Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash! is a stage show that was originally directed and choreographed by Sloan Bayer, written by Carter Crocker with songs in the show written by various individuals. It is based on the American live-action educational children's television series Barney & Friends. The show, gearing at families with children two to five years old, premiered on November 19, 2010, at Tulsa's Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[2] The show performed in over one-hundred cities and performed over four-hundred shows, two to three cities a week, playing anywhere from two to six shows in each.[3]
This was Barney's fifth US national stage show tour after Barney's Big Surprise, Barney's Musical Castle, Barney's Colorful World!, and Barney Live! - The Let's Go Tour. Produced by Vee Corporation and HIT Entertainment[4] the show toured the United States and Canada until December 11, 2011 with its final performance at the SRC Arena in Syracuse in Syracuse, New York. Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash! was Barney's final national stage show tour to tour North America.
The show would later tour across Asia in 2014. It premiered in January and concluded in Bangkok, Thailand in October 2014. While it was still produced by HIT Entertainment, the show was now produced alongside Smile Live Entertainment. For the Asian tour, the show was directed by Kym Halpin.[5]
Plot[]
Act 1[]
Barney dances his way on stage as the “Barney Theme Song” plays. Seeing the audience makes Barney happy that he sings “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. After the song, Barney’s friends Alex and Jesse arrive on stage. Jesse mentions that the both of them have been helping Barney take his birthday tour around the country, prompting the three of them to wonder how the audience arrived to the show. As Joel and Megan arrive, Alex tells the audience that they all arrived in a bus, queuing them to sing “The Wheels on the Bus”.
After the song, the gang decides to party with the tune “Throw Your Hands Up” with Baby Bop, BJ and Riff arriving respectively during the song and greeting the audience. After the song, everyone wonders what they can do now. Riff gives BJ the idea to be a magician for the party. He soon arrives with a magician’s hat and wand, attempting to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Unfortunately, he pulls bunny slippers out instead. After BJ’s attempt, everyone watches clips of children seeing what they like to do at parties. One child mentions that they like to sing songs, making Riff suggest they do that at the party. Barney suggests that they make their own band using their imagination. With BJ imagining to play the guitar, Riff imagining to play the drums and Baby Bop imagining to a play a horn, they sing along to “Our Friend Barney Had a Band”, encouraging the audience to join along. After that song, Baby Bop suggests everyone to sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider”.
After the song, BJ attempts to pull a rabbit out his magician’s hat again. Unfortunately, he only got his voicemail. After BJ’s failure, Riff suggests they sing the “Alphabet Song”. After the song, BJ attempts to pull a rabbit out his magician’s hat for the third time, with only confetti popping out. After BJ’s attempt, a tall man arrives looking for his hat. BJ, Riff and Baby Bop attempt to guess who the tall man is, with Barney telling everyone that it’s Mr. Knickerbocker, queuing up his self-titled song. After the song, Mr. Knickerbocker leaves, thanking everyone for finding his hat.
Afterwards, everyone wonders what more they can do at the party, prompting them to see what their other friends had to say through video clips. All of the kids mention that they like to dance, prompting everyone to start dancing, leading into “The Dino Dance”. During the dance, everyone teaches the audience how to dance along with them. After the song, BJ can’t stop dancing, leading into “Rock Like a Monkey” due to him “monkeying” around. After the song, Barney mentions that he’s been dancing for ages. Riff and BJ then ask if he can dance like how they’re dancing, leading into the song “Move It Like This”. After the song, confetti rains down on the stage, prompting everyone to clean up as they sing “Clean Up”. After the song, BJ mentions how all the cleaning made him worn out, suggesting that they take a break, leading into intermission.
Act 2[]
BJ is the first one back after intermission and begins to sing “A Rock N Roll Star”, with the ensemble joining him in song as he pretends to be a rock star back from his “world tour”. After the song, Baby Bop and Riff arrive, helping setup decorations for Barney’s birthday party, leading them to sing “Together, Together”. After the song, Barney arrives and notices all the colorful decorations, leading them to sing “Colors All Around”.
After the song, BJ suggests that the party needs games, prompting everyone on stage to ask the audience what kind of games they like to play. They decide to play the game Barney Says. One of the things Barney says to do is hop, making Baby Bop hop around, leading into “The Baby Bop Hop”. Afterwards, Barney tells everyone to make a silly sound, leading into the song “Silly Sounds”. After the song, Barney tells everyone to clap their hands three times and then five times. With the familiar claps, everyone then sings “The Clapping Song”.
