First Stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will present the world premiere of Winnie-the-Pooh: Forever Friends, a new musical inspired by the stories of A.A. Milne. Performances are scheduled to run on weekends from January 29 through February 28, 2027. The production takes place at the theater for young audiences and families, with tickets and information available through the organization’s website.
The musical features a book and lyrics by Scott Seidl, music and lyrics by Alan Stein, and additional lyrics by A.A. Milne. Robert Penola serves as the creative development associate for the production. Jeff Frank and Michelle LoRicco contributed additional material, and LoRicco is directing the staging.
The narrative follows a newly retired Christopher Robin who returns to his childhood home to live closer to family. While caring for his grandchild, Alex, he must relearn the art of doing nothing, pausing, playing, and imagining. When an old childhood packing box is opened, the Hundred Acre Wood comes back to life to remind both characters that imagination is never truly outgrown.
The theatrical work was created after A.A. Milne’s original Winnie-the-Pooh stories entered the public domain. The creative team drew on the world established by Milne to build an entirely new production. The project aims to bring the characters, themes, and setting of the stories to a new generation of young audiences and families.
The creative team brings decades of experience across theater, theme parks, and youth productions. Seidl was a writer and director who previously worked on the national tour of Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Stein spent over 40 years in the theme park business creating shows for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, while Penola adapted Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for the stage.
First Stage executive artistic director Jeff Frank has directed more than 100 professional productions and specializes in developing new work. Associate artistic director Michelle LoRicco focuses on theatrical experiences that center young people’s voices and imagination. The upcoming staging features artwork created by illustrator and designer Stanley A. Meyer.
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