The Gingerbread Kid

The Gingerbread Kid at Coterie Theatre

Little Bunny Foo Foo doesn't stay in her own story at The Coterie Theatre. Neither does Henny Penny or Little Boy Blue. They all collide with Allspice, the magical child born to bakers who discovers that even enchanted kids face consequences when they help themselves to too many sweets.

The Gingerbread Kid gathers these familiar figures into an hour-long pop musical that sends its young hero running straight into the kind of trouble that makes nursery-rhyme characters unforgettable. Allspice's escape leads to encounters with Henny Penny and her gang, the sleepy shepherd himself, the rabbit known here as Foofinella, and a fox whose hunger drives the kind of tension that keeps storybook adventures moving. Music by Jodi Marr and book and lyrics by Abe Reybold power the tale.

The score treats these characters to contemporary pop melodies instead of traditional theater pastiche, giving the familiar figures fresh musical energy. Allspice carries the story as a magical runaway learning what happens when you flee instead of face your mistakes. That's the kind of choice even the youngest audience members recognize, wrapped here in a world where bakers raise an extraordinary child and nursery-rhyme neighbors turn an escape into something larger.

The Gingerbread Kid runs about sixty minutes at the Coterie, built for all ages without requiring prior knowledge of every tale folded into the adventure. Kansas City families can grab tickets now.