Tootsie and Starfire aren’t the stars of Llama Llama Red Pajama, but the real-life llamas got all the attention Friday as children headed in to the Hopkins Center for the Arts to see the new Stages Theatre Co. play.

Rick Carlson, owner of Carlson's Lovable Llamas, and 4-Her Cara Schmidt brought the llamas down from Waconia for the play’s opening night. Tootsie and Starfire are both less than a year old—appropriate since the Stages play tells the story of Baby Llama’s bedtime worries.

When it’s time to go to sleep, Baby Llama worries about where his mother has gone and whether she’ll return.

The musical comedy— based on the popular Llama Llama series written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney—features six adult actors portraying different mama llamas and six youth actors portraying the following baby llamas with their own bedtime rituals:

• Carey the actress,
• Holly who plays soccer,
• Lonnie the magician,
• Joey who loves to play golf,
• Billy “The Next Tap Dancing Sensation!” and
• Lana who would rather read than go to sleep.

The play runs through Feb. 12. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children (ages 5 to 17) and seniors (60+). Lap passes are available for free (ages 0 to 2) and $5 (ages 3 to 4).

Click here for a full list of show times and to buy tickets. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the box office at (952) 979-1111 between noon and 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Readers can meet Dewdney:

• Beginning at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 28 at the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul (891 Grand Ave.) and
• Following the Jan. 29 afternoon performance of Llama Llama Red Pajama at Stages.