Columbus Children's Theatre adds musical twist to 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'
Many kids and parents are familiar with the bestselling “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” in book and movie form, but the musical version is a new one for Columbus audiences.
Columbus Children's Theatre (CCT) will be presenting the regional premiere of the musical from Aug. 9 to 18 at the Riffe Center Studio One Theatre.
“There's not a lot out there about what other productions have done, so we've been building it from the ground up,” said Brian Gray, who is directing the show, his second for CCT.
That means juggling a 20-person cast, where most members are in the 9- to 12-year-old age range.
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“There's a lot of energy in the room. The challenging thing is making sure that we channel that energy in a productive way,” Gray said.
“The kids that we have in the show, they want to be there. That is inspiring. They're thinking about their characters and putting their brains into the work. We just have to make sure that we channel that and make sure that they feel comfortable and safe in the show.”
For Gray, the central theme of the musical is friendship and how it evolves over time.
“We see Greg (played by Isaac Rittberger) and his friend Rowley (played by Harrison Strader) go through lots of trials and tribulations," Gray said.
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"Rowley is looking for a best friend, whereas Greg is more looking for a sidekick. This comes to a head in the second act, after some things go down that Greg isn't happy about, but Greg comes to realize that having someone who has your back, and you also have their back, is a wonderful thing. So we're concentrating on showing that kind of platonic love and friendship and how that helps not just middle schoolers, but all of us.
“It's a musical about a boy who finds himself in the middle of everything. He doesn't really think he excels at anything; he's not really bad at anything. He wants to find his place and make his mark on middle school. We see Greg making his way through middle school trying to see what he can excel at and be popular for. His family is there to support him, and he has a good group of friends that we see weave in and out through the show."
It's also, of course, a two-act musical, with big production numbers and an array of musical styles.
“There's a Lin-Manuel Miranda parody in it; there's a rap; there's a Europop number; and there are contemporary regular old musical-theater numbers,” said Amy Rittberger, who plays Greg's mom in the show — and Isaac's mom in real life.
Not only are she and her 13-year-old son in the musical, but so is her husband, Jay, who plays a variety of adult parts, and her 7-year-old daughter, who plays Greg's younger brother.
It's the first time for Isaac to play a leading part, and the first time for the whole family to perform together onstage.
“My passion is children's theater, so every time I have a chance to do a show, either with children or for children, I really jump at it, especially if I can do it with my own kids," said Amy Rittberger.
"There's just something so magical to me about doing a show where there are little children in the audience, and they don't know how to behave. I like to hear those little voices with their little reactions. Someone is always saying something funny or getting up at the wrong time or talking to the people on the stage when they shouldn't be."
To Zac DelMonte, the artistic director of CCT, the show is “for those who are approaching middle school, or anyone who has been there. It highlights that middle-school experience, the excitement and the challenges as you transition from elementary to middle school.”
It also highlights the strengths of CCT as a theater company.
“We use a hybrid casting model, which means that we have adults and youth onstage at the same time, in age-appropriate roles. That's something that CCT always has been very proud of,” DelMonte said.
“So the kids get to shine in their roles as middle schoolers, and the adults get to mentor them and show them the ropes as professionals, which is a pretty cool experience for everyone involved.”
At a glance
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical" will be presented Thursdays through Sundays from Aug. 9 to 18 at the Riffe Center Studio One Theatre, 77 S. High St.
Tickets are $27.62 to $40.93 and can be purchased online at cbusarts.com. More information can be found at columbuschildrenstheatre.org.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Children's Theatre to perform 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'
