Weekend Showcase: “Frederick” at Stages Theatre
Stages Theatre is bringing another beloved children’s book to life. “Frederick” is a children’s story that’s celebrating its 50th birthday this year.
Based on a 1967 children’s picture book, Frederick is about a day-dreamy little artist mouse who would rather look up at the sky than work gathering food for winter.
Sophie Farrell plays Frederick.
“Frederick is really laid back and likes to look at the world and loves just to look and just enjoy stuff where a lot of other mice are scurrying and worried and that’s just a characteristic of mice,” she said.
Frederick gets lost in a storm, is cold and hungry, and begins to think that maybe the other mice have been a little bit smarter. Gavin Nienaber plays Alfred, a taskmaster who is very results oriented, but not very fun oriented.
“He doesn’t really like having to play around with games. So no singing no dancing, it just really doesn’t fit in with his personality,” said Nienaber.
Sixth grader Israh Ugas has set the bar high with her theater break-in. She had never been in any theatrical production before.
“Well, ever since kindergarten we would come, our school would come, and watch the plays and I just thought, ‘well those people are so cool, I want to be like them too,” Ugas said.
The other mice go out to find Frederick and bring him back to their next, but the long cold winter has taken its toll.
“And they run out of food and all they have left is Frederick who says, ‘Oh, well, let me remind you of what the sun felt like on your fur, and remember the colors of the flowers,’ and is sort of what gets them through the end of the end winter,” said director, Marilee Mahler.
In the end Frederick reminds all the mice: “See there is no such thing as running out of joy.”
Frederick will be on stage at Stages Theatre through Feb. 19.
