REVIEW: World Premiere of Dory Fantasmagory Via The Young People’s Theatre of Chicago Now Playing Through May 28, 2023

 ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List

THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S THEATRE OF CHICAGO 

PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF 

DORY FANTASMAGORY! 

We love this hilarious and heartfelt celebration of imagination via childhood fantasy, fears, fun, and sibling dynamics.

★★★★ Four out of four stars. 

Bonnie Kenaz-Mara, ChiILMama.com

Dory is best enjoyed by kindergarteners to 4th graders

REVIEW:

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

I've got to be one of the luckiest moms in Chi, IL. My son and daughter were raised on world class children's theatre. Now that they're 20 & 22, my son is graduating from Northwestern in June with a degree in theatre arts and a love for children's theatre, so he'll STILL join me for shows! In fact, my son, Dugan and I caught Dory Fantasmagory last Sunday and had a blast. 

We enjoyed the joyful audience participation as kids interacted with the characters and excitedly laughed and played along. Young People’s Theatre of Chicago does an excellent job of breaking down the 4th wall, with actions and words. Kids of all ages were captivated by the quirky antics on stage and the actors nailed it. Sometimes adults have a tough time playing convincing children, but Maya Lou Hlava is a joy to see, embodying the spunk and spirit of mischievous six year old, Dory. Her brother and sister are pretty fantastic at being annoyed older sibs as well. We caught understudy, Jackie Smook as Violet/Mother/Mrs. Gobble Gracker and she was fabulous too, as was the entire ensemble as siblings, adults, and imaginary friends and foes. 

ChiIL Tips: Arrive early. Seating is GA and if your littles are height challenged, closer is better for sight lines. Street parking can also be tough in the area, so leave extra time or book a lot spot in the neighborhood in advance.

We're suckers for show souvenirs, especially for children, so we're jazzed the program is a poster. Another of our favorite elements of children's theatre is that kids often go home and reenact the show and/or create their own productions. I see a lot more blanket forts and adventure play from pint sized patrons of Dory Fantasmagory. Apologies in advance for the hilarious ear worm "decka decka poop" song. Dory Fantasmagory has a finger on the pulse of what littles find funny, including potty humor. But even adults dig a good Poop Deck joke, right...?! 

We love this hilarious and heartfelt celebration of imagination via childhood fantasy, fears, fun, and sibling dynamics. Don't miss this! 

Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly). 

FLASH GIVEAWAY! WIN A FAMILY 4 PACK OF TICKETS TO DORY FANTASMAGORY 

($96 VALUE) 

ENTER THROUGH MIDNIGHT FRIDAY 5/12/23

Here at ChiIL Mama, we adore the World Premiere of Dory Fantasmagory Via The Young People’s Theatre of Chicago. So we're partnering up with the Young People’s Theatre of Chicago to spread the world about this fabulously fun, family friendly show. We're giving away a Family 4 Pack of Tickets ( 2 adult tickets/2 tickets for kids under 12). Winner's choice of show dates/times pending availability. As long as a show's not sold out, you're in. 

Enter at the bottom of this post through midnight Friday 5/12. Winner will be contacted by email and announced here and on our social media platforms. Don't miss this! Now Playing Through May 28 at the Greenhouse Theater Center.

based on the book by ABBY HANLON 

adapted for the stage by JOHN GLORE 

MAY 6 - MAY 28 

At The Greenhouse Theater Center 

directed by RANDY WHITE 

Following a sold-out run of Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, the Young People’s Theatre of Chicago’s inaugural 3-Play 2022-23 season concludes this May with the world premiere stage adaptation of Abby Hanlon’s popular early-reader book, Dory Fantasmagory. Adapted by John Glore, YPT’s world premiere production is directed by artistic director Randy White. 

Dory Fantasmagory runs May 6 - May 28 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. For tickets or info, visit yptchi.org or call the Greenhouse Theater Box Office at 773 404 7336. 

The Beloved Book Series – Now Onstage 

The first in a series of extraordinarily popular Dory chapter books by Abby Hanlon, Dory Fantasmagory details the adventures of 6-year-old “Rascal,” who has a big imagination and an abiding knack for getting herself in trouble! 

You see, it’s tough being the youngest. Dory’s older siblings won’t play with her and so she joins forces with best friend Mary (she’s a little monster!) and fairy godmother Mr. Nuggy to battle the oh-so-horrible Mrs. Gobble Gracker in a no-holds-barred attempt to win the thing she wants most: her family’s attention! 

● “Charming , Funny & True to Life” – Kirkus Review 

● “Beyond the silliness and the jokes–of which there are plenty–Abby Hanlon’s real talent here is how she can balance ridiculousness alongside honest-to-goodness heartwarming moments!” 

– School Library Journal
● ““Educational Value: A+ – Common Sense Media 

● Best book of the year by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, & Parent's Magazine. Golden Kite Honor for fiction and American Library Assocation Notable book. 

Young People’s Theatre of Chicago 

The Greenhouse Theater Center · 2257 N Lincoln Ave 60614 randy@yptchi.org · 773.404.7336 · 812.272.4511 (m) · www.yptchi.org 

● Best Book of the Year by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, & Parent's Magazine. It won a Golden Kite Honor for Fiction and is an American Library Association Notable Book. 

