{"id":75800,"date":"2025-12-04T12:50:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T12:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/75800\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T12:50:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T12:50:15","slug":"the-pigeon-gets-a-big-time-holiday-extravaganza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/75800\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

They\u2019re calling it \u201cPigeon-mania\u201d at Dallas Children\u2019s Theater. All the proof you need comes early on a Friday afternoon. Hundreds of kids squirm in the seats, restless and ready for the day\u2019s second performance of The Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza!, the latest musical from Mo Willems, rock star to the elementary set.<\/p>\n

Chanting together for the show to start, they practically will it into existence. Kyle Igneczi, the actor-puppeteer playing the Pigeon, acts frightened when he sees the packed house, then asks, \u201cCan I drive the bus?\u201d The audience quickly shouts back in unison, \u201cNo!\u201d <\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of the tropes the children know from Willems\u2019 Pigeon picture-book series. After making his bones as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, he has authored more than a dozen Pigeon titles and more than two dozen in his Elephant & Piggie series.<\/p>\n

\"Kyle<\/p>\n

Kyle Ignaczi portrays the title character in Dallas Children\u2019s Theater\u2019s production of \u201cThe Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sylvia Elzafon<\/p>\n

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Previous musicals at DCT have featured the characters separately. This is the first time they cross over in a kind of multiverse.<\/p>\n

The Pigeon may be a hit with the 2- to 7-year-old demographic he\u2019s aimed at and beyond because he\u2019s one of them: pure id stubbornly wanting its way and right now. In the classic <\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Hailee<\/p>\n

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, despite much resistance he learns to share the treat he\u2019d rather keep for himself.<\/p>\n

In Holiday Extravaganza, which in a rolling world premiere is also slated for children\u2019s theater stages in six other cities, his patience is tested when he learns of plans for the big party. Like his audience, he doesn\u2019t like to wait for life\u2019s payoffs. But first, there\u2019s a trip to the North Pole and a dream ballet along the way.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/p>\n

Brian Hathaway as Elephant Gerald and Leslie Collins as Piggie exchange presents in Dallas Children\u2019s Theater\u2019s production of \u201cThe Pigeon Gets A Big Time Holiday Extravaganza!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sylvia Elzafon<\/p>\n

To DCT\u2019s credit, it treats the production as if it had to pass scrutiny with adult theatergoers. That is, it\u2019s tight \u2014 beautifully timed, sung and acted by cast members you\u2019ll see in shows for grown-ups around town giving equal if not greater effort, with a colorful set and costumes worthy of any stage. Little asides appear designed to go over the kids\u2019 heads, for their parents\u2019 benefit.<\/p>\n

The show didn\u2019t officially open until the next day, with two afternoon performances scheduled every Saturday and Sunday. That\u2019s when families go. During the week, school kids are bused in for two shows daily. Emily Ernst, the new DCT artistic director, estimates 10,000 children will see it.<\/p>\n

Ernst says Holiday Extravaganza started with an email from associate artistic director Artie Olaisen to Deborah Wicks La Puma, the composer who collaborates with Willems on his musicals, after the success in 2023 of Don\u2019t Let The Pigeon Drive the Sleigh! In the end, DCT co-commissioned the musical with the other children\u2019s theaters.<\/p>\n

Despite a squirrel played by Lily Gast pointing out early on that this is no mere party, it\u2019s an extravaganza \u2014 \u201cIt\u2019s in the title of the play,\u201d she says \u2014 one of the lessons is that size doesn\u2019t matter. Another is you can make great theater for any age group.<\/p>\n

Details<\/p>\n

Through Dec. 21 at 5938 Skillman St. $33-$95. dct.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Three artists explore belonging in new exhibition at Craighead Green Gallery<\/a>Step inside and support Dallas artists during Goldmark Cultural Center\u2019s holiday art walk<\/a><\/p>\n

Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.<\/p>\n

This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access\u2019 journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They\u2019re calling it \u201cPigeon-mania\u201d at Dallas Children\u2019s Theater. All the proof you need comes early on a Friday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75801,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[826,822,102,37407,104,103,1551,5351],"class_list":["post-75800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-arts-entertainment","tag-arts-access","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-childrens-theater","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-feature","tag-performing-arts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}