Mia Karhu

Junie B. Jones the Musical Review

I went to go see the Fullwood Theatre production of Junie B. Jones the Musical at
Matthews Community Center On February 26th. The production included kids from the ages 4 to
17 playing characters of first graders, a teacher, and a mother. The play was about Junie Bs first
day as a first grade student. Throughout the play she writes her inner monologue in her diary to
which the audience gets to hear and enjoy. This diary became the audiences connection to Junie
B and the musical as a whole. The audience was able to relate to Junie Bs experiences and also
reminisce on their own experiences as a first grader.
Although first grade seemed like it was a long time ago and most of my memories from
that time have seemed to fade away, this musical brought back memories for me. As Im sure the
production brought back memories for others as well. The play did a great job at exposing the
true feelings of a first grader. After lots of time, people often change and hide their true feelings
as well as become less nave. The time passes and it makes it easier to forget about a time where
we all were nave and in touch with every emotion we had. I liked the raw emotion that was
exposed in her diary as well as through her time feeling like she was back stabbed by her friends.
Elementary school is a time where kids grow and develop into adolescents. This
transition leaves them very open to vulnerability. Seeing the way kids treat other kids in this play
correlated very closely to my memories of how often kids would hurt my feelings or make me
feel like I was doing something wrong. Junie B handled her situation with her backstabbing
friends just like any one of us would have. Of course she was hurt at first but she then moved
on and made better friends. She, like many other girls do, ran to her mom for advice on her

situation as well. When her best friend from last year told her she had found new and better
friends, I felt for Junie B. I believe that was what the writer of this musical intended. For the
audience to relate and feel for Junie B.
The staging and props let the audience step right back into their own elementary schools
and feel the same feelings they did back when they were starting first grade. The first scene starts
off with Junie B saying goodbye to her mother and waiting for the bus like many of us did on our
first days. With this, upstage was set with many chairs and a drop cloth with the front of a school
bus on it. That area was not lit until after Junie B waited patiently at the bus stop which was a
hand-made stop sign pole. Then everyone on the bus sat in their seats while the bus driver, who
also played the teacher and the lunch lady, drove the students to school.
The school staging consisted of six tables which had two chairs at each table that were all
slanted slightly in order to face the audience head on but also so the audience can see all the
faces of the actors. Across from the tables or desks was a rolling blackboard for the teacher to
write on. On this blackboard the teacher would put his students assignments for the kids to do.
Junie B felt that everyone else knew what to do while she was still confused about the
assignments. I have been in that same boat so I understood how she was feeling during that time.
After their class the students would go to the cafeteria to eat their lunches. The stage was set to
have two tables, one large and one small. There was a station set up to be their lunch line where
they grabbed their lunch provided by the school. That was a very detailed piece of equipment. It
was obviously hand-made but was just professional enough to come off as a nice lunch line.
There was a scene where all of the students participated in a kickball tournament. A few
students were not into kickball so they decided to do something different. These students were
cheerleaders or performed for the halftime show. During this scene, the stage was set up to have

large fences behind the students as they were playing in the tournament. This gave the
impression that the tournament was held outside.
The musical aspect of the play gave the production even more emotion. The first song
seemed like it didnt belong at first but as the play went on, the songs seemed to fit into the
action that was happening on stage. Each emotion felt seemed to have its own song to go along
with it. I especially liked, but also sort of resented, the song Junie Bs old best friend, Lucille,
and her two new twin best friends, Camille and Chenille, sang to explain to Junie B why she
couldnt be their friend. This song was extra theatrical with the dancing incorporated. It was very
entertaining to watch.
There was a particular part that really did a good job at portraying their character. May,
played by Lydia Farr, was the tattle-tale, know-it-all, bratty little girl who everyone hated in the
class. She was mean to everyone and was the obvious teachers pet. I was very impressed with
her character because she was very young but she portrayed the character so very well.
There was a couple characters who really stood out for their singing abilities. Lucille,
played by Juliana Mink, had a great range in her voice and did an incredible job on her solo
songs as well as her group songs. Junie B, played by Tate Clemmons, did not have a voice that
really stood out though. Her first song was a little rough but that could have just have been
nerves for leading the show on opening night. As a whole, the actors voices blended together
very nicely and made the musical very pleasing to listen to.
The show as a whole was a very nice musical production. I left the theatre in good spirits
and wishing the play had never ended. The musical and its actors were very cute and made the
play worth watching. I was very impressed at the acting abilities of such young children. I had a

really nice time watching the performance and this experience has renewed my passion for
watching and acting in musicals and plays.