The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fairly Stupid Tales

From LPC: Las Positas College Theater Arts presents the musical production of "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" from May 4-11 in the Black Box Theater in the Mertes Center for the Arts at Las Positas College.

Based on the beloved children's book by Lane Smith and John Scieszka, Stinky Cheese Man brings to life many of the beloved fairy tales that you may have heard growing up and turns them upside down. John Gore adapted these stories for the stage and they are brought to life with scenes and visuals straight from the source material. Though the characters may be familiar, each of the favorite storybook fables is uproariously derailed in this adaptation of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith's quintessential children's book of fractured fairy tales. Everything from "Chicken Little" to "The Gingerbread Man" gets a complete makeover. Fun music and witty narration accompany the likes of ineloquent giants, sassy barnyard animals, colossal cow pies, and enough stinky cheese to go around.

The book and musical are targeted toward young audiences, but the stories and humor connect to all ages. "It was a book I fell in love with growing up," says Jeff Zavattero, who appears as characters such as Foxy Loxy and The Ugly Duckling. "I vividly remember reading the book several times as a child and laughing hysterically. When I picked it up later as an adult I found myself still laughing - but sometimes for different reasons I didn't understand as a child!"

"My daughter loved reading this book in elementary school," Director Wendy Wisely said of Stinky Cheese Man. " When I was her age I used to watch 'Fractured Fairy Tales' on TV, which were similarly silly retellings of well known stories, and I love how it has humor that appeals to all ages. Humor which is both visual and language based."

One performance of this production will also feature a "sensory-friendly" performance on Saturday, May 11th at 1 p.m. Sensory-friendly performances are designed to create a performing arts experience that is welcoming to all families with children with autism or with other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities. When asked why it was so important to include a sensory-friendly performance, Wisely had this to day: "My first professional experience was working with theatre for young audiences. I wrote, directed, and performed with the Children's Theatre Workshop, which used to be in Pleasanton and performed in schools all over the Bay Area. I learned how challenging and rewarding it is to perform for these audiences. It is a huge responsibility knowing that we are often their first experience with live theatre so we have to make it the best experience possible."

"The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" runs from May 4th through May 12th. The performance times are Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. General admission tickets are $5 for children up to age 17 and $15 for anyone 18 and older. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Box Office before the show at 3000 Campus Hill Dr, Livermore, CA 94551 but they are selling quickly!

For tickets and more information, please visit LasPositasCollege.edu/Theater or contact Titian Lish at tlish@laspositascollege.edu. She can also be reached by telephone at (925) 424-1127.