Children’s Theater’s production of “Honk! Jr.” opening in Carson City

Honk if you love a good fable, especially one performed as an award-winning musical by a group of talented kids.

Wild Horse Children’s Theater’s production of “Honk! Jr.” starts this weekend at the Brewery Arts Center’s Performance Hall.

The musical tells the Hans Christian Andersen tale, “The Ugly Duckling,” about a homely baby duck, ridiculed by other animals on his farm, who grows into a handsome swan.

“It’s a beautiful show, one of our favorites,” said Carol Scott, executive director of the theater company.

It’s a favorite with the kids, too.

“I really love the show. I like all the music, the set, the colorful costumes. The characters are really funny,” said Sarah Jongsma, 14, one of two performers who plays Ida, the duckling’s mother.

The show’s lead agrees.

“It’s a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed every second of it,” said Timothy Winter, 16, who plays Ugly, the duckling, in both casts.

The show is a version of “Honk!,” the award-winning musical with a score by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, the composers of Disney’s “Mary Poppins,” scaled down for children’s productions.

The Wild Horse staging includes 80 children on stage during different performances and eight kids backstage working on props and lights.

The costumes, made by the company’s two costumers, are unique to this production.

“The costuming is the fun part. How could we do it differently?” said Scott. “They are all animals but they’re animals personified. The bullfrog is in steampunk.”

The theater company and the Carson City Library teamed up to hold workshops on bullying based on the show’s theme of tolerance and acceptance.

Walmart provided a grant to hold three workshops for kindergarten through third grade children at the library. About 110 kids attended, said Scott, where there was discussion on the topic, a craft activity and songs from the show sung by about 10 cast members.

The cast is also holding a day of performances for about 900 kids coming from the city’s schools.

Performances of “Honk! Jr.” are Dec. 8-10 and 15-17, at 7 p.m. on the Fridays, 2 and 7 p.m. on the Saturdays and 2 p.m. on the Sundays.

Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for seniors/students, and $5 for children aged 4-12. They’re available online at www.wildhorsetheater.com.

For more information, call 440-1170.