Schedule for Family Musicals on the Ocean City Music Pier

Timeless tales loved by kids and adults will be retold in fully staged musical productions this summer at the historic .

Monday mornings will be buzzing with energy, imagination, creativity and lots of fun as the (OCTC) presents five professional, family oriented musicals at 10:30 a.m. on July 9, 16, 23, 30 and Aug. 6. A perfect pre-beach and pre-boardwalk outing for audiences of all ages, OCTC promises to entertain and inspire with this newly expanded children’s theater programming.

The 2012 Children’s Series is under the direction and guidance of John Anker Bow.

“John’s background in children’s theater both as a performer and director is extensive and has been pivotal to successful children’s theater programming all around the United States. We are very fortunate to have him overseeing this project for us,” said Michael Hartman, OCTC's artistic director.

Tickets are $9, which includes the show and a brief post-performance character meet-and-greet. To purchase tickets for any of the below shows, call 609-525-9248, visit www.ocnj.us/boxoffice or stop by the Box Office at the Ocean City Music Pier.

The 2012 season includes: 

JULY 9, 2012

"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day": Alexander is having a bad day. A terrible day. A horrible day. To be quite honest, it's a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But then, everybody has bad days, sometimes. In this delightful adaptation of her popular book, Judith Viorst sets Alexander's rather trying life to music and brings to the stage one of America's feistiest characters. Alexander's struggles with life's daily dramas will not only entertain, but educate young audiences as they identify with Alexander and the obstacles he encounters, encouraging them to share their feelings and to realize that bad days happen—even in Australia. 

JULY 16, 2012

"The Three Bears: The Musical": When you’re a bear, life is just a bowl of porridge — that is until a little blond beauty queen ransacks your house! Everybody knows the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears — but have you ever heard the story from the bears’ point of view! Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear and Goldie entertain audiences with merry music and plenty of laughs.

JULY 23, 2012

"Red Riding Hood’s Woods": Little Red’s mother has always been a bit overprotective of her daughter, but once she’s old enough, it’s time for Little Red to wander through the woods on her own. Encounters with a singing Postman, Three Little Pigs, The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker, Granny and of course the Big Bad Wolf make this interactive musical an entertaining treat for kids of all ages. Often compared to the comedic styling of SHREK, this musical production is a teat for audiences of all ages. Meet Little Red and all of her friends at the Ocean City Music Pier at 10:30 AM on July 23, 2012.

JULY 30, 2012

"Charlotte’s Web": This exciting new musical version of Charlotte's Web brings a new dimension to E.B. White's beloved classic. With music and lyrics by Charles Strouse ('Annie,' 'Bye, Bye Birdie') and book by Joseph Robinette (national award-winning children's playwright) audiences are thrilled by a musical score, which features Charlotte, Wilbur and all the characters from Zuckerman’s farm. This musical evokes a time and place from everyone's childhood while creating a joyous time for kids.

AUGUST 6, 2012

"The Fabulous Fable Factory": Monroe wanders into a seemingly abandoned factory and accidentally trips a lever, which activates the factory "machinery," an assembly line of seven actors who create fabulous fables. Then he meets the factory owner, a Mr. Aloysius A. Aesop, who explains that the factory has been idle for over 2,000 years because of a missing part. Mr. Aesop introduces Monroe to the machinery. Among them are Straucy, the Story Starter; Pluto, the Plot Plotter; Wadsworth, the Word Worker; and Gretel, the Grammar Guardian. The factory proceeds to create and enact stories, which become official fables when Monroe himself surprises everyone by supplying the morals. Mr. Aesop and the others are ecstatic over their new-found "Moral Maker."

Tickets are now on sale for all of the above performances.

For more information about the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company, visit www.oceancitytheatrecompany.com.

— News release from Ocean City Theatre Company