Alliance Theatre has announced its upcoming world-premiere musical production, THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY. Based on the witty and charming children's book by Oliver Jeffers, THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY celebrates the joy of reading and the insatiable appetite for knowledge in a hilarious family production. The musical adaptation comes to life on the Hertz Stage at Alliance Theatre, July 13 - August 14, 2022.
Jeffers has written and illustrated more than 20 picture books in his career. From his 2004 debut "How to Catch a Star" to his more recent titles such as 2017's "Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth," his work has been translated into more than 50 languages and sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. As an artist and storyteller, Jeffers crafts tales imbued with humor and humanity, with characters and creatures that have fascinated both children and adults alike.
In the Alliance's world premiere telling of THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY, lead character Henry loves books. But he hates reading them. Because books are so full of... words! Annoying, complicated, indecipherable words! Then one day he discovers the most amazing alternative to reading - eating the books whole. By chowing down, chomping, and literally digesting the contents of whole libraries, Henry gets smarter, and smarter, and smarter... until his tummy doesn't feel so good. A story about literally biting off more than you can chew, this delightful musical is great fun for the whole family.
The cast for THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY features Alexander Chen as Henry, Rhyn McLemore as Ms. Penn/Mom, Brad Raymond as Dad/Doctor/Game Show Host, India Tyree as Olivia/Reporter/Student/Artist, and Juan Carlos Unzueta as Rover/Jeff/Reporter/Student. Jontavious Johnson and Kyra Peirce serve as understudies.
THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY is directed by the Artistic Director of Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company, Jamil Jude, and marks the fourth production at the Alliance by playwright Madhuri Shekar, a former winner of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition.
The creative team includes Choreographer Danielle Swatzie, Lyricist Christian Albright, Composer Christian Magby, Set Designer Kat Conley, Costume Designer An-lin Dauber, Sound Designer Jeremiah Davison, Lighting Designer Ben Rawson, and Music Director Chris Brent Davis. Additional production support is provided by Stage Manager Liz Campbell, Line Producer Christopher Moses, COVID Coordinator Haylee Scott, and Young Performer Supervisor Kate Walsh.
"The book is a really charming and beautifully written picture book about a boy who just wants to be one of the smart kids and doesn't want to be left behind," said Playwright Madhuri Shekar. "Having never done a musical before, this was a great opportunity to come back to the Alliance and bring this story to life. The songs are fantastic. They are like earworms. Once you hear them, you won't be able to get rid of them. What Christian Magby and Christian Albright were able to do with the music is really special."
THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY is produced in collaboration with the High Museum of Art's Oliver Jeffers: 15 Years of Picturing Books exhibition (April 15 - August 7, 2022) featuring 80 original drawings, sketches and finished illustrations by the award-winning artist and children's book author. The retrospective exhibition draws from 16 of Jeffers' picture books spanning his career, including the wildly popular New York Times bestseller "The Day the Crayons Quit" as well as "The Incredible Book Eating Boy," "A Child of Books," and "Once Upon an Alphabet." This collaboration with the High marks the seventh joint effort to celebrate a children's book artist & author with an exhibition and production.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children 6-17, $5 for children 3-5, and free for children under 3. Tickets are available at the Alliance Theatre Box Office in person or by calling 404.733.4600, or by going online to www.alliancetheatre.org/bookeatingboy.
VENUE INFORMATION:
HERTZ STAGE AT Alliance Theatre
Woodruff Arts Center, Memorial Arts Building
1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
DISCOUNTS:
GROUP DISCOUNTS
Groups of 10+ receive discounts on the price of tickets and are not charged for box office fees. 404.733.4690
TICKETS FOR TEACHERS
Tickets for Teachers is a unique program that provides educators with valid teachers ID free tickets for select early performances of all Alliance Theatre productions. Restrictions apply. Visit http://alliancetheatre.org/content/tickets-teachers for details.
See all discounts and special offers here - http://alliancetheatre.org/content/ticket-discounts
SPECIAL EVENTS:
EARLY LEARNER PERFORMANCES!
August 3-4 and August 10-11
Before select performances of THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY the Alliance will provide special activities designed for audiences ages 2 - 5.
DONATE A BOOK FOR HENRY TO DEVOUR! THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY BOOK DRIVE!
July 1 - July 30, 2022
In Partnership with Children Read Atlanta and The Empowered Readers Literacy Project, the Alliance Theatre will host a book drive campaign in celebration of its world premiere musical, The Incredible Book Eating Boy. During the month of July, your child can receive a free ticket to see the production when they bring a gently used book to "feed" Henry, the incredible book eating boy, at one of the participating bookstores and farmer's markets. Book donations will also be accepted at the Alliance Theatre during the run of the show, July 13-August 14. Books with diverse characters and that inspire diversity of perspectives are especially encouraged. All books donated from this effort will be distributed by our partners to Head Start programs, classrooms, and community organizations. Get inspired to give and read this summer. Tickets will be handed out for promotional purposes. The Alliance Theatre will give one (1) child ticket for each child that brings in a book to a participating location. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
Please visit one of these participating bookstores to donate:
Brave + Kind Bookshop (Decatur)
722 W College Ave, Decatur, GA 30030
Virginia Highlands Books (Virginia-Highlands)
1034 North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30306
Tall Tales Bookshop (North Druid Hills)
2105 Lavista Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329
For Farmer's Market Locations, visit www.empoweredreaders.org.
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