Milwaukee, WI – March 6, 2024 – First Stage, one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families, is delighted to announce that DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE MUSICAL is the final production in their 2023/24 mainstage season. The play is based on the wildly popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series by Jeff Kinney and 20th Century Fox Films, with book by Kevin Del Aguila andmusic and lyrics bysongwriting team Michael Mahler and Alan Schmuckler. The production will be directed by noted director/educator/performer Julie Woods-Robinson, with music direction by Milwaukee musician/composer Paula Foley Tillen and choreography by Wisconsin director, actor and First Stage alum Molly Rhode. This entertaining and very funny musical takes us on a journey to an American middle school. Which to our protagonist, Greg, is the worst. He is determined NOT to be at the bottom of the popularity chart. He’ll leave that to his weird neighbor Fregley, or, maybe Greg’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson. But it’s not going to be Greg . . . no way. Will Greg’s plans lead him to sacrifice his one true friend? Can anyone avoid the dreaded Cheese Touch? Grab a hall pass, and don’t be late for an adventure familiar to anyone who survived middle school with this hilarious and heartfelt musical.
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE MUSICAL runs April 6 – May 5, 2024 at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, located at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased in person at the Marcus Center Box Office at 929 N. Water Street, by phone at (414) 273-7206 or online at firststage.org. Performance runtime is approximately 75 minutes, which includes a brief intermission Suggested for adults, teens and children ages 5 –6, 7 – 9 and 10 – 12.
Director Julie Woods-Robinson had this to say about the play: “I am thrilled to bring DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE MUSICAL to First Stage. The animated world of this beloved series comes to life around Greg Heffley – our feisty, awkward, eleven-year-old, anything-but-wimpy hero. Starring a large cast of young performers, this pop-musical twist on Greg’s story comes with many soon-to-be fan favorites like “Joshie Says,” “Mom Bucks” and “Better Than You.” My kids can’t stop singing along . . . and neither can I!”
Added Artistic Director Jeff Frank: “‘Zoo-Wee Mama!’ The popular series by author/illustrator, Jeff Kinney, is the recipient of six Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and is published in 66 languages throughout the globe. Kinney so brilliantly captures the mayhem of middle school – a time when so much is changing so quickly, and you can often find yourself literally stuck in the middle. Greg Heffley fights tooth and nail to try to gain popularity, but in the end realizes that having a true friend is perhaps a better path to surviving the horrors of middle school life. First Stage is excited to be one of the first theaters to have the opportunity to bring this new musical to the stage following its premiere at Children’s Theatre Company in 2022.”
