Family Shows For Children This February At MPAC

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The Mayo Performing Arts Center presents three Family Theatre for Young Children events coming up this February:

All events are $12-15 dollars and are recommended for children ages 4-10.

Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat: Monday, February 5, 2018 at 4 p.m.: Everyone's favorite cat comes to mischievous life in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic. From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that The Cat in the Hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks and the craziest of ideas, he is certainly fun to play with. And he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will Mum find when she comes home ...? Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat is a lively, engaging "play with sound effects" by Two Beans Productions. It was originally adapted by The National Theatre.

Mammoth Follies Sunday, February 11, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.: Dinosaurs roam the MPAC stage! Explore scientific facts and explode myths about the dinosaur era in this prehistoric musical revue performed by enormous creatures! This program dramatizes historic and scientific facts (as well as some myths) about the great age of the dinosaur. Enormous puppets populate the stage, including your host Willie Mammoth, Smiley the Saber-Toothed Tiger, Bessie the lovable 27-foot long Apatosaurus, Tony and Trixie Triceratops, Terry the Pterodactyl, and the 11-foot tall T. Rex in a musical trip through pre-history.

Go, Dog. Go! Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 4 p.m.: P.D. Eastman's book comes to life in a frolicking musical party that's gone to the dogs! Featuring audience participation, this hilarious visual spectacle is a musical romp full of surprises, singing/barking, and of course, six lovable dogs! Performed by Childsplay. Founded in 1977, Childsplay is a nationally and internationally respected professional theatre company whose chosen audience is children. Childsplay believes that young people deserve to experience challenging, thought-provoking theatre of the highest artistic quality.

This is not for children specifically, but also in February at MAYO:

Mayo Performing Arts Center presents the Walnut Street Theatre's comedic mystery thriller Baskerville, by Ken Ludwig, Friday, February 9 at 8 p.m.: Tickets are $29-$69. Laughter is "elementary my dear Watson." Ken Ludwig's acclaimed adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 classic mystery, The Hound of the Baskervilles, is full of intrigue and. laughs. The male heirs of the Baskerville line are being murdered one by one and the renowned sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, along with his trusted side-kick Dr. Watson, must work feverishly to crack the curse before it dooms the newest heir.

Witness five talented actors playing 40 quirky characters, and venture deep into a world filled with disguises, silly accents and murderous deceit. The journey winds through treacherous Devonshire moors, crowded railway stations, foggy London streets and gloomy baronial mansions. Join the investigation as these intrepid detectives follow leads, unravel clues, hit dead-ends, and zigzag with the story until the shockingly funny conclusion. All is not what it seems. Do you know whodunit?

Walnut Street Theatre, America's Oldest Theatre, celebrated 200 years of great entertainment in 2009. Most noteworthy American actors of the 19th century and many from the 20th century have appeared on stage at the Walnut. Some of the Walnut's shining stars include: Edwin Forrest, Edwin Booth, the Drews, the Barrymores, George M. Cohan, Will Rogers, The Marx Brothers, Helen Hayes, Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Ethel Waters, Audrey Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Lauren Bacall, George C. Scott, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Julie Harris, Jack Lemon and William Shatner.

The theatre has been home to many pre-Broadway try-outs of plays that would go on to become American classics, such as A Streetcar Named Desire starring Marlon Brando, A Raisin in the Sun featuring Sydney Poitier, The Diary of Anne Frank featuring Susan Strasberg, Mister Roberts, starring Henry Fonda, and Neil Simon's first Broadway play, Come Blow Your Horn.

The Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey.

Go Dog, Go!

Mammoth Follies: