Citadel Theatre for Young Audiences Presents Junie B. Jones the Musical

Disclosure: Citadel Theatre is a Little Lake County Advertising partner. Some links in this story are affiliate links.

Founded in 2002 Citadel Theatre has sought to provide a home for an audience that wants to experience powerful works and high-caliber professional theatre in the suburbs. In 2018 they decided that experience should not be left merely to the adults and launched the Citadel Theatre for Young Audiences. Their second production is Junie B. Jones the Musical and even if you aren’t familiar with Junie B., you are going to want to make plans to see it this weekend.

Citadel Theatre for Young Audiences shows are held in the John & Nancy Hughes Theater at Gorton Center {Lake Forest}. The theater is intimate without being tiny and boasts newly renovated professional sound and light. You truly won’t believe you are in a small suburban community theatre.

For those of you that are not familiar with Junie B. Jones, I wasn’t, she’s similar to Ramona Quimby. The series of books begins with Junie B. almost 6-year-old starting first grade. Junie B. is bright, funny and has a spirited personality. The musical follows her misadventures through first grade as she records them in her Very Own Personal Beeswax Journal (aka diary).

The musical is quick and fun moving from home to school to the bus with easy transitions. The actors are as bright and vibrant as the characters they are portraying. My two girls (11 and 7) have not read any of the Junie B. Jones books prior to the show and they both had a great time. The musical follows Junie B. through typical childhood dramas that children of any age will relate to, friend groups changing, new bus seating, needing glasses, not being the best, and most importantly friendship.

The Citadel Theatre for Young Audiences believes children can benefit and thrive from opportunities to experience live theatre and they work hard t make their production accessible and friendly for kids of all ages. On arrival there are activities where kids can make their own Junie B. Glasses and take her eye exam, there is also a raffle for various sets of Junie. B. Jones Books. When you enter the theater in addition to the program your child will get their own Junie B. Jones activity book with a pack of crayons. There are coloring pages, word search, maze and more. It’s a great distraction while you wait for the show to start. After the show the cast is waiting in the lobby and will meet and greet the audience and sign their programs and take pictures. This is delightfully fun as all the actors stay in character.

The musical runs about 1 hour, with no intermission. Tickets are $15 and general admission – so you get to choose where you sit. There are 4 shows left this weekend so get your tickets today and don’t miss out on the fun!

Junie B. Jones the Musical
Citadel Theatre for Young Audiences
Saturday, February 16, 2019 – 11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 17, 2019 – 11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

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Disclosure: The writer recieved tickets to the performance in order to facilitate this review. Some links in this story are affiliate links. Little Lake County will earn a portion of sales made through these links and use it to cover the cost of running the site. Thank you for clicking!