These Women Helped Bring Winnie The Pooh To Off-Broadway

For nearly a century children and adults have been enchanted by the tales of the ever-imperfect teddy bear Winnie The Pooh and his pals Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Christopher Robin. 

The poems and children’s books that writer A.A. Milne birthed to life gently, but powerfully, center on taking risks, making mistakes and the profound joy of love and connection. Their messages still resonate today. It is said that A.A. Milne created Pooh for his son Christopher Robin Milne. The duo, with Christopher Robin’s stuffed animals in tow, spent hours exploring Ashdown Forest near their home.

Who can resist this sweet passage from The House At Pooh Corner?

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.  “Pooh!” he whispered.  “Yes, Piglet?” “Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”

This past October, Winnie The Pooh and his pals entered a new medium as they made their off-Broadway debut. Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, The New Musical Stage Adaptation features classic Grammy-winning music from the great songwriting duo, the Sherman Brothers (like “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers” and “Winnie the Pooh”) with additional songs by A.A. Milne. The characters appear as life-sized puppets expertly operated by humans. And they sing and dance using songs from the books and films.

Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation is playing at the newly renamed Hundred Acre Wood Theatre at Theatre Row in New York City. The cast includes Jake Bazel (as Pooh), Chris Palmieri (Tigger), Kirsty Moon (as Piglet/Roo), Emmanuel Elpenord (Eeyore, Rabbit and Owl) and understudy Kristina Dizon.

The show was developed and presented by family entertainment creator Jonathan Rockefeller whose puppetry is featured The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Paddington Gets in a Jam. Winnie The Pooh has already broken the theater’s box office records for largest advance in its history.

“This show is about adventures, trying new things, and friendship,” says Hannah Delmore, Winnie The Pooh’s stage manager who has worked with Rockefeller Productions since 2017. “Pooh says right at the start of the show that ‘finding someone with some honey will be today’s adventure.’ Right there, you have the heartbeat of the show. Not the honey itself, but the journey to find the honey.’”

Pooh and his pals relish that journey while staying true to themselves. “Winnie The Pooh is so special, because he’s just Pooh. He doesn’t ever try to be something that he’s not and he enjoys whatever is happening in the moment,” says Kirsty Moon who plays Piglet in the show. “He’s a comforting presence to be around, and you always know that he’ll take you on a fun adventure, whatever that adventure may be.” 

Hannah Delmore and Kirsty Moon shared more.

Jeryl Brunner: Why is it important to tell the story with puppets?  

Hannah Delmore: At the end of the day, Winnie the Pooh is a stuffed animal. And what better medium to bring him to life than with our stunning puppetry? Puppets have been a staple in children’s entertainment for as long as I can remember. All of my favorite shows from when I was little, and still to this day, included puppets.

What I find unique and special about this show is how everything is tied together. All the elements, including the puppets, costumes, sets, and lights, leaves the audience feeling that our cast is a group of kids playing with these toys. You forget that an actor is harnessed to Pooh or kneeling next to Piglet. The design team does an amazing job suspending reality for 60 minutes while the cast brings the puppets to life.

Brunner: What qualities does Piglet have that make him so lovable? 

Kirsty Moon: He is such a good friend. There is such a gentleness to Piglet. He is often very anxious and afraid, but he’s so loyal and kind. Piglet’s stories often involve him overcoming an obstacle, which can sometimes be scary for him. But it’s so great to see him draw strength from his friends and then encourage and comfort his friends in return. There’s a quote that says that courage is being afraid but doing it anyway. And Piglet is the living embodiment of that quote. 

Brunner: What is the puppetry training process like? And what is the challenge of creating these characters using puppetry skills? 

Moon: I had the honor of helping to develop the show in the workshops. I’ve had puppetry training before and worked on previous Rockefeller Production puppet projects. It’s funny how different each puppetry style is to fit the diverse needs of the various shows. A fun part of puppeteering is trying on new puppets to see what they can do. For this show, a few of us were brought on to see how different characters would move and discover their strengths and the extent of their movements. The first thing I worked on was Piglet’s little walk which was very cute to explore. 

A fun challenge was making sure that Piglet and Roo had their own distinct movements! Roo gets to bounce rather than walk. And his movements have more energy, whereas there’s more gentleness and tentativeness to Piglet’s movements. 

Brunner: Why do you think the show is worth seeing? 

 Moon: This production has so much integrity for Pooh. The script stays true to the books and the movies. And every aspect of the show, like the set, costumes, music, lighting is so beautiful and rich with detail. The puppets are incredible, like toys that come to life-I cried the first time I saw them. Everyone involved in the cast and crew is so talented, a master of their craft, and genuinely lovely people. All of these things make such a magical show.