Kids mimic mammal madness in ‘Madagascar’

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At a recent rehearsal, Karen Coughlan belted out a heartfelt, upbeat solo from the point of view of Marty, a funky zebra who has never known life outside of the Central Park Zoo.

“I could be free, in the wild,” the ninth-grade student sang. She had help from a group of toe-tapping backup singers, some of them barely 4 feet tall.

Karen and the group were practicing for the Riverdale Children’s Theatre’s (RCT) next production, the New York City premiere of “Madagascar: A Musical Adventure.”

The play is a children’s version of “Madagascar Live!” which toured the country several years ago. That was in turn based on the animated DreamWorks film “Madagascar,” which followed four animals on a journey from the zoo to the wilds of the eponymous island.

“Madagascar” is essentially the dream children’s musical: lots of energetic song and dance numbers, plenty of parts and a healthy dose of humor.

Just take the group of four middle school-aged students who play a pack of scheming penguins with truly excellent comedic timing. Try not to laugh as the leader admonishes one penguin for not digging their escape tunnel fast enough and instructs the others distract the zoo’s patrons by telling them, “Smile and wave, boys; smile and wave.”

RCT founder and executive director Derek Woods said this show is special because his group is one of only a few theater companies around the country that were chosen to workshop the musical before its official released.

“It’s not scary, only because the team at DreamWorks and MTI has made a really great show,” he said, referencing Musical Theater International, a company that licenses plays and musicals for theater companies and schools.

“It’s so fun and exciting. The kids love it,” the director added, cutting himself off so he could listen to the energetic opening number in the other room.

“What’s really exciting, too, is a little piece of RTC and the kids will be with the show,” he continued. Mr. Woods explained that he and other staff members will share pictures and notes, so other companies will get to see how RTC staged the production.

Riverdale Children's Theatre, Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, DreamWorks, children's theater, Riverdale, Derek Woods, Isabel Angell
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