Firehouse Center for the Arts presents "African Adventure Tales" (Crabgrass Puppet Theatre)

Two funny folktales from Africa come to life with stunning puppetry, spectacular scenery, and wonderful music.

Koi and the Kola Nuts is a humorous tale from Liberia. The youngest son of a chief is cheated out of his inheritance; instead of his father’s riches he receives just one small kola nut tree. He sets off to make his fortune.

On his travels he meets a snake, a crocodile, and a colony of ants, all in desperate need of the one thing Koi has: kola nuts. Koi helps the animals and leaves himself with nothing. His kindness to the creatures he meets is rewarded when their help saves his life!

Anansi and the Talking Melon features the irrepressible trickster Anansi the Spider. Anansi is lazy, greedy and out only for himself; in fact, he is the very opposite of Koi! In “Anansi and the Talking Melon," Anansi eats his way into Elephant's melon. and becomes too bloated to get back out! The clever trickster convinces Elephant that he owns a talking melon, and he proudly shows everyone the miraculous fruit... until he takes it to the King and the melon won’t say a word.