Madagascar - A Musical Adventure

Madagascar - A Musical Adventure at Coterie Theatre

A birthday wish can create an awfully big problem when your best friend is a zebra determined to see the wild. Madagascar - A Musical Adventure at the Coterie Theatre brings Alex and Marty's friendship to Kansas City in a story that asks what happens when the people you trust most want completely different lives.

When Marty bolts from the Central Park Zoo on his tenth birthday, Alex the celebrity lion doesn't hesitate. He chases after his friend, pulling anxious giraffe Melman and hippo Gloria into a journey none of them planned. The penguins have their own agenda involving Antarctica, but everyone ends up somewhere else entirely: Madagascar, where King Julien wants something from Alex that complicates any hope of getting home. Protection sounds simple until you realize what it costs.

The musical captures that tension in songs like Wild and Free, where Marty's longing collides with Alex's comfort, and Best Friends, which holds the weight of every choice they've made for each other. This roughly one-hour adaptation gives younger audiences a story about loyalty tested by distance and older audiences a reminder that love sometimes means letting go of the plan you had.

The Coterie stages this all-ages show with music and lyrics by George Noriega and Joel Someillan, book by Kevin Del Aguila. Get Madagascar tickets and follow the birthday wish that changes everyone’s plans.