May 25, 26, 31, June 1, 7, 8, 14, 15

Ida (Beaven Walters) and Drake (Peter Gardner) Having an IssueHonk!, a tuneful, witty retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, is an enchanting comic musical from the United Kingdom. Honk! was the winner of multiple awards, including the 2000 Olivier Award for Best Musical. Honk! is not as well known to the US as it is in the UK. Written by Anthony Drewe and George Stiles (who recently contributed additional songs to the Broadway production of Mary Poppins), Honk! was ideal for our forest theater. Director Adam Otham convinced the Players to put it on. Although it is often viewed as  a  'childrens show' in the US, it deals with how to deal with differences in a healthy, tolerant way.

After Ugly (Nick McCarthy) is lured away from his home by a wily Cat (Jason Gingold), an odd-looking baby duck goes on a quest to find his mother. With the help of new friends that he meets along the way including a comical troupe of geese (lead by Jerry Dreessen and Kelley Goode) and a pair ebullient bullfrogs(Lillie Brown and Matt Seib)) his journey home becomes an adventure – and an exuberant celebration of being different. 

Kitsap Sun gave outstanding kudos to Ugly. "But man-of-the-match honors have to go to Nick McCarthy, who plays Ugly with the perfect combination of pluck and pathos, getting laughs one minute and setting lower lips a’quiver the next. He bolsters his strong, unaffected acting with a good singing voice and some impressive dance moves."

Beaven Walters playing Ugly's adopted mother Ida did an outstanding job and her relationship with her mate, Drake, played by Peter Gardiner, was full of fun one-liners. One scene with Jenny Dreessen and Molly Hall as a pair of overly domesticated housepets brought the house down with its many puns coupled with outstanding voices.

One unfortunate problem with the spring show this year was the extremely poor weather which kept audiences away. It didn't rain on performances more than normal, but the weather was cool and gray for most performances.

Director: Adam Othman; Music Director: Amy Beth Lindvall; Choreographer: Heather Dawson; Set Designer: Chris Stanley; 
Costumer: Barbara Klingberg; Props: Nancy Estill; Accompanist: Greg Smith & Victoria Casteel; Stage Manager: Renee Cyr; Producer: Gala Lindvall