‘Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed’ teaches love, acceptance

It's not easy to depart "Sesame Street." However, Mo Willems left the iconic educational children's television series after winning six Emmy Awards for writing during his eventful tenure from 1993 to January 2002.

Willems checked out from “Sesame Street” to try his luck on a different artistic avenue. The author illustrator, who won raves for creating the recurring character Susie Kabloozie and her pet cat, Feff, on "Sesame Street," decided to focus on writing children's books.

Willems has been as successful as he's been prolific. One of the Caldecott Honor recipient's most acclaimed works is "Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed." The entertaining children's picture book features a naked mole rat, Wilbur, who decides to wear clothes. That creates an uproar in the mole rat community. An animated cartoon version was made, followed by a stage musical. The latter will appear from Thursday to July 27 at Theatre Cedar Rapids.

The cast and crew are comprised of Willems' fans. Kayla Jean, who portrays Wilbur J Mole Rat Jr., came of age on Willems' work.

"I grew up going to my local library with my mother and brother to hear many of Mo Willems' books read aloud," Jean said. "His material has a nostalgic place in my heart. He has a special way of teaching children valuable life lessons in a light-hearted and humorous way, which can appeal to kids and adults alike."

Expect both children and parents to catch "Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed" since Willems' work has great crossover appeal. "It's so fun and whimsical and has something for all age groups," "Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed" music director Brandon Burkhardt said. "There are jokes for all ages, including adults. I personally find myself laughing for the entire show. Also, the music rocks!"

The production is a high energy, fun and thoughtful show with a number of catchy and eclectic songs.

"The music for this show is fantastic," Burkhardt said. "There is music throughout the entire show, and it does an amazing job of providing a new genre for each song. There are rock, jazz, pop, power ballads, choral/barbershop-like chords and even a Sousa march for a moment. Every second of this music feels fresh and really shows off the performer's voices. All six singers are great and have done an incredible job of shaping themselves to incorporate all of the musical styles while keeping it fun for the kids."

"Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed" is an entertaining show, but it delivers a serious message.

"When faced with the question of 'should I be myself?’ many people feel that they should just try and follow social norms," Burkhardt said. "Our main character instead shows us that it is okay to be yourself. Love yourself for who you really are, and others will love you back. Breaking the social norm, loving yourself, caring for others, accepting everyone and supporting friends are just a few of the great messages in this show."

It's a visually appealing production. Costume designer and props master Bre Kenney is no stranger to designing animal characters for TCR productions. Kenney has designed such shows as "A Year with Frog and Toad" and "Elephant and Piggie."

"I prefer to create looks that have the spirit of the animal without making the exact body shape, color and size of the actual animal," Kenney said. "Mo Willems' drawings aren't life accurate, so why should our costumes be? With this in mind, I decided to go for a one-piece look to evoke the elongated unbroken shape of a mole rat, but I opted to tie-dye rather than create wrinkles or whiskers along the body of the costume. This also allowed me to integrate multiple shades in the costumes.“

The past few years, TCR has presented outdoor youth productions. However, the stage has been shifted to the Grandon Studio.

"Outdoor theatre is fun but unpredictable," Marketing and Communication Director Christina Kroemer said. "We've experienced heat advisories, thunder storms and even tornado sirens during shows. Protecting our electrical equipment and sets, and keeping patrons safe prompted the move indoors. For many young theater goers, this will be their first theater experience in a black box, which is such a cool and unique space."

"Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed" is an inclusive show.

"One of the beautiful things about this show is that people of all ages and from all walks of life can come and enjoy (the show)," Jean said. "Our tunnel holds space for every mole."