Does the title, The True Story of The Three Little Pigs  at The Rose Theater mean there’s another side to the tail…oops… tale. After all these years taking the Pigs’ side? But what’s the Wolf’s point of view? He’s taking his case to court. In Piggsylvania. Can he possibly get a fair trial? Is he telling the truth? Where are his witnesses given that the Pigs won’t be there? Some truths about human life could be learned between the lines.

Playwright Robert Kauzlaric adapted the famed book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, which Commonsense Media called “a razor-sharp fairy tale parody.” The National Education Association named it as one of 2007’s Teachers Top 100 Books for Children and School Library Journal, did as one of the Top 100 Picture Books of all time. The songs are by Paul Gilvary & William Rush.

Kauzlaric’s version of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau  received five of Chicago’s Non-Equity Jeff Awards, including New Adaptation and Best Production; his adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere  also received a New Adaptation Award. He was commissioned by the Illinois Shakespeare Festival to produce a new adaptation of Dumas’  The Three Musketeers. http://robertkauzlaric.com/

Jon Scieszka has written The Frog Prince Continued, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales, The Book That Jack Wrote  http://jsworldwide.com/. Frequent collaborator and illustrator Lane Smith also illustrated Road Dahl’s  James and The Giant Peach as well as such books s as Pinocchio, The Boy, and The Happy Hocky Family Moves to the Country!  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane_Smith_(illustrator)#Books

Songwriter Paul Gilvary has created some for Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre’s Kid Series and has a business (“Song Bokays”) where he writes and records customized tunes for people to give on birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-01-23/entertainment/0401230335_1_original-song-recording-engineer-beatnik

About that trial: Maybe you could be the judge. Maybe you’ll even get a vote as this story unfolds

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs runs Jan 27-Fe, 12, The Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St.

Fri: 7 p.m. Sat 2 & 5 p.m. Sun 2 p.m.  Tickets $20. http://www.rosetheater.org


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