The Cast Photo by Ryan Kurtz

Baby hippo Fiona gained global fame when she was born six weeks premature at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2017. It's Fritz! is about her baby hippo brother, born in 2022. The musical is based on fictionalized real-life animal counterparts, and has both animal and human characters. It is a whimsical mix of history and fantasy, with moral lessons and universal struggles embedded throughout. The book is by local writer Zina Camblin and includes many storylines, such as Fritz's desire to find his purpose and special gifts, an unscrupulous bird trying to act as Fritz's publicity agent, the longing of the zoo's giraffe for companionship, and several subplots surrounding the zoo's human workers. The show has a sufficient balance of humor, tenderness, and conflict, and is generally entertaining for both children and adults. Like many of ETC's original musicals, there is refinement that can be made for any subsequent productions. With It's Fritz!, the show seems to have one too many subplots and feels twenty minutes too long.

David Kisor is the ETC resident songwriter for these December shows. His score for It's Fritz! uses a variety of musical styles, including jazz and rap in addition to traditional musical theatre. The songs contain many witty and apt lyrics, and the music is fairly simple in structure, but well-suited to the material. Standout songs include Fritz's want song, "Second Child," "Hang With Your Own Thing" for Raffe the giraffe and his friends, and "Being Brave," a tender duet for Fiona and Fritz.

Director D. Lynn Meyers effectively brings all of the theatrical elements of this production together into a cohesive mix. The tone of the piece is playful, but with appropriate attention and consideration to the parts which are more serious. The flow of the blocking and transitions is smooth as well. Choreographer Dee Anne Bryll provides varied and visually appealing dances, and music director Steve Goers has prepared the singers well for executing the vocals throughout.

The ETC cast is a mix of regulars and newcomers, with a number of performers reprising their roles from Fiona: The Musical. Troian Butler supplies Fritz with an amiable and kind personality and sings well. Brandi La'Sherrill is back as the zookeeper who can talk to and understand the animals, and provides a solid foundation for the humans in the story. KG Rucker creates an interesting and detailed character as Audrey, a new zoo employee who can likewise talk to animals. Much of the musical's story centers around Audrey's struggles to find her purpose and to get out from the shadow of an older sibling, which closely parallels the plight of Fritz. Sara Mackie and R DeAndre Smith are back as the hippo parents and show off well-honed stage presence and skill. Montez Jenkins Copeland is a hoot as Raffe the Giraffe, and Andrew Maloney is hilarious as the Pelican. Brooke Steele (Colobus Monkey/Diana) and Michael G. Bath (Hugh) are the story's villains, and they both garner lots of laughs with praiseworthy, detailed portrayals. Maddi O'Connell supplies a lovely singing voice and tender interaction with Fritz as big sister Fiona. The entire cast does a great job with many playing both human and animal characters.

Brian c. Mehring's scenic design features a large ZOO sign, with the middle O doubling as the hippo pool. The multi-tiered set includes a turntable, and the entire space is surrounded by wood and bamboo to replicate the look of the Cincinnati Zoo (it is the same set audiences saw in the 2023 show). Mehring's lighting is professionally rendered and melds well with the set. The costumes by Maria Fernanda Ortiz Lopez are spirited, creative, and attractive.

The Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati offers a family-friendly alternative to the many holiday-themed events in town each year, and presenting an original musical about a local attraction and its residents is clever. Like its sibling show, It's Fritz! will hopefully be further refined and improved, and presented by ETC in the future in an even stronger version. Meanwhile, the current piece remains a playful tale with worthy things to say, even if it's a bit overstuffed, like a hippo who just ate one too many watermelons.

It's Fritz! runs through December 31, 2025, at the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine Street, Cincinnati OH. For tickets and information, please visit www.ensemblecincinnati.org or call 513-421-3555.