Just think, millennials are steadily joining their Gen X confreres in the parenthood game. That means there’s a whole new generation of children ready to start appreciating the wonders of the venerable Nashville Children’s Theatre. How better to stimulate those young minds than with a puppet-filled penguin musical? NCT artistic director Ernie Nolan oversees this adaptation of the novel by Richard and Florence Atwater, with book by Robert Kauzlaric, music and lyrics by George Howe, and 13 original handmade puppets designed by Brian Hull of Nashville Public Library’s Wishing Chair Productions. The strong, experienced cast features NCT veterans Rona Carter, Galen Fott and Shawn Knight, plus supremely confident musical performers Geoff Davin, Erin Parker and Corinne Bupp, each making their company debuts. Nolan characterizes his first musical staging at NCT as “a little bit Gershwin and a little bit Muppet Show,” the production further benefiting from the full range of NCT’s talented technical artists. The musical direction is by David Weinstein. MARTIN BRADY
Mr. Popper's Penguins
