A new production at the Coterie Theatre brings the story of Ferdinand the Bull to the stage in a bilingual Flamenco-flavored musical.By Laura Spencer
Kansas City, MO – Author Munro Leaf?s children?s book The Story of Ferdinand was first published in 1936, and remains his best known work. The book was released at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, and viewed as a tale of pacifism; it was later adapted by Walt Disney for a short animated film. The title character, Ferdinand, is a bull who doesn?t want to fight in bullfights in Madrid, but instead would rather stop and smell the flowers. A new production at the Coterie Theatre brings the book to the stage in Ferdinand the Bull, a bilingual Flamenco-flavored musical. KCUR?s Laura Spencer recently visited with cast members and director Theodore Swetz. A Shakespearean actor, this marks the first time Sweats has directed a play for a children?s theatre, but he says Ferdinand the Bull is a classic story.