Based on the picture book, The Trip, by Caldecott Award-winning author Ezra Jack Keats, Captain Louie opens with young Louie, alone and sad, because he hasn’t yet found any friends in his new neighborhood. Looking for something to cheer him up, he returns to his old neighborhood friends in an imaginative journey on the wings of his favorite toy, his little red plane. During the play, we see the plane go from toy size to Louie size to large enough to take Louie and all his friends on a flight over the sparkling lights of the City.
The story is set on Halloween, and the tricks and treats, masks and costumes, ghosts and ghouls of Louie’s dream journey play a defining role in the story and musical style of the piece.
But most important, Captain Louie is about friendship — the ability to make new friends and the importance of old ones.
Upon hearing Stephen Schwartz's wonderful score and the Stein's tender interpretation of the Ezra Jack Keats book The Trip, Kurt was in love with the show and soon joined the producing team. The show was a joy to see in the limited run at The York with a cast of very talented kids.