MAYA LOU JIN HLAVA PARK 

DORY FANTASMAGORY 

THE WORLD PREMIERE MAY 6 - MAY 28, 2023 

TEAGEN EARLEY 

ALEX BENITO RODRIGUEZ 

TASMAN GLASER 

Performance Schedule: Saturdays at 10am & 1pm; Sundays at 1pm 

(added performances Friday @ 7pm & Sunday @ 10am on final weekend) 

Script by John Glore
Adapted from the book by Abby Hanlon
“Dory’s Theme Song” composed by Deborah Wicks La Puma (composer of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!)
Directed by Randy White
Set Design by Shayna Patel
Lighting Design by Bridget Williams
Costume Design by Cindy Moon
Props Design by Saskia Bakker
Sound Design by Kurt Ottinger
Musical Director by Sam Shankman
Stage Managed by Jordan Large 

Tickets: $25 / $19 (under 12) Appropriate for all Ages 

@ The Greenhouse Theater Center 

Upstairs Mainstage
2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago 773 404 7336 

Young People’s Theatre of Chicago 

The Greenhouse Theater Center · 2257 N Lincoln Ave 60614 randy@yptchi.org · 773.404.7336 · 812.272.4511 (m) · yptchi.org 

  

CREATIVE TEAM 

JOHN GLORE (playwright) is an award-winning playwright whose work for young audiences includes Wind of a Thousand Tales, Folktales Too, Rhubarb Jam, The Day After Evermore and adaptations of A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, The Night Fairy, by Laura Amy Schlitz, Flora & Ulysses, by Kate DiCamillo and Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon. His plays for adults include The Rub, On the Jump, and The Company of Heaven, among others. With the performance trio Culture Clash he has co-authored adaptations of two plays by Aristophanes, The Birds and Peace. His work has been produced at South Coast Repertory, Arena Stage, Berkeley Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Children’s Theatre Company, the Coterie, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Childsplay, and many other theatres nationwide and internationally. www.johnglorewrites.com. 

ABBY HANLON (composer and orchestrator) Abby Hanlon is the author and illustrator of Dory Fantasmagory, a series of chapter books for five to nine year olds, published by Dial/Penguin Random House. The first book in the series was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Parent's Magazine. It won a Golden Kite Honor for Fiction and is an American Library Association Notable Book. The sequel, Dory and The Real True Friend won a 2015 Cybil award. The books have been translated in twenty-two languages and are Junior Library Guild selections. 

Abby has a bachelor's from Barnard College and a master's degree in childhood education from the City College of New York. Abby has taught creative writing and first grade in the New York City public school system. Her debut picture book, Ralph Tells a Story (2012), is widely used by elementary school teachers. Abby recently illustrated the picture book, Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme, written by Avery Monsen (2022). 

Abby lives in Brooklyn with her husband, her fifteen-year-old twins, and her scruffy dog Caroline. 

RANDY WHITE (director) was founding artistic director of Cardinal Stage Company in Bloomington, IN. where he inaugurated the extraordinarily successful “Cardinal for Kids” series. In NYC, Randy directed the off-Broadway/national tour of the TYA musical Max and Ruby, the 15-month run of Glen Berger’s Underneath the Lintel, assisted on Disney’s The Lion King, and was resident director at New Dramatists. Regionally, Randy has directed at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Portland Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, etc. As an educator, Randy has directed and/or taught at Yale, Penn, IU, University of Minn/Guthrie, Fordham, and NYU Tisch. 

In Chicago, Randy directed The Wizard of Oz at the Children’s Theatre of Winnetka and Curious George and Knuffle Bunny at Northbrook Theatre. For the Greenhouse, Randy directed Truman and The Birth of Israel and was nominated for an Equity Jeff award for his critically acclaimed production of Midsummer (A Play with Songs). He also directed YPT’s inaugural production of Knuffle Bunny in the fall of 2021, the world premiere of Peabody, the Science Musical, in the fall of 2022, and the sold out run of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Randy holds an MFA in directing from the University of Alberta in his native Canada. 

Young People’s Theatre of Chicago 

The Greenhouse Theater Center · 2257 N Lincoln Ave 60614 randy@yptchi.org · 773.404.7336 · 812.272.4511 (m) · www.yptchi.org 

THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S THEATER OF CHICAGO 

The Young People’s Theatre of Chicago is a professional children’s theatre company offering highest-quality Theater for Young Audience (TYA) productions and performance/education opportunities for children of all ages and backgrounds. 

Housed in the historic Greenhouse Theater Center in Lincoln Park, YPT launched in
the fall of 2021 with an extraordinarily successful production of Mo Willems’ Knuffle
Bunny. “Last year’s Knuffle Bunny was a hugely successful first outing for YPT,” says
YPT’s Managing Artistic Director Randy White. YPT followed up with an inaugural 3-play season, including Peabody, a world premiere S.T.E.M.-themed musical for gradeschoolers, a sold-out run of Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and the upcoming world premiere adaptation of the wildly popular Dory Fantasmagory. 

White noted that “the company is excited to partner with community organizations, parents, impassioned educators, and local business leaders to make it possible for local children of all ages and backgrounds to experience and participate in a wide range of transformative theatrical experiences!” He added that these “include established children’s classics, commissioned new works by celebrated American playwrights, and extraordinary performance and educational opportunities.” 

ENTER HERE For your chance to win a Family 4 Pack of Tickets ( 2 adult tickets/2 tickets for kids under 12). Winner's choice of show dates/times pending availability. As long as a show's not sold out, you're in. 

Enter through midnight Friday 5/12. Winner will be contacted by email and announced here and on our social media platforms. Don't miss this! Now Playing Through May 28th, 2023 at the Greenhouse Theater Center.

ChiIL Mama is pleased to partner up with The Young People’s Theatre of Chicago on this giveaway. They have provided tickets for our winner. As always, all opinions are our own.