After the song, Baby Bop and BJ become hungry, prompting Barney to see what their friends (via video) like to eat for treats. The children mention a variety of sweet treats, leading into “If All the Raindrops” with the cast dancing with their umbrellas. After the song, they decide to have ice cream, leading into “Icy, Creamy Ice Cream”. After the song, Barney mentions that it’s good to eat healthy food as well, leading into “Snackin' on Healthy Food”. During the song, the ensemble comes out dressed as various healthy foods.
After the song, BJ, Riff and Baby Bop gift Barney a song, with the three of them singing “What I Like About You”. In return, Barney sings how he'll be "Someone to Love You Forever." Afterwards, the ensemble comes out with presents with a child gifting Barney a birthday card, queuing everyone to sing him “Happy Birthday to You”. The cast celebrates Barney's birthday (while singing “Together With You”) and he reveals his wish: "I wish that our friendship will never end. And it never will, as long as you remember I'm always here, just as close as your imagination." The cast wraps up the show singing the song, "I Love You", and finally, Barney blows out the birthday candles (shown on screen) on his cake.
Cast[]
The original cast of Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash! performed from November 2010 to June 2011.
Dinosaurs[]
- Barney (Voice: Dean Wendt, Costume: Antwaun Steele,[6] Joseph Walker (Nov. 2010 - March 2011), and Miguel Franklin (April 2011 - December 2011))
- Baby Bop (Voice: Julie Johnson, Costume: Lauren Mayeux[7] and Alyssa Williams)
- BJ (Voice: Patty Wirtz, Costume: Cyndi Graves)
- Riff (Voice: Michaela Dietz, Costume: Denise Mason and Sarah Cook)
Chorus/Ensemble[]
The ensemble cast consists of a group of four actors and actresses. In case one (or two) of them can't perform, the others can cover for them. The human cast only has two named characters, which was "Alex" and "Jessie". The rest of the ensemble used their own names. The four ensemble members also cover for the actors playing the dinos.
- Joel (Nick Nunez / Joel Pellini / Megan Godin)
- Alex (Nick Nunez / Joel Pellini)
- Jesse (Nick Nunez / Joel Pellini)
- Jessie (Jennifer Margulis Nov. 2010- Feb. 2011)[8]
- Jessie (Megan Godin / Madison Turner (March 2011 - Dec. 2011))
- Megan (Megan Godin (Nov. 2010 - Feb. 2011))
- Alison (Alison Warchol)
Other[]
- Mr. Knickerbocker (Nick Nunez / Joel Pellii)
The final touring cast of Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash! performed from June to December 2011.
Dinosaurs[]
- Barney (Voice: Dean Wendt, Costume: Antwaun Steele and Miguel Franklin)
- Baby Bop (Voice: Julie Johnson, Costume: Jonathan Kim, Alyssa Williams, & Michael Delaney[9])
- BJ (Voice: Patty Wirtz, Costume: Alison Warchol)
- Riff (Voice: Michaela Dietz, Costume: Denise Mason and Sarah Cook)
Chorus/Ensemble[]
The ensemble cast consists of a group of four actors and actresses. In case one (or two) of them can't perform, the others can cover for them. The human cast only has two named characters, which was "Alex" and "Jessie". The rest of the ensemble used their own names. The four ensemble members also cover for the actors playing the dinos.
- Alex (Nick Nunez[10] / Michael Luongo)
- Megan (Megan Godin)
- Jessie (Megan Godin / Madison Turner)
- Michael (Michael Luongo)
Other[]
- Mr. Knickerbocker (Nick Nunez / Michael Luongo)
The cast of Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash! in Asia performed from January to October 2014.
Dinosaurs[]
- Barney (Voice: Dean Wendt, Costume: Earl Baer)
- Baby Bop (Voice: Julie Johnson, Costume: Martin Aploinar)
- BJ (Voice: Patty Wirtz, Costume: ???)
- Riff (Voice: Michaela Dietz, Costume: ???)
Chorus/Ensemble[]
The ensemble cast consists of a group of four actors and actresses. The human cast only has two named characters, which was "Alex" and "Jessie". The rest of the ensemble (Cait and Christian) used their own names.
- Jessie (Shannon Riley)
- Alex (Max Patterson)
- Cait (Caitanya Tan)
- Christian (Christian Velarde)
Other[]
- Mr. Knickerbocker (Max Patterson)
Songs[]
Most of the Barney songs in the show have been remixed. The music style that the song has been remixed will be listed next to the song title. "Original" means that the song is an arrangement from the television series.
Unlike previous US stage shows based on the television series, this one features a few covers of songs already existing by now-retired bands which were originally performed for this live show. Most notably, the ones that were used don't have any parentheses around them.
