The comical creatures of the Hundred Acre Wood will be brought to life when Gilmer High School (GHS) Theatre’s young actors and actresses present their first show of the new year.
The House at Pooh Corner will be presented at the GHS Linda Miller Theater Friday, Jan. 24-Sunday, Jan. 26. Showtimes are Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 3 and 7 p.m. and a Sunday matinée at 3 p.m.
The full-length play adapted from the 1928 book by Winnie the Pooh creator, British author A.A. Milne, features the entire gang of Christopher Robin’s animal pals including Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo.
In this chapter, all are concerned about their future with Christopher Robin, who is bound for school. There’s also the pressing concern of a house that needs to be built.
“The primary plot is that Eeyore needs a house and they are building one for him,” said James Fuller, the show’s director.
The play’s script also introduces another popular character from the Pooh stories, Tigger, who bounces into the proceedings and takes the other animals by surprise.
“The play assumes you know that all these other characters know each other, but Tigger is seen as an outsider. It’s almost an origin story for him,” Fuller explained. “There are also a few more rabbits who are representative of Rabbit’s extended family, as well as a few extra animals.”
The books that spawned the stage adaptation eventually led to Milne’s characters becoming staples of Disney children’s animation, as well as appearing in the song “House at Pooh Corner,” a 1971 hit for folk-rock duo Loggins and Messina.
Fuller said the show was last staged at GHS in 2003 when he was still a student who played the part of Late Rabbit.
“There is a Late Rabbit (character) and an Early Rabbit (character),” he said.
As it was then, the show will be presented with full costuming, Fuller noted.
“This was probably one of the last shows (former theatre director) Linda Miller directed at GHS before she passed away. It was a big production and a lot of work was put into it. It’s a pretty hard show (as far as dialogue),” he said. “It’s not a really long full-length, but it’s definitely longer than a one act.”
The House at Pooh Corner is a family-friendly production, Fuller confirmed. He noted how Milne’s writing allows for enjoyment by audience members of all ages, many of whom likely read Winnie the Pooh books to their own children after growing up with the timeless characters, themselves.
“At the time this play was made, it was probably written with the intention of being a children’s play, which it really still is. Whoever put it together wanted parents to enjoy it because there’s a lot of humor in there that only parents will get. I hope people get nostalgic about it,” Fuller added.
“We’re known for doing these kinds of shows, like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, that people can say, ‘I know that or remember that. Now I want my kids to see it.’”