‘Madeline and the Gypsies’ is theater with a twist of the circus

Show will run at the Town Hall Theatre in Centerville from Feb. 12-28.

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Staff Report Updated 11:48 AM Friday, February 5, 2010

WASHINGTON TWP., Montgomery County — Town Hall Theatre welcomes back everyone’s favorite French boarding school girls when the Landmark Children’s Theatre Company presents ‘‘Madeline and the Gypsies’’ from Feb. 12-28.

In this episode of Ludwig Bemelmens’ series, neighbor Pepito convinces Madeline to run away with the gypsy circus, and they experience “life on the road,” complete with sleeping in late, no rules or schedules to follow and lots of exciting adventures! In the end, however, it’s Miss Clavel and the girls to their rescue just in the nick of time.

The theater is recreating the magic of the circus, bringing in famed mascot performer and former Ringling Brothers clown, Derek Dye, to conduct training workshops with the cast.

“It hasn’t been easy, but it’s always fun,” director Mark Metzger said. “Watching the commitment and growth of these young performers as they tackle everything from juggling and plate spinning to stilt-walking and unicycling has made for some very unique rehearsals!”

The theatre also hired master illusionist Phil Dalton to teach the cast several tricks, including knife-throwing, levitation and a segment where gypsies stick real swords through a living person.

Performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Fridays and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors, and $10 for children 12 and younger. Reserve tickets online at www.townhalltheatre.org or call (937) 433-8957. All day-of-show tickets are $15. The production lasts approximately 90 minutes and is recommended for children ages 4 and up.

Town Hall Theatre is located at 27 N. Main St. in the “Heart of Centerville.”

The production features a 41-member cast including Centerville residents Cecily Dowd as Madeline and Aleksie Rengel as Madeline’s Understudy, and Springboro residents Jack Blair as Pepito and Tucker Dandenault as Pepito’s Understudy. Centerville adult performers include Becky Barrett-Jones as Miss Clavel, C.J. Suchyta as the Clown and Mark Reuter as the Strongman.

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