Act 1[]
- "Barney Theme Song" (Hip Hop)
- "If You're Happy and You Know It" (Techno)
- "The Wheels on the Bus" (Hip Hop)
- "Throw Your Hands Up"
- "Our Friend Barney Had A Band" (Jazz)
- "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (Hip Hop)
- "Alphabet Song" (Calypso)
- "Mr. Knickerbocker" (Original)
- "Dino Dance" (Pop)
- "Rock Like a Monkey"* (Original)
- "Move It Like This"
- "Clean Up" (March/Rap)
Act 2[]
- "A Rock N Roll Star" (Rock)
- "Together, Together" (Original)
- "Colors All Around" (Original)
- "Baby Bop Hop" (Original)
- "Silly Sounds" (Original)
- "The Clapping Song" (Country)
- "If All the Raindrops" (World Music)
- "Icy, Creamy Ice Cream" (Rap)
- "Snackin' on Healthy Food" (Pop)
- "What I Like About You"
- "Someone to Love You Forever" (Ballad)
- "Happy Birthday to You" (Rock)
- "Together With You" (Pop - Written exclusively for Birthday Bash)
- "I Love You" (Folk)
- "Together With You" (Reprise)* (Pop)
*Not on Soundtrack
Production[]
Development[]
With meetings occurring three years prior to the premiere of Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash!, HIT Entertainment, the owners of Barney & Friends, and VEE Corporation had meetings to discuss potential opportunities to partner together. VEE Corporation presented a concept and pitch to HIT Entertainment that resonated with the company to move forward in producing a new Barney tour.[3] Unlike previous Barney live tours that were story driven, the production crew was looking for the show to be a one-time rock concert event that the audience participates in. Carter Crocker, the second headwriter of Barney & Friends, came up with the idea of using back-to-back songs as the kids help Barney celebrate his birthday.[1] In February 2010, it was announced that VEE has signed on to be the exclusive producer of Barney Live.[11] The show was announced to cost about $1 million not including the nearly $1 million in equipment, costumes and lighting that were already on hand in the VEE collection. The tour was set up in arenas in-the-round on a circular stage that is forty feet in diameter with seating wrapping around three sides and a large video screen as the back wall in North America.
Casting[]
A call for auditions was made publicly in July 2010 (with auditions being held in New York) with the cast aiming to start production in October 2010. Unlike previous US national live tours based on Barney & Friends, with the exception of Barney Live! - The Let's Go Tour, only adults were in consideration to join the cast. Auditions required that heights to perform Baby Bop and Riff had to be 4’3” – 4’9”; and 4’0” – 4’4” respectively. These same height requirements were for a few of the ensemble members and or to be alternatives of Baby Bop and Riff.[12]
Rehearsals occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the intended date of October 2010.[13]
Marketing[]
Part of the marketing plan involved a crossover that gathered material in advance that was used during the show, including birthday cards sent to the audience in advance that was integrated into the story, as well as photos from children’s birthday parties and short, localized interviews with attendees that help set up the activities.
Music and Soundtrack[]
Main Article: Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash!: Original Cast Recording
Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash!: Original Cast Recording was an album that featured songs from the stage show of the same name. It was released in 2011 and it was only available for purchase at the show itself. It was never sold at retail unlike previous soundtracks based on Barney live shows.
Gallery[]
Productions[]
North America[]
Original Cast[]
Final Touring Cast[]
Asia[]
Tour Dates[]
North America (2010-2011)[]
Leg 1- Fall 2010[]
City | Venue | Dates |
---|---|---|
TULSA, OK | Tulsa's Convention Center | Nov. 19-21[14] |
TOPEKA, KS | Topeka Expo Center | Nov. 23-24 |
LINCOLN, NE | Pershing Auditorium | Nov. 27-28 |
SALINA, KS | Bicentennial Center | Nov. 30 |
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | Cox Convention Center | Dec. 2-3 |
ST. CHARLES, MO | Family Arena | Dec. 5 |
EVANSVILLE, IN | The Centre | Dec. 8 |
ROSEMONT, IL | Rosemont Theatre | Dec. 11[15] |
MERRILLVILLE, IN | Star Plaza Theatre | Dec. 14 |
INDEPENDENCE, MO | Independence Events Center | Dec. 16-17 |
WICHITA, KS | Intrust Bank Arena | Dec. 18[16]-19 |
