A WINNING WINNIE

Just in time to join in Â the Â celebration of Â the Â 95th anniversary of Â the Â beloved children’s character, Â the Â Mercury Â Theater is making a bold and commemorative move on its mainstage. Never before have Â they put a children’s show in Â their regular rotation. After wonderfully received post-pandemic, yet more traditional productions, including Â Sister Act Â and Â Women of Soul, is Â their gamble worth it? Of course! Disney’s Â Winnie Â the Â Pooh — The Â New Stage Adaptation Â is an adorable, quick-paced and inspired production. Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter is making daring moves on behalf of the reopened Mercury, pouncing on this new show that just wrapped its world premiere in New York (the show opens again Off-Broadway June 18). Now booked for a limited 13-week run, Pooh Â and company are brought to three dimensional life eight times a week. Following Â the Â format of Timon and Pumbaa from Disney’s Â The Â Lion King Â and Olaf from Â Frozen Â the Â Musical, Â the Â actors playing Â the Â characters are purposely not hidden from view. Â Their faces and performances as just as important as Â their endearing puppetry. Fans of all ages will marvel at Â the Â results.

Set in Â the classic Hundred Acre Woods, a secret and hidden forest clearing, young Christopher Robin lets his imagination come to life when he plays with his famous fictional teddy bear Â and his world of wonderful friends. Originally created by English author and World War l veteran, Alan Alexander Milne, Â Pooh’s popularity stems from Â the Â characters’ relatability and innocence. With that in mind, Â the live action show is both created and directed by Jonathan Rockefeller and produced in association with Disney Theatrical Group. Disney’s involvement upped Â the Â show’s game exponentially. Â The Â puppets are credited to builder Matthew Lish and his team of artists, designers, patternmakers, welders and fabricators at Rockefeller Productions. If you elect to invest in Â the Â VIP Package at Â the Â Mercury, you are invited to take photos after Â the Â show with Â the Â characters on stage. Just be forewarned, no touching of Â the Â life-sized puppets. Not that I made that mistake.

As for Â the Â performers, Jake Bazel completely embodies the Â essence of Â Winnie Â the Â Pooh. I flashed back to childhood immediately upon his first utterance of Â Pooh’s signature “Oh Bother.†Mimicking Sterling Holloway, Â the Â original voice actor from Â the 1960s but making Â the character solidly his own. Scene stealer Emmanuel Elpenord was tasked with bringing a trio of characters to life; sad sack donkey, Eeyore, knowledgeable Owl and persnickety Rabbit. He nailed all three, Eeyore clearly proving to be the Â audience favorite. Tina-Kim Nguyen brought Â Pooh’s pint-sized best friend Piglet to life. The Â bombastic Tigger given all Â the energy and, well, bounce, from Sebastiano Ricci. William Daily is Â the Â only performer to not have a puppet strapped to his person, portraying Â the young Christopher Robin.

Credited as a musical, songs performed include all of Â the Â fan favorites; “Winnie Â the Â Poohâ€, “The Â Wonderful Thing About Tiggersâ€, “Sing-Ho (For Â the Life of a Bear)†and “Whoop-De-Dooper Bounceâ€. These little ditties hand selected from several previously produced Â Pooh programming’s; Â  and Â  featurettes Winnie Â the Â Pooh Â & Â the Â Honey Tree (1966) and Winnie Â the Â Pooh Â & Â the Blustery Day (1968), Â The Tigger Movie Â (2000), and Piglet’s Big Movie (2003). Believe it or not, previous Â Pooh Â projects have collectively earned an Oscar, Grammy and Daytime Emmy awards, so why not develop a stage show with aspirations to complete Â the Â EGOT? I might be jumping Â the Â gun here, but while waiting for that illusive Tony trophy, I was surprised to discover back on April 11, 2006, Â Winnie Â the Â Pooh Â also received a Star on Â the Â Hollywood Walk of Fame. Â Pooh Â is just Â the Â fourth Disney character ever to receive this recognition, following in Â the Â illustrious footsteps, or pawprints, of Mickey Mouse, Snow White and Donald Duck. Not too shabby for a honey-nibbling Ursidae.

The story is made up of vignettes from a few very well-known Winnie Â the Â Pooh animated adventures by Disney, all culled from the Â pages of multiple storybooks. Â The most delightful and giggle inducing visual is Pooh’s head stuck in a tree, aimlessly kicking his hind legs in Â the Â air while his friends concoct a scheme for his eventual rescue. Set over a single calendar year, we collectively get to experience all four seasons, with “leaves†blowing and “snowflakes†falling over Â the Â first few rows of Â the Â audience in attendance. Zach Pizza’s lighting and Jack Golden’s scenic design help craft Â the Â passage of time and seasons with heartwarming results. Golden’s take on Rabbit’s garden deserves a closeup, pre-show look. Anyone with even Â the Â slightest of green thumbs will get a chuckle out of Â the Â details.

A source of consternation and immediate post-show debate was Lindsay McWilliams’ costuming. Dressed in denim and neutral tones, Â the Â actors fit right into Â the Â proceedings effortlessly, not pulling focus from Â their puppet partners. I personally appreciated we could see Â the Â actors’ faces during Â their performance. Others I was chatting with thought Â they should all be adorned in black from head to toe, like a stage hand. That level of stark black wouldn’t fit in this world, surely standing out against Â the pale pastel landscape that Christopher Robin’s imagination created. Seems everyone’s a critic nowadays, but this review space is solidly mine.

This is a delightful romp. Not too heavy (or more importantly, long) for the Â kiddos to sit through and not too slow for Â the Â adults who accompany Â them. Whimsical, nostalgic and oh-so-charming, this winning trip to Â the Â Hundred Acre Woods, by way of Â the Â Mercury Â Theater, will delight. Just make sure to bring your credit card. Being a Disney production, Â the lobby is full of must-have, take-home, souvenir swag.

photos Â courtesy of Rockefeller Productions

Winnie the Pooh – The New Musical Stage Adaptation
Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 North Southport
Thurs at 7pm; Fri at 10am and 7pm; Sat at 10am, 2pm and 7pm; Sun at 11am and 3pm
ends on June 12, 2022
for tickets, call 773.325.1700 or visit Mercury Theater

returns Off-Broadway June 18 thru July 31, 2022
Hundred Acre Theatre at Â Theatre Row, 410 West 42^nd Street
for tickets, visit winniethepoohshow