Get ready for a musical adventure with WST for Kids production of Ivy + Bean at Walnut Street Theatre. The two unlikely best friends capture the hearts of kids of all ages in an hour-long musical about the adventures that can be discovered with the power of friendship. On Saturday, I watched Ivy + Bean with my children and some of their friends.

Ivy + Bean is based on series of novels of the same name by Anne Barrows and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Ivy and Bean could not be more different, and when these two get together the adventures are endless. In this lively musical, they form an unlikely friendship when Bean decides to get revenge on her bossy, older sister, but they really discover that their differences are what make their friendship so exciting.

WST for Kids brings families together through reading and the arts. Parents and grandparents can read the books together with their favorite kids, then watch them come to life on stage at the Walnut.

The cast of Ivy + Bean are members of The Theatre School at Walnut Street Theatre. Playing the bookish and imaginative Ivy is Mary Kate Foley. Foley is a recent graduate of Temple University and recently toured around Delaware County with the Walnut Education Department’s production of A Philly Fairytale. Her wild and goofy counterpart, Bean, is played by Amanda Spivack. Spivack returns to the Walnut after most recently being seen in Saturday Night Fever.

Ivy + Bean is live on stage at the Walnut only through June 10. Media partners for this production are Courier-Post and Mix 106.1, and the production is sponsored by PWC. For tickets and information, call 215-574-3550 or 800-982-2787. Tickets are also available online 24/7 by visiting www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org or Ticketmaster.

Image: Mary Kate Foley and Amanda Spivack in Ivy + Bean. Photo courtesy of the Walnut Street Theatre.