MERRILLVILLE, IN | Star Plaza Theatre | Dec. 21 |
SPENCER, IA | Clay County Regional Events Center | Dec. 28 |
WISCONSIN DELLS, WI | Crystal Grand in Lake Delton | Dec. 30[17] |
Leg 2- Spring 2011[]
City | Venue | Dates |
---|---|---|
FT. SMITH, AR | Fort Smith Convention Center | Jan. 4 |
WICHITA FALLS, TX | Kay Yeager Coliseum | Jan. 6[18] |
DALLAS, TX | Verizon Theater | Jan. 8-9 |
SAN ANTONIO, TX | Freeman Coliseum | Jan. 11-12 |
BELTON, TX | Bell County Expo Center | Jan. 13 |
ABILENE, TX | Abilene Civic Center | Jan. 15 |
SAN ANGELO , TX | San Angelo Coliseum | Jan. 18 |
AUSTIN, TX | Erwin Events Center | Jan. 20 |
LUBBOCK, TX | City Bank Coliseum | Jan. 8-9 |
BEAUMONT, TX | Ford Park | Jan. 28 |
NASHVILLE, TN | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | Feb. 18-19[19][20] |
LIMA, OH | Veterans Memorial Civic Center | Feb. 22[21] |
DEKALB, IL | NIU Convocation Center | Feb. 27[22] |
ATLANTA, GA | Philips Arena | Apr. 7[23] |
KINGSTON, RI | Ryan Center | Apr. 10 |
UTICA, NY | Stanley Theatre | Apr. 12 |
BUFFALO, NY | Shea's Performing Arts Center | Apr 14 |
LOWELL, MA | Tsongas Arena at UMass Lowell | Apr. 16 |
WHITE PLAINS, NY | Westchester County Center | Apr 21 |
BRONX, NY | Paradise Theater | Apr. 23 |
YORK, PA | The Pullo Center at Penn State York | Apr. 26 |
MORGANTOWN, WV | West Virginia University Creative Arts Center | Apr. 28 |
NORFOLK, VA | Constant Convocation Center | Apr. 30 |
CHARLOTTE, NC | Ovens Auditorium | May 3 |
READING, PA | Sovereign Center | May 15 |
DANBURY, CT | Western Connecticut State University-O'Neill Center | May 17 |
WORCESTER, MA | The Hanover Theatre | May 21 |
ELMIRA, NY | Clemens Performing Arts Center | May 24 |
HUNTINGTON, WV | Big Sandy Superstore Arena | May 31 |
Leg 3- Summer 2011[]
City | Venue | Dates |
---|---|---|
FAIRFAX, VA | The Patriot Center | June 4[24] |
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ | State Theatre | June 15 |
MEDFORD, MA (BOSTON) | The Chevalier Theatre | June 18 |
WALLINGFORD, CT | Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre | June 19 |
ERIE, PA | Warner Theatre - Eric Civic Center | June 21 |
ALBANY, NY | Palace Theatre | June 23 |
BETHLEHEM, PA | Stabler Arena/Lehigh University | June 25 |
LAREDO, TX | Laredo Energy Arena | July 13 |
HOUSTON, TX | Verizon Wireless Theater | July 16 |
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX | American Bank Center Selena Auditorium | July 19 |
ODESSA, TX | Ector County Coliseum | July 21 |
EL PASO, TX | Abraham Chavez Theatre | July 23 |
RIO RANCHO, NM | Santa Ana Star Center | July 26 |
DODGE CITY, KS | United Wireless Arena | July 28 |
AMARILLO, TX | Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium | July 30 |
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | Pikes Peak Center | Aug. 2 |
FRESNO, CA | Save Mart Center at Fresno State | Aug. 9 |
TUCSON, AZ | Music Hall at Tucson Convention Center | Aug. 11 |
PHOENIX, AZ | Comerica Theatre | Aug. 13 |
BAKERSFIELD, CA | The Bakersfield Fox Theater | Aug. 16 |
LONG BEACH, CA | Terrance Theater | Aug. 18 |
LOS ANGELES, CA | Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Citywalk | Aug. 20-21 |
Leg 4- Fall 2011[]
City | Venue | Dates |
---|---|---|
BISMARCK, ND | Bismarck Civic Center | Sept. 20 |
FARGO, ND | FARGODOME | Sept. 22 |
BEMIDJI, MN | Taylor Arena at Mayo Civic Center | Sept. 24 |
OMAHA, NE | Omaha Civic Auditorium | Sept. 29 |
MINNEAPOLIS, MN | Target Center | Oct. 1 |
ROCHESTER, MN | Taylor Arena at Mayo Civic Center | Oct. 4 |
SIOUX FALLS, SD | The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science | Oct. 6 |
RAPID CITY, SD | Rushmore Plaza - Civic Center Theater | Oct. 9 |
GRAND FORKS, ND | Alerus Center | Oct. 11 |
KALAMAZOO, MI | Wings Stadium | Oct. 14 |
FLINT, MI | Perani Arena | Oct. 16 |
MUSKEGON, MI | LC Walker Arena - Muskegon Lumberjacks, USHL | Oct. 18 |
TORONTO, ON | Rogers Centre | Oct. 22-23 |
YOUNGSTOWN, OH | Powers Auditorium | Oct. 25 |
CORBIN, KY | The Arena | Oct. 29 |
JACKSON, TN | Carl Perkins Civic Center (Theatre) | Nov. 1 |
PHILADELPHIA, PA | Liacouras Center | Nov. 6[25] |
INDIANAPOLIS, IN | Murat Theatre at Old National Centre | Nov. 17[26] |
DETROIT, MI | Fox Theatre/Olympia Entertainment | Nov. 19-20 |
MANSFIELD, OH | Renaissance Theatre | Nov. 22 |
WALLINGFORD, CT | Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre | Dec. 4 |
SYRACUSE, NY | SRC Arena in Syracuse | Dec. 11 |
Asia (2014)[]
