Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business
Contributed by Columbia Children's Theatre

In the cast of Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business are Robin Gottlieb as June, Seena Hodges as That Grace, Jessica Bright as Lucille, Lee O. Smith as Crybaby William, Andre Rogers as Grandpa Miller, and Liz Knight as Mrs. The Kindergarten Teacher. Things With You

She's brassy! She's sassy! And she's coming to the Columbia Children's Theatre (CCT) stage starting Friday, September 21. Yes, the wildly popular heroine of Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones series is shaking things

up at CCT as they presenJunie B. Jones and a Little

Monkey Business. Running September 21- 30 at the Booker Washington Heights Cultural Arts Center, this musical romp by children's playwright Joan Cushing promises to delight children of all ages.

When Junie (played by Columbia favorite Robin Gottlieb) discovers she's got a new baby brother, she's not too happy. That is until her Grandma Miller (played by Liz Knight) tells her he's just as cute as a little monkey. Junie can't wait to tell her friends, That Grace (Seena Hodges) and Lucille (Jessica Bright) about her new monkey brother.

This case of "mistaken species" causes a bunch of trouble for Junie as she tries to convince her classmates Meanie Jim (Andre Rogers) and Crybaby William (Lee O. Smith) that she really has a new brother who's a monkey.

Originally produced by Baltimore's Imagination Stage, this musical adaptation features such hilarious

numbers as I've Got A Monkey

Brother, I Want To Be A Real American Princess, and the sweetly sentimental Fix-

Things With You during which Junie and Grandpa Miller repair a large pink toilet.

"This is our most sophisticated and ambitious project undertaken to date," says CCT Artistic Director Jerry Stevenson. "With more traditional stories and fairy tales, we can take liberties and conceptualize the look of the show." Not so with this, says Stevenson, as the ardent fans of the series know these books inside and out and are quick to point out inconsistencies. "It would be like trying to make Harry Potter a blonde!"

Dionne Hough is he musical director, and Sydney Hough is Junie B.'s understudy.

Show times are Fridays at 7 pm, Saturdays at 10:30 am and 2 pm and Sundays at 3 pm at the Booker Washington Heights Cultural Arts Center, 2611 Grant St. Tickets are $6 at the door beginning one half hour before show time payable by check or cash only. For directions and information log on to www.ColumbiaChildrensTheatre. com or call 803- 691-4548.

Columbia Children's Theatre is a professional resident not- for- profit theatre dedicated to providing quality live theatre experiences for families and young audiences, and is supported in part by the City of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation.