‘Are You My Mother?’ comes to the stage

This weekend, the musical adaptation of a beloved children’s book will make its world premiere with a production by TYKEs.

Kicking off Theatre Young Kids Enjoy’s 21st season, the hour-long show “Are You My Mother?” is performed by adult professional actors and is ideal for children age 3 and up.

“TYKEs’ core mission is to foster an appreciation of the arts and literature,” founder Freyda Schneider says, “So, transforming this formative, highly influential children’s book into a world-premiere musical has been the dream of our TYKEs artistic team for more than 10 years.”

“Are You My Mother?” is a classic picture book that tells the story of a newly hatched baby bird who meets a host of other colorful creatures, including a kitten, hen, dog, cow, and more, in its search for its mother.

Originally published in 1960, it was written by P.D. Eastman with illustrations by Theodore Geisel, most commonly known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss. Eastman was a protege of Seuss and wrote many “Beginner Books” in association with him, such as “Go Dog Go,” “The Best Nest,” and “Sam and the Firefly.”

The TYKEs adaptation was written by frequent director Matt Mayne, who comments that, since the original book is intended for early readers, there was ample opportunity to add even more to the narrative. Music was composed by TYKEs music director Jim Schmitt, with Mayne and Schmitt teaming up to write the lyrics.

“This brand new musical is compelling in the way it treats the powerful emotional quest to learn ‘Where do I belong?’ in a gentle, very funny and universally accessible way,” Schneider says.

“Are You My Mother?” premieres at the JCC Hart Theater on Jan. 17 with other shows on Jan. 18, 24, and 25. Tickets, available online, are $22 for JCC members and $24 for nonmembers.

Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.

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