(Note: Tour dates are incomplete and a work in progress)
City | Venue | Dates |
---|---|---|
Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines | Mall of Asia Arena | Jan. 25-26 |
Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines | Waterfront Cebu City Hotel | Feb. 1 |
Kallang, Singapore | Kallang Theatre | Mar. 23 |
Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines | Mall of Asia Arena | Mar. 29-30 |
Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong | Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre | Apr. 18 |
Bangkok, Thailand | Island Hall at Fashion Island Ramintra | Oct. 17-19 |
Trivia[]
- This live show marked:
- The final US national stage show tour to have new lines recorded by Dean Wendt, Julie Johnson, Patty Wirtz, and Michaela Dietz as the voices of Barney, Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff, respectively.
- The only live show to be dubbed in Thai for some performances in Asia. While the dialogue was dubbed, the vocals in the songs remained in English.
- The only major live show in the US not to have dancers who portray as animals (people in costume) unlike other Barney stage shows.
- The only US national stage show tour based on Barney & Friends to not have originated from former longtime head writer Stephen White.
- It was also the only US national stage show tour to have been written by Carter Crocker, the current head writer of Barney & Friends at the time.
- The only US stage show tour to not perform at Radio City Music Hall during the course of its run.
- After not being used for a decade, the song "Someone to Love You Forever", returns in this live show, since the album Barney Rocks!.
- If parents bought "Dino Seats", a VIP package, kids had the opportunity to a pre-show meet & greet photo opportunity with Barney and some of the dinos.[27]
- This show was originally supposed to tour in the Caribbean,[3] including Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic,[28] but its performances were cancelled for unknown reasons.
- The remixes would later be used for the Sesame Street stage show, Let's Dance in 2014, which was also handled by VEE Corporation.
Changes[]
- VEE built custom costumes for this show, based off the cartoon illustrations of Barney & Friends, rather than asking permission to use the costumes on the TV show (like with past shows). Despite this, they initially used a spare Barney costume from HiT to do the "Dino Seats" meet and greets, as well as promotional appearances. Starting in April 2011, a newer Barney suit, provided by HiT themselves, was used. However, the TV costumes are used in the Asian tour.
- The script originally had one of the cast members mention how Barney was dressed up as the original Barney costume VEE previously used for the first half of the tour had a bowtie. The line was removed once they began using the HiT Barney costume for the show for the remaining portion until the tour's completion.
Characters[]
- This live show marked:
- The first and only major US tour to have the dinosaurs walk in the audience. During the "Itsy Bitsy Spider", Barney, Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff often walk into the front rows of the audience and meet fans for a nearly a minute. This depends on the venue, however.
- The second and final appearance of Mr. Knickerbocker after he previously appeared in the home video, Let's Make Music.
- The second and final time Barney is performed by Antwaun Steele for a live performance after Barney's Musical Castle.
- This live show marks Steele's return to portray the costume in a decade after having previously done so in Barney's Pajama Party for the new content only.
- The fifth and final time Barney's birthday is celebrated in the franchise after "Happy Birthday, Barney!", "It's Your Birthday, Barney!", "Caring", and Dino-Mite Birthday, but the first time it's celebrated as a national stage show tour.
- On top of that, this also marked the second and final US stage show where a main character's birthday is celebrated, with the first being BJ in Barney's Big Surprise.
- BJ is the only dino in the show without a double.
- In this show, its depicted as BJ, Riff and Baby Bop meeting Mr. Knickerbocker for the first time, however, the three of them met him previously in the video Let's Make Music.
Videos[]
Promotional[]
Appearances[]
Interviews[]
Commercials[]
North America[]
Asia[]
References[]