Message of self-acceptance coming to Pittsburgh-area stages with 'Skippyjon Jones'
Cats, noted for their pride, usually don't have an inferiority complex about being cats. But not the fictional Siamese kitten Skippyjon Jones, who wants to be anything but a cat.
The comical adventures resulting from this identity crisis and the kitten's imagination will play out on several Pittsburgh-area stages during the next two weeks with “Skippyjon Jones,” a musical production of New York City-based Theatreworks USA.
The show, based on the popular children's book series by Judy Schachner, is the first offering of the 2014-15 Pittsburgh International Children's Theater season.
Megan Dorn, one of the actresses in the show, says kids can relate to the anthropomorphic lead character.
“They love Skippyjon because, from the beginning, we see Skippyjon kind of using his imagination to figure out what animal he is,” says Dorn, 25, who grew up in Los Angeles but now lives in New York City.
“All the children in the audience totally gravitate toward this character. In some way, all the children who are watching are trying to figure out who they are.”
Dorn plays two characters: Jezebel, one of Skippyjon's three littermates, and Poquito Tito, one of the imaginary Chihuahuas.
In the musical, Jezebel and her two sisters are trying to be the perfect Siamese cats, but Skippyjon is different, with his oversize ears and head. Jezebel, whom Dorn calls the group's goody two-shoes, and her sisters watch Skippyjon's transformation as he acts out his imagination, which takes him to Mexico. There, the kitten meets a group of Chihuahuas, including Poquito Tito, who is the smallest and feistiest of them all, Dorn says. Skippyjon spends the majority of the hourlong show in his imaginary Mexico among the dogs, whom he considers his kin.
“He looks in the mirror, and he sees his ears are way too big for his head, and his head is way too big for his body,” Dorn says. “He surmises that there's no way he could be a cat — therefore, he must be a Chihuahua.”
The show contains a lot of laughs, along with music, singing and dancing, she says. But it has a serious side and teaches a lesson, too, as Skippyjon learns self-acceptance.
“It's about who you are, and being proud of who you are, no matter if you are a cat or a Chihuahua or any other creature,” Dorn says. Skippyjon “learns that it's OK for him to be exactly who he is, even if he doesn't feel like he quite fits in. ... It's OK to be unique, and it's OK to be different.
“You should never be ashamed of who you are,” she says. “I think this show has a really wonderful message.
The show is geared toward ages 4 to 10, but Dorn says audiences of all ages seem to enjoy it.
“It's very child-friendly, but it definitely has humor ... that adults could enjoy as well,” she says. “It's definitely a family-friendly musical.”
Kellie B. Gormly is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at kgormly@tribweb.com or 412-320-7824.
