Giraffes Can’t Dance: The Musical is based on the beloved children’s book Giraffes Can’t Dance, written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees.
In this stage adaptation that’s packed with puppets, African rhythm, and lots of dancing, Gerald learns that his differences are what make him special. Composers Leela Oleszkiewicz and Elton Bradman worked closely with playwright/lyricist Gloria Bond Clunie to tell the story of Gerald the Giraffe and his friends on the African savanna, and the results have been warmly received by children everywhere.
Giraffes, co-commissioned by Bay Area Children’s Theater in Berkeley, California and the Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, premiered at the Rose in April 2022 and at Bay Area Children’s Theater in April 2023. A Wishing Star Productions tour delighted thousands of children around the U.S. from October 2023 to March 2024. Other productions at JCC Rochester (October 2023), Orlando Family Stage (January/February 2024), and Columbus State University (June 2025) have been hits, too.
Catch Giraffes Can’t Dance in 2026!
Upcoming Giraffes shows are scheduled at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins, Minnesota (January/February 2026) and the Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska (fall 2026).
Video courtesy of Paydin LoPachin/Wishing Star
The Music
“I Am Gerald”
“Giraffes Can’t Dance”
“When the World Comes to Dance”
“Friends”
“A Different Song”
“Greetings!”
The Creative Team
GLORIA BOND CLUNIE is an award-winning playwright, educator, and director. She is a founding member of the Playwriting Ensemble at Chicago’s Regional Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater where her plays North Star, Living Green, and Shoes premiered and the founding Artistic Director of Evanston’s Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre. Other works by this Northwestern University graduate (B.A. Theater, MFA-Directing) include Sweet Water Taste, Smoke, Quark, Buck Naked, Bankruptcy, My Wonderful Birthday Suit, and The Last Stop on Market Street.
LEELA OLESZKIEWICZ Composer, songwriter, and vocalist Leela Oleszkiewicz has been a performer since the age of five. Her work as a vocalist has ranged from classical art songs, Polish folk music, and ’70s singer-songwriter jams. She is half of synth-pop duo Basetla, who released their debut album Woman on The Run in 2021. Leela has contributed her piano, composition, and vocal arranging/editing skills to a wide range of projects, including theater (from Twelfth Night at Oregon Shakespeare Festival to Wives at Aurora Theater), film (the documentary A Place to Breathe), TV (HBO’s The Anarchists), and musicals (Covid: The Musical). Leela was the primary composer for South Coast Repertory’s 2022 production of Greg Banks’ Snow White.
EVERETT ELTON BRADMAN is a musician, wordsmith, and composer/sound designer whose theater credits include 80-plus productions since 2017, from world premieres (Lear at Cal Shakes, A Distinct Society at Pioneer and TheatreWorks, and Mindplay at the Geffen Playhouse) and a British-style pantomime to pandemic-era Zoom plays and two seasons as resident sound designer for Oakland Theater Project. He’s also a Grammy-nominated bassist, a veteran music journalist, and an accompanist for childbirth and the dying.
Elton meets a real-life Gerald at northern Kenya‘s Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in November 2024. [photo by Stephanie Sinclair]
Pics & Video
The 2022 Giraffes premiere, at the Rose Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska, was a fabulous celebration! [photos by Dana Rose]
Giraffes Can’t Dance comes to Bay Area Children’s Theater! [photos by Jay Yamada]
Wishing Star’s 50-show touring production brought Giraffes joy to kids all around the U.S. in fall 2023 and spring 2024. [photos by Paydin LoPachin]
