"Neverland Children's Theatre has been around since 2014," said Melissa Labonte of Bristol, the music educator at Kickemuit Middle School who can now add "playwright" to her resume. "Our last production was an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, and I was working with Stephen Piper, who is a fantastic composer. I asked him what he thought of the idea of us writing an original musical together, and he was up for it."

"I said sure, and then about 4 months later, Missy turned up with this great, totally original script," said Mr. Piper, of Warren, who serves as the theatre's musical director.
"It's been a lot of fun," said Ms. Labonte. "For once, the big kids got to play."

Ms. Labonte's story is a classic quest tale; she calls it "a journey of the heart." It's the story of George Walsh, who had the perfect life growing up: a doting mother and father, a sweet little sister, friends, and fun. But his family experienced tragedy only too familiar to so many when his father, a US Army tactician, died in an overseas skirmish. It’s a year later, and George and his family are still struggling to pick up the pieces. He and his mom, Emma, are constantly fighting, and even their favorite holiday, Christmas, is being forgotten. A chance encounter with a mysterious book sets George and his friends on a quest to bring magic and happiness back to their lives. But first they’ll have to get past sneaky raiders, a magic coin, long lost secrets, and a persistent one-handed pirate.

For this production, the Neverland Theatre opened casting to kids up to grade 8 (it had previously been an all-elementary group.) There are 44 kids in Bring the Magic Back, ranging in age from 5 to 14.

"There are fantastic musical themes throughout, including Christmas music and a big solo," said Ms. Labonte. "We wanted to create something the children would love, and they do."

Ms. Labonte also credits the wider cast of community members, including Nicky Piper, Stephen's wife, who wrote the lyrics to her husband's music, choreographer Sherri Wynn, stage manager Amanda Chase, Artie Goldstein of Animus Studios, who serves as a creative consultant and taught the young actors some of the finer points of stage combat, and the parents of the actors who have all chipped it with costumes and sets. Ms. Labonte also thanked the regional school district for the use of the KMS stage, the KMS drama club for their assistance with costumes and props, and Roger Williams University for their generous civic grant to the Theatre.
"The community had been amazing, and his (Piper's) music is breathtaking," said Ms. Labonte. "I hope my story can stand up to it."

WHERE: Kickemuit Middle School Performing Arts Center
WHEN: Friday, Dec 7 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec 8 at 1 p.m.
COST: $20 Reserved seating (adults & children); General Admission seats - $10/adults & $5/ children over 5; Under 5 - free
MORE INFO: bringthemagicback.brownpapertickets.com; neverlandchildrenstheatre@gmail.com; 401/965-5379




Music & Lyrics

For Stephen and Nicky Piper of Warren, musical theater is a labor of love

By day, he's a V.P. in global sales operations with IBM, and she's a senior manager of business operations with the nonprofit National Academy of Advanced Teacher Eduction. But with strong backgrounds in the arts, Stephen and Nicky Piper have been keeping their creative skills sharp writing the music and lyrics to the original musical "Bring the Magic Back," which will premiere on the KMS stage this weekend. Mr. Piper studied music in college, and has continued to perform and compose in the years since graduation. Ms. Piper was very involved in theater throughout school, and, though she earned her degree in international commerce, she also received a diploma that qualifies her to teach acting.

Much like a composition or a script, the Pipers' relationship went through a bit of a drafting process. They met in 1995 at University College Dublin when Mr. Piper was studying abroad during his Junior year (Ms. Piper is a native of Ireland). They split up when Mr. Piper returned to the U.S., only to be reunited thanks to the efforts of mutual friends during he return visit in 1999. The couple married in 2002, and have three children: George, Millie, and Charlotte, all budding actors with roles in the Neverland production.

The children have also provided creative inspiration, as a collaboration with Millie during the production of "Alice" led to the composition of "In My World," a glimpse into the hopes and dreams of an 11 year-old girl.

Loving what they do is the secret to the Pipers' ability to juggle it all. "It's complete joy," said Mr. Piper of the process. It's not work — it's therapy."