‘Mummy’ Returns To Wagon Wheel This Weekend
October 25, 2017 at 6:57 p.m.
‘Mummy’ Returns To Wagon Wheel This Weekend
By David [email protected]
“I Want My Mummy Returns” will be at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts. The $12 ticket price includes the Not-So-Haunted-Open House in the theater lobby starting at 12:30 p.m.
“It’s not a sequel, it’s a reinstallment,” said Assistant Director Jennifer Dow of the musical. “It’s essentially the same show we did in 2013 and 2012. 2012 was the first year the Junior program started, then we repeated it in 2013 because it was a huge hit. And we did some other Halloween shows in between and realized it’s time to bring this one back because it’s such a crowd favorite.”
Artistic Director Scott Michaels said all but one of the 26 kids in the musical are new to the show.
He said the musical is a typical Halloween show with everyone’s favorite creatures – Frankenstein, a mummy, Dracula, a bride, Igor and more. “It’s just a fun, spoofy kind of comedy based around those characters. It’s a lot of fun,” he said.
There also are 14 zombies in the ensemble who aren’t scary but get to be back-up singers. “Who doesn’t want to dress up like a zombie?” Dow asked.
“The plot premise of it is very simple. The baroness – who is essentially Dr. Frankenstein – she doesn’t own the home but she is running the home and she has taken in all the wayward monsters of the world that don’t fit in, and they all live with her,” Dow explained.
The monsters find out the baroness doesn’t own the house but has been getting money to run it and be the housekeeper. When the rich woman who owns the home stops in for a visit to see how her property is doing, all the monsters have to take on roles as house staff, she said.
“It’s funny. There’s a happy ending, of course – the rich matron lady falls in love with the werewolf,” Dow said with a laugh. “It’s so light-hearted. There’s nothing scary about it.”
Since the Wagon Wheel started offering the Junior shows, Dow said they’ve offered three to four every year, including the summer camp shows. Michaels estimated they’ve done 19 productions, and some of the kids in the Junior shows end up in the professional summer and Christmas productions.
“It’s kind of a grooming thing. Most of the kids in (the Christmas show) ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ will be your Junior kids. We try to get them experience to kind of get them to know what it’s like to work as professionals, and then we use them in the summer season and we use them in Christmas show as much as possible. It really gives them some good experience,” Michaels said.
The Junior kids often go on to do high school productions and shows in area theaters.
For “I Want My Mummy Returns,” Michaels said 75 to 80 kids auditioned. Dow said they started with 28 kids for this weekend’s production, but two had to drop out. She said 14 kids are in the Christmas show.
“Of the 75 that auditioned, we used about half of them,” Dow said.
Michaels added that rehearsals are only two weeks.
“We do that intentionally so it’s less of a commitment for the parents and the kids,” Dow said.
In the lobby before each show is the Not-So-Haunted-Open House.
“The open house, I think, is the best part,” Michaels said.
Dow added, “They get to do the fun activities for free if they have a ticket for the show.”
“There’s trick-or-treating, there’s face painting, there’s the slime thing, there’s games, there’s a costume contest,” Michaels said.
First place in the costume contest gets tickets to “Miracle on 34th Street” and second place gets tickets to magician Justin Flom on Feb. 16.
“All the kids dress up in costume, which is great to see what they do,” Michaels said. “We have a photo station for Facebook. We have a bake sale. It’s just a big event.”
“I Want My Mummy Returns” is sponsored in part by Mickey Fisher and Julie Cardia, both Wagon Wheel alum. Fisher has become a writer and producer known for the television show “Extant” and episodes of “Strain.” His new show, “Reverie,” comes out on NBC in March. Cardia is on a national tour of “Les Miserables.”
Dow and Michaels said Fisher really created and spearheaded the youth program at the Wagon Wheel. Because of his success, he’s been giving back to the Junior program since then.
“Without them, these kind of things wouldn’t be possible,” Michaels said.
The show is about one hour.
