THE PUMPKIN KID to Return to Denver at Historic Elitch Theatre

Following its Denver debut, THE PUMPKIN KID will return for its second year with a new home, and an even more magical setting: Historic Elitch Theatre, Denver's legendary 1891 theatre in the Highlands. Performances will run October 3-11.

A toe-tapping musical fable for families, The Pumpkin Kid combines live theatre and music with an optional hands-on pumpkin carving experience that invites audiences to take a little piece of the story home with them.

First presented at Soho Playhouse in New York City, The Pumpkin Kid features book, music & lyrics by Jeff LaGreca and Suzanne Slade. It's based on the beloved children's book by LaGreca and local artist Barry Brown.

The Pumpkin Kid follows an orphan who arrives in town with a wagon full of misshapen pumpkins. Along the way, he encounters three unhappy neighbors: a surly blacksmith, a disillusioned woodcarver, and an embittered tailor.

Each lends him a discarded tool-a battered saw, a broken spoon, and a twisted hat pin. With these unlikely instruments, the Pumpkin Kid creates carvings that transform even the most cracked and ruined of hearts.

At its heart, The Pumpkin Kid is a story about kindness, forgiveness, redemption, and hope.

'It's a beautiful story for all ages about what happens when we look beyond the cracks in ourselves and in each other,' says writer/director Jeff LaGreca. 'Sometimes, a tiny pinhole is all it takes for the light to find its way in.'

For its second Denver season, The Pumpkin Kid moves to Historic Elitch Theatre, located at 4600 W. 37th Place in Denver's Highland neighborhood.

Built in 1891, Historic Elitch Theatre is one of Denver's most storied cultural landmarks and is closely connected to the history of the original Elitch Gardens. The theatre has welcomed generations of performers and has played an important role in Denver's theatrical history.

'There's something wonderfully fitting about bringing The Pumpkin Kid to the Historic Elitch Theatre,' says co-writer Suzanne Slade. 'It's a theatre with its own remarkable history, and staging the show right on its historic stage-with the audience becoming part of the experience-makes it feel as though we're inviting families into a little bit of that community and magic.'

Returning cast members, Jane Curry, Karey Montoya-James, Bryan Plummer and Rob Utesch will be joined by Stephen Bertles as Bartolo, David Hintz as the Blacksmith and Denver's incomparable stalwart, Annie Dwyer as the Woodcarver.

Directed by New York theater veteran, Jeff LaGreca (The Android's New Soul, Maude Carpenter's The Thing, Minimum Wage), with musical direction by Suzanne Slade and choreography by Nick Sugar.