By Jody Tuso-Key — Managing Editor — June 23, 2019

Woodstock, GA is a great place to spend a Saturday. Among all the Main Street shops and good eats is a gem of a cultural arts center. The folks at Elm Street Cultural Arts Village have something great going on, and their welcoming atmosphere makes their patrons feel like part of the family.

Right now, the Elm Street Theatre is offering ELEPHANT & PIGGIE’S WE ARE IN A PLAY! This is an adorable musical theater production with top-notch vocals and a fun story about two best friends, Elephant and Piggie. Sitting in an audience full of families and hearing the delight of the children in the audience was a treat. Director Tom Milley and his crew put together a whimsical set and fill it with performers who play imaginative characters with great vocals. Along with Elephant (Nicholas Vavra) and Piggie (Karen Collier) are the Squirrelle’s (Olivia Adams, Ashley Martin, and VIrginia Worthington) who serve as party hosts and doo-wap singers. There was also a salty dog played by Assistant Stage Manager, Piper Nix.

ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE is a cleverly written show for all ages to enjoy and teaches the values of friendship and how friends work through conflicts and differences. There are some fun audience participation moments, and the score is full of a variety of songs including a number about having “An Elephant in the Room” and a showstopper about a broken toy.

Karen Collier is so cute as Piggie in her pink satin baby-doll polka dot dress with pantaloons. Her vocals are spot-on perfect and she’s a pleasure to watch on stage. As a preschool director in her off-stage life, she’s in touch and connects with her audience beautifully.

Nicholas Vavra is vivacious as Elephant and proves to be a loyal and caring friend, and a delightful performer. Seeing him interact with the kids after the show was a delight and he took a special interest in every child he met.

The Squirrelle’s, Olivia Adams, Ashley Martin, and Virginia Worthington rounded out the performance with their spunky charm, adorable baby-doll dresses and colorful Converse high tops with bows to match. Especially impressive was Ashley’s lift of Elephant in the Ice Cream song.

Every element in this production comes together to make for an entertaining performance that is fun for all ages.

ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE’S WE ARE IN A PLAY runs through June 26th. Get your tickets at www.elmstreetarts.org or call 678-494-4251.