HUNTER BELL, PLAYWRIGHT, ABOUT LAMBS AND MICE, NO BEARS, OH MY!

                      HUNTER BELL AND THE CREATIVE TEAM OF MOUSICAL

Not so long ago, actor/playwright Hunter Bell wrote a play about lambs, a little musical called "Silence," as in "Silence of the Lambs."  Now he is hard at work focusing on a smaller animal group with equal affection, mice.  Hunter Bell is writing the book adaptation of "The Great American Mousical," a children's story crafted with love by Dame Julie Andrews Edwards and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton, with music by Zina Goldrich, lyrics by Marcy Heisler and choreography by Christopher Gattelli.

This "sweet, funny book with lots of love is a celebration of theater the whole family can enjoy," according to Mr. Bell.  "It is a real show, not a children's show, although it would be a wonderful 'first' show for a child to see."  Ms. Andrews calls it a "Valentine to Broadway musicals" as it concerns a troupe of mice who have been making their home in the basement of a stately old theater for years.  They put on their version of the shows that are performed upstairs in the historic Broadway house they call home.

When the theater is condemned, panic ensues and the mice mobilize to save it.  All might have worked out but their diva mouse Adelaide, played by an incredible Emily Skinner, a famous and temperamental leading lady, goes out for a nibble of cheese and is kidnapped.  How to rescue her from a trap in Brooklyn becomes the challenge of the moment.

The artistic team of "The Great American Mousical" is hard at work at Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre in Chester making the show ready for its world premiere on Thursday, November 8.  Collaborating with a fantastic cast, Bell claims to be "deep in the thick of the production, staging, running, tweaking and changing."  When he was first brought in to the process, Bell called his meeting  with Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma like "a blind date" until they discovered they were a good match.  He feels working with Ms. Andrews, who is the director of the musical, "remarkable as she's an icon, inspiring to be around with an incredible energy.  She is kind and talented and has had so much experience.  She's done it all, from Mary Poppins to Maria, and she rolls up her sleeves and gets down to work."

Bringing her "unbelievable work ethic" with her to the Norma Terris Theatre, which she calls "a wonderful sandbox, " she is "meticulous" in her attention to details in bringing this tiny story to gigantic life.  The mice, who perform great singing and dancing, with pay tribute and homage to the Broadway musical, with a tip of their furry ears to shows such as "Annie," "Hello Dolly!" and "Fiddler on the Roof," and will have names that echo the great characters  like Adelaide, Sky, Curly and Pippin. Pippin (Noah E. Galvin) sings a charming tune, "What Do You Think of That?" To Bell, the show is filled with "Rodgers and Hammerstein moments," with music that is laced with humor and wit, both fresh and familiar.

He hopes the audience will walk away with the message that "no matter how small you are, you can make a difference" as they enjoy this "celebration and love letter to the American musical."  He knows this "iconic American art form may ebb and change but it is here to stay."

Tony Walton who did the artwork in the original book is on board again doing scenery and costumes.  In a "fun and fantastical way," he will be "whimsical as he uses hats, hair, whiskers and tails"  to gift the mice with emotional life.

For tickets ($48), call Goodspeed Musicals at 860-873-8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org.  The show will run from Thursday, November 8 now extended by popular demand to Sunday, December 9.  Performances are Wednesday, at 2 p.m and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.  The Norma Terris Theatre is located at 33 North Main Street, Chester, exit 6 off route 9.

Come be uplifted by Hunter Bell and the amazing team creating "The Great American Mousical" as he switches gears from dancing and singing lambs to dancing and singing mice. Can bears be far behind?  "What do you think of that?"