Renaissance Center presents HONK! for one show only April 15

Easter bunny and egg hunt part of family celebration

Release Date: 3/24/2006. Expired: 4/15/2006

In a season that saw the London debuts of The Lion King and Mamma Mia, it was a musical fairy tale that stole the spotlight. HONK!, a musical based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, grabbed the 2000 Olivier Award for Best New Musical in England’s equivalent of the Tony Awards.

The Renaissance Center’s Mind Enriching Theatre series presents HONK! for one performance at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 15. Tickets are $5 and the afternoon includes a visit from the Easter Bunny prior to the show and a children’s Easter egg hunt on the grounds of the center following the performance. The MET series production of HONK! is funded through a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, HONK! is the story of Ugly, a duckling whose odd, gawky appearance incites prejudice from his family and friends. Ugly (played by Zak Risinger) is separated from his farm and relentlessly pursued by the hungry Cat (Bryan J. Wlas) as he tries to find his way home. Meanwhile, Ugly’s mother Ida (Anna Hammonds) sets out to find her missing duckling, leaving Drake (Nathan W. Brown) at home to look after the rest of the brood.

Along the way, Ugly encounters a variety of outrageous characters, including the pompous goose Greylag (Daniel Bissell), a hen named Lowbutt (Julie Abner) and her feline friend Queenie (Cheyenne Nelson), friendly Bullfrog (Bissell) and others, all while trying to avoid capture by hunters and Cat.

Through his journey, Ugly not only discovers his inner beauty and destiny, but also finds true love and acceptance.

Witty and hilarious, but also deeply touching, HONK! treats audiences to equal amounts of laughter and heartfelt moments. The show is packed with colorful characters and memorable songs that prompted The London Daily Telegraph to proclaim Stiles and Drewe “the brightest hopes for the future of the British musical.”

Directed by Amy Scott, managing director of the Renaissance Players, HONK! is being offered for school field trips at The Renaissance Center March 7-April 28 and is recommended for audiences of all ages.

“HONK! is such a beautiful and affirming production that we couldn’t resist adding a performance for the public and thought what better time to do so than on Easter weekend,” said Scott. “To round out the experience, we’ll also have the Easter Bunny available for visits and pictures in the Rotunda beginning at 12:30 p.m. and after the show we’ll host a children’s Easter egg hunt on the grounds of The Renaissance Center with prizes from the Virtually Unlimited Bookstore. It should make for a wonderful afternoon the entire family can enjoy together.”

The cast of barnyard and other animals also includes Cat’s understanding wife Dot (Abner), Father Swan (Brown), Mother Swan (Nelson), the distinguished duck Grace (Abner), neighbor Henrietta (Katherine Jett), geese Snowy (Nelson), Barnacles (Kyle Donahue) and Pinkfoot (Jett), TV journalist Jay Bird (Donahue), Ida’s friend Maureen (Nelson), the school headmaster Turkey (Donahue), the beautiful swan Penny (Jett), Ugly’s siblings: Beaky (Daniel Pitts), Fluff (Will Gunn), Billy (Zane Jordan) and Downy (Kayci Totty), and a chorus of froglets and fish (Emma Jordan, Gunn, Totty, Jordan and Pitts).

For more information on scheduling a performance of HONK! for a field trip, call (615)740-5533. To purchase tickets for the April 15 performance of HONK!, call (615)740-5570.

The Renaissance Center is a fine arts and technology education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172. For more information, call (615)740-5600.

Visit the Theatre page for more about community and professional theatre.

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