Curious George Swings on to the Live Stage

The World's Favorite Mischievous Monkey Hits the Road October 1st for the U.S. Tour of Curious George Live!

MINNEAPOLIS, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Curious George(R), the irrepressible little monkey who has captured children's hearts for generations, jumps into action when he takes the stage this fall in the inaugural U.S. tour of Curious George Live! The tour was jointly announced today by VEE Corporation, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Universal Studios Family Productions and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Starring in his own original live musical stage production and - for the first time - touring arena and theater stages throughout the country, Curious George is on a mission to help Chef Pisghetti win a world-famous meatball competition. This adventure takes him to Rome and The Golden Meatball Contest. With every swing and flip, George takes the audience through a fun-filled, entertaining story with lots of music and dance that the whole family will enjoy.

Curious George Live! debuts at U.S. Cellular Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on October 1st, and goes on to play across the country in over 40 markets, including Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Nashville, Kansas City and Memphis, among others, through spring 2010 in this inaugural tour. Tickets will be available through www.curiousgeorgelive.com.

Vincent E. Egan, founder and President of VEE Corporation, stated: "We are extremely excited about Curious George Live! He's a wonderful character with broad appeal spanning generations. The opportunity to work with Universal and others involved makes us proud."

"Curious George continues to endure as one of the best-loved and endearing characters of all time," said Glenn Ross, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Universal Studios Family Productions. "Four generations of kids have loved his uniquely heartwarming books, movies and TV series and now will have the opportunity to see George come to life through this family musical extravaganza."

Children and parents around the world have delighted in Curious George's adventures in books for nearly 65 years. Created by Margret and H.A. Rey in 1941, Curious George has provided the inspiration for a flourishing line of educational and entertaining properties that includes the Daytime Emmy Award(R)-winning, number-one rated PBS children's program, successful film and DVD releases including an all-new Curious George holiday-themed release set to debut exclusively on DVD later this year, a line of original books, Curious George-branded interactive games and toys, and an interactive attraction at the Universal Hollywood theme park, with new additions planned throughout 2009.

VEE Corporation (www.vee.com) is one of the most experienced and respected names in family entertainment. VEE has entertained millions of children and caregivers around the world with live touring stage shows based on America's leading PBS television properties including Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Bear in the Big Blue House, and more. With the expertise of its custom design, build and fabrication divisions (VEE Production Services and Costumes & Creatures) VEE provides a one-stop shop for the support of the entertainment and professional costume/mascot industry. Clients in the sports, museum, corporate and event marketing sectors also turn to VEE for imaginative solutions capturing the undivided attention of their customers and audiences through custom interactive environments. Founded by Vincent E. Egan in 1980, VEE's operations are headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Universal Studios Family Productions banner, which includes Universal Animation Studios, develops, and produces live-action and animated family productions directly for the home entertainment and television markets. Among the group's portfolio of prized properties is The Land Before Time, the most successful feature-length children's home entertainment franchise of all time, having earned more than one billion dollars worldwide to date. Since its formation in 2005, the group has built an exceptional slate of family fare, including the all new DVD Original release Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, the latest installment in the hugely successful Bring It On film franchise set to debut in August 2009; the highly popular action-adventure epic Scorpion King 2: Rise of A Warrior; the Daytime Emmy(R)-winning "Curious George" television series on PBS KIDS; a string of Barbie movies based on the world-renowned Mattel-branded doll; and the most recent crowd pleaser Beethoven's Big Break, based on the beloved family franchise. Universal Studios Family Productions is part of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions is the theatrical production unit of the world-famous motion picture studio. Universal's stage credits include the acclaimed worldwide productions of Tony Award-winning Wicked and the 2009 Tony Award-winning Billy Elliot The Musical as well as licensed productions including Cry-Baby and Xanadu.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education leader and the world's largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K-12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.

Curious George Live! itinerary as of June 15, 2009:

Multiple performances per city. More cities being added daily. Find cities and venues at: www.curiousgeorgelive.com.

    Cedar Rapids, IA
    Oct. 1 - 4

    St. Louis, MO
    Oct. 8 - 11

    Detroit, MI
    Oct. 15 - 18

    Nashville, TN
    Oct. 22 - 25

    Baton Rouge, LA
    Oct. 29 - Nov. 1

    Kansas City, MO
    Nov. 5 - 8

    Oklahoma City, OK
    Nov. 12 - 15

    Dallas, TX
    Nov. 19 - 22

    Southaven, MS (Memphis, TN)
    Nov. 25 - 29

    Tulsa, OK
    Dec. 3 - 6

    Wichita, KS
    Dec. 10 - 13

    Beaumont, TX
    Dec. 18 - 20

    Des Moines, IA
    Jan. 1 - 3

    Buffalo, NY
    Jan. 13 - 17

    Merrillville, IN
    Jan. 20 - 24

    Hoffman Estates, IL (Chicago)
    Jan. 28 - 31

    Indianapolis, IN
    Feb. 4 - 7

    Charlotte, NC
    March 11 - 14

    Cleveland, OH
    April 7 - 11