Little Theatre Productions of Gilroy is bringing the heartwarming musical “Honk! Jr.” to the stage beginning March 21.
Directed and produced by mother-daughter duo Rebecca and Hilary Little, the show at the Gilroy High School Theater features a cast of about 80 performers aged 6-17 from across the South Valley, double-cast into two productions of roughly 40 cast members each.
The story follows the journey of Ugly, a duckling who doesn’t quite fit in with the other barnyard animals, adapted from the classic fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.
“Ugly goes on this adventure because he tries to fit in with everyone else, because everyone neglects him because he is ugly,” said Matthew Horta, who portrays Ugly. “He’s just trying to find a place where he fits in.”
Despite its appearance as children’s theater, the directors emphasize the production offers something for everyone.
“If you look at the ads, it looks like it would be something that is geared toward kids, but it is definitely not. It is an adult musical,” Rebecca Little said. “It celebrates the differences in all of us, and Ugly finds he blossoms into a swan and finds true love.”
“It kind of comes across as a kid’s show, but it’s so much more than that,” added Hilary Little. “It’s got something for everybody.”
The production features bright, colorful sets and costumes that suggest, rather than literally depict, the animal characters.
“The costuming is not traditional in terms of making a duck look like a duck, or chicken look like a chicken, it is just suggestive of animals,” Rebecca Little explained. “A lot of bright colors on the stage, and the sets are very bright and colorful. It is a feast for the eyes, a feast for the ears.”
Crux Andrade, who portrays “Drake,” Ugly’s father, said the show offers opportunities to develop complex characters and make the role your own.
“Drake is kind of a neglectful father,” he said. “He doesn’t really want to do a lot with the kids, especially Ugly, he really does not like Ugly. But he changes his perspective at the end when he finds out that Ugly is a swan.”
Cast members point to the show’s message as particularly meaningful. Dara Hargreaves, who plays Ugly’s mother, Ida, described the production as having “great messages and learning lessons. Hold your head up high, it is okay to be different.”
“Honk! Jr.,” is a particularly important musical for Little Theatre Productions, the directors said, because it was also their first ever production—way back in 2015. They even have some actors returning from that original showing, including Gabriella Horta, playing the role of The Bullfrog.
“This is actually my third time doing Honk! as a show,” she said. “I like being back with Hilary and Rebecca doing this show again. It is really reminiscent for me, because 10 years ago I was 6 years old when I first did it. It is a special show for me because it was my first show ever.”
Performances will run March 21-30 at the Gilroy High School Theater, 750 West Tenth Street in Gilroy. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit tickettailor.com/events/littletheatreproductions/1595640.
Calvin Nuttall is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter and columnist.
Show times
Little Theater Productions’ performance of “Honk! Jr.” will show at the Gilroy High School Theater on the following dates and times:
• 7pm March 21, 22, 27, 28, 29
• 1pm March 22, 23, 29, 30
• 5pm March 23
