MOUSE KING Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary With a Run at The Mandelstam Theater

The scintillating MOUSE KING marks its 10th anniversary with a four-day run beginning on December 8 at The Mandelstam Theater, located on the campus of The Mandelstam School in South Miami. Conceived by Sesame Street and Jim Henson Company veteran Noel MacNeal, and the award-winning singer-songwriter and prolific composer of children's musical theater Jim Camacho, MOUSE KING is a spellbinding musical that reimagines the famed story of the The Nutcracker as told by the nutcracker's adversaries - the mice.

Master puppeteers James Wojtal Jr., who built the puppets employed in the production, will perform in the show, along with guest artists from New York City, some of whom make regular appearances on Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. And with a large cast of gifted child actors from the Miami area also appearing on stage, MOUSE KING promises to deliver an imaginative twist to a long-revered Christmas classic.

MacNeal conceived the idea of flipping the Nutcracker script by which the Nutcracker would be the villain and the Mouse King would be the hero. He teamed with Camacho to craft a musical that has become a timeless masterpiece that unsurprisingly has generated warm recollections for MacNeal, Camacho, and Wojtal.

"I am still so proud and honored that this idea I had ten years ago has and continues to delight families for the holiday season as a South Miami tradition," says MacNeal.

Camacho says he is "so grateful that 10 years ago the Mandelstam theater took a chance on this show and Mouse King made it from the page to the stage. The kids' enthusiasm and energy bring this show to life, and I can't wait for people to see this 10th anniversary run."

Camacho adds that "With its soaring villains, captivating magical mice, and a heartfelt message, Mouse King brings the key to Christmas to life - and that 'Key' is love." A prolific composer, Camacho also wrote the musicals Fools' Paradise, which enjoyed a run off-Broadway, The Cavie Islanders and the Troll, and The Guru of Gir, among others.

Wojtal expresses his amazement about a musical that has evolved into "such a tradition. What started as a simple prose story by Noel has over time developed into this lavish musical, with songs by Jim and a few puppets by myself, with dancing mice and marching soldiers live on stage."

The 10th anniversary of MOUSE KING is not only being fondly remembered by the musical's creators, but also by cast members who performed in the show as youngsters.

Ben Rosenthal was a child actor in MOUSE KING and states that the musical "has always been near and dear to me! It was such an honor to originate the role of KRACATUK and I'm so glad to see that the tradition continues to this day. HAPPY CHRISMOUSE!"

Rosenthal is currently program manager and research assistant at the Cyber Policy Center at Stanford University. He graduated from Harvard in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Statistics and a master's degree in Linguistics. He produced several musicals, including an international tour of Electra graciously supported by The Mandelstam Theater.

Another child actor showing fuzzy feelings for MOUSE KING is Ricardo Alzetta, a sophomore at Chapman University, who is working on a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

"My love for the craft originated 10 years ago when I was given the opportunity to be in a beautiful new musical called Mouse King," says Alzetta, who originated the role of MOUSERICK/RICKY. "It's crazy to think how long ago that was because it feels as if yesterday, I was stepping into the world of the Kingdom of Sweets! Since then, I have been able to work on professional TV shows as well as feature films. Not only did The Mouse King ignite my love for acting, but it also showed me that magic does truly exist, you just have to find it!"

Undoubtedly, the new crop of aspiring, young thespians will harbor pleasant remembrances of this season's milestone MOUSE KING shows, along with the families on hand to catch Yuletide history in the making at the Mandelstam Theater.

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