The Gingerbread Kid

The Gingerbread Kid at Coterie Theatre

A magical child who can't resist sneaking bites from the family bakery might sound charming until those stolen sweets lead to a panicked escape into a world where nursery rhymes breathe and argue. The Gingerbread Kid at the Coterie Theatre brings Allspice—offspring of bakers whose creations prove too tempting—face-to-face with Henny Penny's anxious crew, Little Boy Blue, a creature called Foofinella who doubles as Little Bunny Foo Foo, and one very hungry fox circling the edges of this mixed-up storybook landscape.

The hour-long pop musical throws familiar characters into collision rather than letting them stay safely tucked in separate tales. Jodi Marr's music and Abe Reybold's book and lyrics give Kansas City theatergoers a brisk, melody-driven adventure with an approximately sixty-minute running time that makes the family theater plan manageable. Allspice's trouble starts with a sweet-toothed mistake, and the journey that follows threads through figures you thought you knew—only now they're arguing, scheming and navigating the fallout from one runaway kid's choice.

The Coterie designed this show for all ages, meaning parents and grandparents share the same story their children do, not a separate layer of winks and references. Allspice has to reckon with the chaos that one impulsive bite can cause, and the fox has his own agenda. Secure your seats for The Gingerbread Kid now.