RUNAWAY RUE To Have World Premiere At Hollywood Fringe!

Most dog owners have heartfelt and hilarious stories to tell about their beloved pets, but very few have pups responsible for not one, but two musical productions! Lucky for Emmy-winning director, writer, producer and puppet artist Stacey Weingarten, her real-life rescue dog Rue continues to inspire.

And so Runaway Rue makes its world premiere at Actors Company this June as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

Runaway Rue is a family-friendly pop musical told by a colorful cast of puppets and people and aimed at kids 4-10, but fun for all ages. When Rue's "Furever Mom" drops a bombshell--they're moving across the country!-Rue is one devastated dog. Even Rue's Fairy Dogmother can't change her mind about moving to Hollywoof, especially when Rue learns she's moving in with a new stepdad and his a-little-too-perfect and lovable puppy named Jack. A family she never bargained for, a place that doesn't feel like home...what's a dog to do, but run away? Alone and confused on the streets of L.A., Rue befriends a self-assured cat named Moo Kitty before eventually returning home to a very worried family, but not before realizing that Furever Home is a place in your heart with the family you choose.

"The show is inspired by our (me and Rue) move to L.A. to become part of a blended family with my now-fiance and his pup Jack," Weingarten said. "We weren't sure how Rue would react to her new brother and life in L.A., and I struggled with leaving my beloved "Big Chew Toy" (NYC) behind after fifteen years there. The show's ending was actually written before we got engaged, so life imitated art."

Though a standalone story, Runaway Rue is actually the second musical in a series, following Rescue Rue, which made its off-Broadway debut in 2021. Despite premiering right in the middle of the Omnicron spike, the show still received both patron and critical acclaim, with one critic saying the show was like "if Jonathan Larson directed Sesame Street."

Funny enough, Weingarten, a seasoned puppet artist, has worked on Sesame Street, along with The Muppets, Avenue Q and pretty much anything else where puppets are involved. Through her company Chinese Mother Jewish Daughter, she develops projects that explore social awareness through entertainment. For Runaway Rue, she has teamed up with L.A.-based songwriter, composer, producer and artist Angela Parrish, who wrote the music and co-wrote lyrics for the show. An accomplished artist who has teamed up with music stars of all genres, Parrish's work (writing, composing and singing) can be heard across screens big and small.

Together the team has created a truly unique show for kids and adults (think Disney/Pixar in tone) with catchy tunes, laughs, heart and several puppets based on real-life rescue dogs and cats. On that note, Weingarten proudly boasts that almost everyone on the Runaway Rue team has rescue animals in their lives. Plus, she is donating a portion of ticket sales to the rescue that saved her Rue, Badass Animal Rescue in New York.

While Weingarten is thrilled to present the show to Fringe audiences, she would love to eventually land a longer run and possibly even a tour (ideally with both Rescue Rue and Runaway Rue in rep!) to bring further exposure to a topic near and dear to her heart.

"The show is driven by its pro-rescue messaging, so the more kids and families that get to see it, the better chance they choose to adopt when taking the leap into pet ownership," she said. "Rue changed my life for so much good, we were so meant to be, and I just want other folks to find their furever friends too."

Runaway Rue

Stacey Weingarten - Concept, Book, Lyrics, Director

Angela Parrish - Music, Lyrics

Making its World Premiere, Runaway Rue is a family-friendly pop musical told by a colorful cast of puppets and people and aimed at kids 4-10, but fun for all ages. When Rue's "Furever Mom" drops a bombshell--they're moving across the country!-Rue is one devastated dog. Even Rue's Fairy Dogmother can't change her mind about moving to Hollywoof, especially when Rue learns she's moving in with a new stepdad and his a-little-too-perfect and lovable puppy named Jack. A family she never bargained for, a place that doesn't feel like home...what's a dog to do, but run away? Alone and confused on the streets of L.A., Rue befriends a self-assured cat named Moo Kitty before eventually returning home to a very worried family, but not before realizing that Furever Home is a place in your heart with the family you choose.

June 4 - 12:15 p.m.

June 9 - 7:15 p.m.

June 11 - 11:15 a.m.

June 17 - 8:45 p.m.

June 18 - 12 p.m.

Actors Company

916 N. Formosa Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90046