General admission tickets for “I Want My Mummy Returns” are $12 and available through the box office, at www.wagonwheelcenter.org or by calling 574-372-8041.
“I Want My Mummy Returns” will be at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts. The $12 ticket price includes the Not-So-Haunted-Open House in the theater lobby starting at 12:30 p.m.
“It’s not a sequel, it’s a reinstallment,” said Assistant Director Jennifer Dow of the musical. “It’s essentially the same show we did in 2013 and 2012. 2012 was the first year the Junior program started, then we repeated it in 2013 because it was a huge hit. And we did some other Halloween shows in between and realized it’s time to bring this one back because it’s such a crowd favorite.”
Artistic Director Scott Michaels said all but one of the 26 kids in the musical are new to the show.
He said the musical is a typical Halloween show with everyone’s favorite creatures – Frankenstein, a mummy, Dracula, a bride, Igor and more. “It’s just a fun, spoofy kind of comedy based around those characters. It’s a lot of fun,” he said.
There also are 14 zombies in the ensemble who aren’t scary but get to be back-up singers. “Who doesn’t want to dress up like a zombie?” Dow asked.
“The plot premise of it is very simple. The baroness – who is essentially Dr. Frankenstein – she doesn’t own the home but she is running the home and she has taken in all the wayward monsters of the world that don’t fit in, and they all live with her,” Dow explained.
The monsters find out the baroness doesn’t own the house but has been getting money to run it and be the housekeeper. When the rich woman who owns the home stops in for a visit to see how her property is doing, all the monsters have to take on roles as house staff, she said.
“It’s funny. There’s a happy ending, of course – the rich matron lady falls in love with the werewolf,” Dow said with a laugh. “It’s so light-hearted. There’s nothing scary about it.”
Since the Wagon Wheel started offering the Junior shows, Dow said they’ve offered three to four every year, including the summer camp shows. Michaels estimated they’ve done 19 productions, and some of the kids in the Junior shows end up in the professional summer and Christmas productions.
“It’s kind of a grooming thing. Most of the kids in (the Christmas show) ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ will be your Junior kids. We try to get them experience to kind of get them to know what it’s like to work as professionals, and then we use them in the summer season and we use them in Christmas show as much as possible. It really gives them some good experience,” Michaels said.
The Junior kids often go on to do high school productions and shows in area theaters.
For “I Want My Mummy Returns,” Michaels said 75 to 80 kids auditioned. Dow said they started with 28 kids for this weekend’s production, but two had to drop out. She said 14 kids are in the Christmas show.
“Of the 75 that auditioned, we used about half of them,” Dow said.
Michaels added that rehearsals are only two weeks.
“We do that intentionally so it’s less of a commitment for the parents and the kids,” Dow said.
In the lobby before each show is the Not-So-Haunted-Open House.
“The open house, I think, is the best part,” Michaels said.
Dow added, “They get to do the fun activities for free if they have a ticket for the show.”
“There’s trick-or-treating, there’s face painting, there’s the slime thing, there’s games, there’s a costume contest,” Michaels said.
First place in the costume contest gets tickets to “Miracle on 34th Street” and second place gets tickets to magician Justin Flom on Feb. 16.
“All the kids dress up in costume, which is great to see what they do,” Michaels said. “We have a photo station for Facebook. We have a bake sale. It’s just a big event.”
“I Want My Mummy Returns” is sponsored in part by Mickey Fisher and Julie Cardia, both Wagon Wheel alum. Fisher has become a writer and producer known for the television show “Extant” and episodes of “Strain.” His new show, “Reverie,” comes out on NBC in March. Cardia is on a national tour of “Les Miserables.”
Dow and Michaels said Fisher really created and spearheaded the youth program at the Wagon Wheel. Because of his success, he’s been giving back to the Junior program since then.
“Without them, these kind of things wouldn’t be possible,” Michaels said.
The show is about one hour.
General admission tickets for “I Want My Mummy Returns” are $12 and available through the box office, at www.wagonwheelcenter.org or by calling 574-372-8041.
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