The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour will bring “Me … Jane: The Dreams and Adventures of Young Jane Goodall” to the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Saturday, March 9.
The 2 p.m. performance is presented by UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center as part of the PNC Family Series.
Before she was a renowned humanitarian, conservationist and animal activist, Jane Goodall was a little girl with a very special toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. Together, Jane and Jubilee went on outdoor adventures and observed all the miracles of nature around them. As they learned more and more on their expeditions, Jane dreamed of spending the rest of her life living with and helping animals. And one day, she went on to do just that.
In this brand-new musical adaptation, join young Jane and her friend as they learn about the world around them and the importance of protecting all living species. With anecdotes taken directly from Goodall’s autobiography, this adaptation makes this very true story accessible for the very young, and young at heart.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. Receive $5 off the price of a ticket when a Birmingham Zoo admission ticket is presented at the ASC Box Office. For tickets, call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.
Join the Alys Stephens Center for a fun, pre-performance family lunch at 12:30 p.m. The lunch is free for ASC members and $16 for non-member adults, which includes two children under 12 free. A family four-pack with the lunch and performance tickets is $60. Call 205-975-4012 for more details. Members may RSVP for the lunch at ASCmembership@uab.edu; performance tickets are not included.
“Me … Jane: The Dreams and Adventures of Young Jane Goodall” is based on the book “Me … Jane” by Patrick McDonnell. It is adapted and written by McDonnell, Andy Mitton and Aaron Posner; co-arranged and with music direction by William Yanesh; choreographed by Christopher d’Amboise; and directed by Aaron Posner. The cast is Shinah Brashears as Young Jane; Liz Filios as Mum; and Phoebe Gonzalez, Harrison Smith and Michael Mainwaring as members of The Pack.
DC Theatre Scene gave the show five stars, and the reviewer called it “one of the most poignant moments I’ve recently seen at the theater.” DC Metro Theater Arts called the show “fantastically entertaining — ‘Me … Jane’ is a teaching moment for adults, an encouraging story for kids, and a heartening tale of the potential locked within us all, for everyone in between.” Broadway World declared the show “theatrical magic. Get yourself and your whole family to the Kennedy Center before this show swings away.”