MEDIA THEATRE ENTERS MEDIEVAL TIMES WITH SECOND 'MAGIC TREE HOUSE' MUSICAL

If it's spring, it's time for another children's musical based on the "Magic Tree House" books, and The Media Theatre has the Philadelphia regional premiere of the second hour long show entitled "Knight At Dawn". It's on stage every weekend from March 7 to May 24, with Saturday performances at 11am and Sundays at Noon.

The two young actors in the middle, Ben Pedersen and Jaydin Knight, who share the role of Jack in "Magic Tree House: Knight At Dawn", with actresses Brynn Washbourne (left) and Jolie Jaffe who share the role of Annie. All are New School students at The Media Theatre.

Last year, The Media Theatre presented the regional premiere of a new children's musical based on the popular "Magic Tree House" books by Mary Pope Osborne. Audiences had the pleasure of visiting with dinosaurs a year ago, and now in 2015 the second show based on Osborne's series of books has its Philly premiere. Audiences ages 4 and up will travel back in time to medieval times as they meet The Black Knight, a singing Jester, Minstrels, and many other interesting characters.

In the "Magic Tree House" series, two siblings (Jack and Annie) find that whenever they put their finger on magical books they are transported back in time to enjoy fast-paced adventure while they learn about history.

Here they are: Red, Mustache, and Squinty. They're the Castle Guards and their actual names are Carter Weiss, Michael Wells, and Sean O' Neill.

Songs in the second musical include "How Far Can You See?" which also opened the previous show in the series. New titles featured are "The Apple Song", "Mustache, Squinty, and Red", and "Light In The Darkness".

"Magic Tree House: Knight At Dawn" has plenty of humor, lots of heart, and lessons aplenty.

The roles of Jack and Annie are double cast, with Jaydin Knight and Ben Pedersen sharing the role of Jack while Jolie Jaffe and Brynn Washbourne take on the part of Annie. 

Media Theatre stage veteran Roger Ricker plays the Jester, with Tim Haney scaring up laughs as The Black Knight. Father and son Henry O' Neill and Sean O' Neill appear in their first show together--Henry, a Ridley Township policeman, portrays the World's Oldest Prisoner while his 7 year old son Sean is a guard.

Two actors from the same family: 7 year old Sean O' Neill with his father Henry O' Neill (who is older than 7). It's their first time sharing the stage together in a production.

The entire cast can be found on Media Theatre News, the Media Music Theatre Company's blog which, as of February 1, has had over 100,000 views in the past year and a half. 

For tickets to "Magic Tree House: Knight At Dawn" call 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org. Group rates are available; there are also several Friday morning performances for school and student groups.