Giraffes Can’t Dance – The Musical!

All the animals in the jungle know their own special dance, but Gerald the Giraffe can’t seem to move without a clumsy step. With the help of a wise cricket, however, he finds his own song, and dances to the beat of his own drum!

In this stage adaptation of the beloved children’s book, with puppets, African rhythm, and lots of dancing, Gerald learns that his differences are what make him special.

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Giraffes Can’t Dance: The Musical, co-commissioned by Bay Area Children’s Theater in Berkeley, CA and the Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. is based on Giraffes Can’t Dance, written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. 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 premiered at the Rose in April 2022 and at BACT in April 2023. A third production, organized by Wishing Star Productions, began touring the U.S. in October 2023.

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 (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 2022-2023 credits include world premieres (Lear at Cal Shakes, A Distinct Society at Pioneer and TheatreWorks, and Mindplay at the Geffen Playhouse), six plays for Oakland Theater Project, as well as productions at Z Space, South Coast Rep, UC Riverside, Pasadena Playhouse, Aurora, UNLV, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He’s also a Grammy-nominated bassist, a veteran music journalist, and an accompanist for childbirth and the dying.

The 2024 Tour

  • Jan. 10: Admiral Theater (Bremerton, WA)
  • Jan. 11: Mt. Baker Theater (Bellingham, WA)
  • Jan. 18-19: Luther Burbank Center (Santa Rosa, CA)
  • Jan. 23: Fox Theater (Tucson, AZ)
  • Jan. 26: Lutcher Theater (Orange, TX)
  • Jan. 29: Perot Theatre (Texarkana, TX)
  • Feb. 1: Ellis Theater (Philadelphia, MS)
  • Feb. 2: Van Braun Center (Huntsville, AL)
  • Feb. 5: Parker Playhouse (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
  • Feb. 7: Van Wezel Hall (Sarasota, FL)
  • Feb. 13: RiverCenter (Columbus, GA)
  • Feb. 16: Bologna PAC (Cleveland, MS)
  • Feb. 24: Hyllton PAC (Mannasas, VA)
  • Feb. 25: Weinberg Center (Frederick, MD)
  • Feb. 29-March 1: NJPAC (Newark, NJ)
  • March 3: Gordon Center (Owings Mills, MD)
  • March 5: The Music Hall (Portsmouth, NH)
  • March 7: Smith Center (Geneva, NY)
  • March 9: Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown, NY)
  • March 10: Kupferberg Center (Queens, NY)
  • March 14: Tilles Center (Brookville, NY)
  • March 15: Westhampton Beach PAC (Westhampton, NY)
  • March 17: Jorgensen Center (Storrs, CT)
  • March 18: Capitol Center (Concord, NH)

For more info, please visit the Giraffes Can’t Dance page at bsoinc.com.