The McAninch Arts Center (MAC) presents the TheaterWorksUSA production of “The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System” at 7 p.m., Friday, March 27. The musical is based on the popular book series written by Joanna Cole with illustrations by Bruce Degen, published by Scholastic Books. It was subsequently made into the popular animated TV series (1994-1997) featuring the voice of Lily Tomlin as Ms. Frizzle and numerous guest stars including Dolly Parton, Edward James Olmos, Ed Asner, Bebe Neuwirth and more. The series continues to attract new generations of viewers on Netflix.
The first tour of TheaterWorksUSA’s “The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System” began in September 2018, when the company launched the touring production in California and subsequently brought it to venues across North America, including Off-Broadway’s BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, as part of its 2018-2019 season.
Guided by Ms. Frizzle, the class must pull together to find their way across the galaxy while learning as much about teamwork as they do about the solar system. The audience will enjoy watching their favorite characters from the classic book series explore the atmosphere on Mercury, Venus and Mars on an epic interplanetary field trip. “Millions of young people grew up loving ‘The Magic School Bus,’” says TheaterWorksUSA Producing Artistic Director Barbara Pasternack in her production note for the show program. “What child doesn’t dream of having a teacher like Ms. Frizzle? Marshall Pailet, who wrote the script, was also a super-fan of the books and the television series and couldn’t wait to adapt one of the books for the stage.”
“The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System” is written by Marshall Pailet (book) and Matthew Lee Robinson (music & lyrics), based on the book series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. The original creative team for TheaterWorksUSA’s production includes direction and choreography by Connor Gallagher (Broadway: “Beetlejuice”), set design by Jason Sherwood (Broadway: “Living on Love”), costume design by Sarah Cubbage (Broadway: “Skylight,” “Fish in the Dark”), and lighting design by David Lander (Broadway: “The Lightning Thief,” “Torch Song”).
TheaterWorksUSA Magic School Bus: Pictured Back L-R Lexi Rhoades, Kari Gunberg, Tom Meglio:
Front L-R Sumi Yu, Junior Mendez, Jared Loftin. Photo by Jeremy Daniel Photography
TheaterWorksUSA has led the Theater for Young and Family Audiences movement in New York City and across North America for over half a century. TheaterWorksUSA believes that access to art, and theater, in particular, is vital for our youth. Since 1961, the 501(c)3 not-for-profit has captured the imaginations of 100 million new and veteran theatergoers with an award-winning repertoire of over 140 original plays and musicals. Acclaimed alumni include Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Disney’s “Frozen”), Daphne Rubin-Vega (“Rent”), Jerry Zaks (“The Music Man”), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Miguel Cervantes (“Hamilton”), Kathleen Chalfant (“Angels in America”), and Chuck Cooper (Tony award winning actor, “The Life”). Prior to suspending live production due to the pandemic, TheaterWorksUSA’s 2019-2020 season included touring 11 shows around the country, the Broadway premiere of “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” and three world premieres: “Warriors Don’t Cry,” based on the autobiography of Melba Pattillo Beals; “Dog Man: The Musical” Off-Broadway; and “The Pout-Pout Fish,” which opened the New Victory Theater’s season in October 2019. Visit TWUSA.org for more information.
Tickets
McAninch Arts Center, located at 425 Fawell Blvd., presents the TheaterWorksUSA production of “The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System” at 7 p.m., Friday, March 27. Tickets are $19-$24 (Adult) and $17-$24 (Youth). This show is recommended for Grades K through 4. Run time is 60 minutes.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.AtTheMAC.org, by phone at 630.942.4000 or by visiting the MAC Box Office. Box Office hours are noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and two hours prior to performance.
About the MAC
McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and a versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit www.AtTheMAC.org or @AtTheMAC on Facebook and Instagram.
Support for the McAninch Arts Center is provided in part by Enjoy Illinois, DuPage County Board, Illinois Arts Council, Ball Horticultural, Wight & Company, Anonymous, The DuPage Foundation, the Les and Mary Wiberg Fund of the DuPage Foundation, Arts DuPage, JCS Arts Health & Education Fund, Capstone Financial Advisors Molex, Brookdale Senior Living Glen Ellyn, Frank Modruson & Lynne Shigley, Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago, DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville, DuMore DuPage, WDCB 90.9 FM, and College of DuPage Foundation
Established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit www.foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2462.