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It's center stage for kids

The Show Palace will present five shows just for children this coming season.

HUDSON - Most of the time, the Show Palace Dinner Theatre is filled with grown-ups enjoying a big Broadway musical or a popular comedy.

Now owners Nick and Sal Sessa are announcing a series of five shows just for kids.

The season has more shows than the Show Palace has ever scheduled in its children's series.

"We love having the kids here," Nick Sessa said. "They're so well-behaved and they all have such a good time." Besides, he added, it gives them an early exposure to theater and often makes them lifelong theater fans.

All five shows in this year's series will be produced by Stages Productions, a professional theater troupe based in Seminole. Producer/director Terri D'Onofrio's company specializes in children's shows and has brought several of them to the Show Palace before. The shows based on fairy tales usually follow the basic plots of the originals, but they often also include life lessons.

The shows are presented on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Tickets are $7. For tickets, call (727) 863-7949 in west Pasco; toll free elsewhere at 1-888-655-7469.

This year's shows and dates are:

Oct. 7: Rapunzel, the story of a long-haired beauty held prisoner in a tower by her jealous foster mother, a wicked witch. The only way to reach Rapunzel's room is by climbing up her long hair. A prince passing by falls in love with her, and everything changes for Rapunzel, the prince and even the wicked witch.

Nov. 11: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a musical based on Mark Twain's novel. This version includes Tom's stern Aunt Polly, his feisty playmate Becky Thatcher and his renegade buddy Huckleberry Finn.

Dec. 16: Santa's Holiday Revue, a fast-paced musical that depicts new and old holiday traditions from around the world and teaches valuable lessons in cultural diversity.

Jan. 20: The Velveteen Rabbit, the classic about a nursery filled with toys that dream of being "real." The cast in this musical version includes the curious rabbit, the wise old Skin Horse and a rappin' Jack-in-de-Box.

April 20: Let Freedom Sing, a new musical revue with stories about the country's past, from its birth in 1776, through the dark days of the Civil War and into the new millennium, told by characters from the times.

Stages Productions professional touring company will present five shows for children Oct. 7 through April 20 at the Show Palace Dinner Theatre in Hudson. The first show, Rapunzel, stars Jonathan Hickey as Prince Brian and Joye Johnson as Rapunzel.