"Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit Tale" at Mixed Blood Theatre

A new original musical based on a classic children's book is not what I would have expected from Mixed Blood Theatre to begin their new season. Their last two shows were The Jungle, set in a refugee camp in France, and The Ally, about the Israeli/Palestine conflict. Both shows were decidedly not for children, and even for adults were intense and dark, but beautifully done. But Mark Valdez, who took over as Artistic Director from founder Jack Reuler a few years ago, was inspired to write this new musical during the pandemic, and inspired to bring it to the Twin Cities this year, which has seen so much conflict and terror, that also has affected our children. Into the Burrow is a sequel of sorts to the beloved Peter Rabbit books, and takes place one year after his father... was baked into a pie. It's about grief, loss, community, resilience, healing, and working together to make a better world. It's told in a way that appeals to children, but this adult found it very moving as well. There are a handful of public performances on weekends through October 18, with daily 10am matinees for school groups. You can find info on how to bring your school to the show here, or just go yourself and experience this sweet feel-good musical with a fantastic mostly local cast.

Peter's rabbit friend Benny has planned a surprise party for Peter, and invited all of their animal friends, as well as a bunch of humans - us! When Peter sees the humans he is understandably terrified; it's only been a year since the human Mr. McGregor stole his clothes and baked his father into a pie. But the others convince Peter that not all humans are bad, and that maybe we have more in common than he thinks. The friends come up with a plan to steal vegetables from Mr. McGregor's garden for a party feast, which charmingly plays out in a cartoon played on a screen as we wait in the burrow. In the end, the animals need our help to create a world in which humans and animals work together for the common good.

Kelli Foster Warder directed and choreographed the piece with a great sense of play (Kelli is currently pulling double duty, also directing You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Artistry). The fantastic six-person cast is led by Juan Carlos Unzueta, reprising his role as Peter from the world premiere production at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. He is the heart and soul of the piece, and gives this rabbit so much emotion. He's surrounded by some of our best local music-theater talent, including Julia Diaz as Benny, KateMarie Andrews as the energetic squirrel Nutkin, Em Adam Rosenberg as the endearingly slow-moving tortoise Ptolomy, Maureen Sherman-Mendez as the tap-dancing hedgehog Mrs. Tiggywinkle, and Danny McHugh as the frog Jeremy, performing some delightful soft shoe in frog feet, even briefly reprising his role in Singin' in the Rain at Artistry last year.

The music was composed by seven different people, yet feels cohesive. It's a fun and catchy score with some emotional ballads as well as upbeat motivational songs. The cast is accompanied by Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, aka Music Director Joshua Burniece on keys, Kelli Nitz on bass, and Steve Grisdale on drums. The band sits on stage, and is a part of the story, speaking through their music. Mixed Blood's stage has been transformed into a rabbit burrow with multiple levels and holes to hide in, strewn with giant leaves, a water effect beautifully accomplished using blue fabric. The animals are dressed in adorable human clothes, but with animal ears or feet or shell.

This seems to be the year for inspirational anthropomorphized rabbit stories, from the hit of this year's MN Fringe, Melancholics Anonymous' folk musical adaptation of Watership Down, and now this sweet musical adaptation of Peter Rabbit for kids. I'm not sure what it is about rabbits that is so captivating, but judging from these two shows, we humans could learn a lot from the way that rabbits work together.