‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (The Musical!) @ CenterStage Theatre Works
Photos by Fablelight Photography
—Jan Farrington
The poor, put-upon Pigeon has only a few simple wants.
He wants a hot dog from the park vendor.
He wants the Old Lady to stop throwing so much bird seed at him.
And he wants…he wants…
Oh, he almost can’t say it out loud.
Probably because, as the opening song says, “I Never Get to Do Anything.”
CenterStage Theatre Works, producing shows both for adults and for kids of all ages in the Frisco Discovery Center’s black box space, has a charming, big-laugh-generating musical up and running through July 18. It’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!, from the mega-hit book of the same name by writer Mo Willems. The series of stories about the Pigeon are all short and snappy, so I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. But I have to say, it’s been a while since I’ve seen so much genuine, lol guffawing from a theatre audience of kids (sizes small, medium and large) plus the adults alongside them.
Director Charlotte Taylor has pulled together a great cast, led by DFW newcomer Toni Arroyo, whose sudden leap onto (ahem) the Center Stage left my two granddaughters gasping and laughing within seconds. Arroyo is a natural in the role; with the puppet Pigeon on one arm and the controls in the opposite hand, they dance, work the puppet in perfect time to words, music, and emotion—and sing beautifully to boot. (Arroyo saves one last trick for the end, so be sure to pay attention to the very…last…second of their performance.)
In short, Arroyo is a natural, seen recently in a hilarious dual role in Rover Dramawerks’ The Lady Demands Satisfaction (as both the German heiress and a Baron) and as Carmen Ghia in The Firehouse Theater’s recent The Producers. The script and lyrics of Pigeon, credited to Mo Willems and a Mr. Warburton, keeps the spirit and sass of the books, and adds simple but fun tunes composed by Deborah Wicks La Puma. Taylor’s direction is crisp and fast-moving, and the lively choreography from Kyra Jacobs (who returned from her new base in Chicago for a few days to work out the moves) is absolutely fun to watch.
Scott Rice did the nicely from-the-book set—and it ought to feel happily familiar to little readers in the audience. Melanie Peterman is on the ball as assistant director/stage manager (and light ops); Laurel Merritt (with Becky Buehner on assist) crafted the on-target costumes; and last but definitely not least, talented music director Jared Duncan took the “tracks” of the music accompaniment and worked hard on vocals with the fine cast—developing a high level of both singing and performance quality. (Audrey Murphy on sound ops achieved a nice clarity as well.)
My favorite characters were, wings down, Arroyo’s uber-dramatic Pigeon, constantly told to “Fly off, Bird!”—plus the very official Bus Driving Bus Driver (played by excellent singer Cam Hayes, who even wails for his mamma in tune); Katy Demi, who plays both The Duckling (one of the grand-daughters has always loved this character best) and a brilliantly noisy Bus Engine who growls, coughs, gasps and reaches for help (the Engine is in the throes of a breakdown on this warm day—and about to make the Passengers LATE),
Also bold and brassy in her roles is Melania MacDonald, playing a Hot Dog Vendor (she who will not give the Pigeon a weenie), and a very dot.com-ish Business Person. Caera Flood is a classic Old Lady with a goofy amount of Bird Seed in her handbag; Natalie Laboda plays one of two movie-crazed teens on the bus (the other is fancy-dancing Devin Hayes), plus a City Worker who’s always leaving Stop signs that change the Pigeon’s emotional thoughts. With ensemble member/swing Hannah Artzt, many of these actors perform in multiple roles—as a Duckling Chorus, a crowd of bus riders, and more.
BTW, the really wonderful Pigeon puppet worked by Arroyo was made from scratch by talented props/puppet volunteer Rachel Sullivan—and I’m still delighted by how Arroyo and the Bird managed to morph almost into one character onstage…it’s a gift.
CenterStage Theatre Works’ last show also ran at Frisco’s Discovery Center, and this new one fills a sweet spot in a hot summer that hasn’t seen all that much youth theatre. I hope families in Frisco and the communities up and down the North Dallas Tollway take notice—and try out this wonderful new entertainment opportunity.
Until now, I think my favorite CSTW production was a couple of seasons back, the memorable Alice By Heart, a very quirky take on Alice in Wonderland set in the tough but interesting times of the London Blitz. Artistic head Taylor has a great eye for good theater scripts for a wide range of audiences…and I’ll definitely be back for more.
WHEN: July 9-18, 2026
WHERE: Frisco Discovery Center, 8004 Dallas Parkway, Frisco TX (far right door entrance as you are looking at the front of this LARGE building)
WEB: cstheatreworks.com
