VALDOSTA – Theatre Guild Valdosta should have audiences believing a cartoon can come to life within the first few minutes of “Madagascar: A Musical Adventure.”

During the opening song, “It’s Showtime,” Kamari Samuels backflips on the Dosta Playhouse stage as Marty the Zebra, Morgan McClendon dances as Gloria the “hip hip hippo,” Taylor Scharfner towers onto the stage briefly as the hypochondriac giraffe Melman and Kamron Wooten turns “It’s Showtime” into a roaring showstopper as Alex the Lion. 

The mix of costumes and makeup blend with the actors’ characterizations. Dana Welch’s costume work on Melman the giraffe is a wonder. Scharfner balances Melman’s lengthy neck and head on her shoulders; Scharfner’s face is low in the giraffe’s throat but covered with makeup to match Melman’s mottled neck.

Patti Cook Robertson directs 32 performers, ages 6-24 years old, in the Gingerbread Players of Theatre Guild Valdosta production. Gingerbread Players presents shows for children that include a cast of children and adults.

And the performers on stage aren’t the only ones having fun.

“I’ve had a ball,” Robertson said of directing “Madagascar,” a show that’s been entertaining people of all ages since the first DreamWorks film opened in 2005.

For readers unfamiliar with the show, a Theatre Guild synopsis: “Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip hip Hippo, and those hilarious, plotting penguins, as they bound onto your stage in the musical adventure of a lifetime. Based on the smash DreamWorks animated motion picture, ‘Madagascar – A Musical Adventure’ follows all of your favorite crack-a-lackin’ friends as they escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien’s Madagascar. Filled with outlandish characters, adventure galore and an upbeat score, Madagascar will leave you with no choice but to ‘Move It, Move It!’”

Audiences may want to “move it, move it.” Tickets are selling fast, Robertson said, especially the two matinee performances.

The cast: Kamron Wooten, Kamari Samuels, Taylor Scharfner, Morgan McClendon, Caroline Smothers, Poppy Walker, Zhyanna Worsley, Kennedy Boutwell, Cooper Blocher, Levi Snipes, Grace Dias, Olivia Barbour, Marlee Thornton, Cami Fletcher, Avera Graves, Cayden Fletcher, Briella Gragg, Sylvia Street, Adelaide Crawford, Alayna Boutwell, Emma Boutwell, Scout Patterson, Lucy Lott, Eloise Akers, Finley Parker, Blake Carline, Esther Miller, Ja’Leigh Brooks, Rylee Robison, Amelea DeCoudres and Melanie Thornton.

Gingerbread Players of Theatre Guild Valdosta presents “Madagascar: A Musical Adventure” playing at 7:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday, April 17-18; 2 p.m., Saturday, April 19; 7:30 p.m., April 25-26; 2 p.m., April 27 (Note: There is no Sunday, April 20 matinee because of the Easter holiday), at the Dosta Playhouse, 122 N. Ashley St. More information and reservations: Visit theatreguildvaldosta.com or call 229-247-8243.