In 2019, Sonia Sotomayor, together with illustrator Rafael Lopez, published Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You which became a New York Times bestseller. Omaha’s Fran Sillau (book), Mark Kurtz (music and lyrics), and Debbie Denenberg (producer) have turned the story into a family musical. Just Ask! opens at The Rose Theater on September 11 and runs Friday through Sunday for three weeks. Ms. Sotomayor is visiting Omaha for the September 18 performance, and all in attendance will be invited to a talk back after the show.
The story follows a group of children who gather to plant a community garden. They learn that one plant needs shade, one sun, one water. The children make friends as they learn about one another’s abilities, challenges, and strengths. Like the plants, everyone needs something a little different to thrive.
Fran Sillau commented, “In our show, each character has a disability, and the actors we cast, in real life, carry the disability of the characters they portray. We wanted to build a world where these characters could be seen as powerful and confident.”…