Preschoolers who journey with Nick Jr. characters such as Dora and Kai-lan on animated adventures can follow them to the live stage this weekend at the Hippodrome.

"Storytime Live!" features characters and stories from four popular Nick Jr. shows: "Dora the Explorer," "The Backyardigans," "The Wonder Pets!" and "Ni Hao, Kai-lan." The live performance will include popular songs from the shows, as well as new music created for the tour.

"It's like a Broadway musical for young people," said Sam Scalamoni, 47, director of "Storytime Live!" "We like to think of it as young people's first theatrical experience."

The live performance also features the same interactive elements that make the television programs so appealing to children.

"All of the characters speak to the audience and ask them questions, ask them to help find things," Scalamoni said. "In between each segment, our host Moose comes out and he plays games with them … so the kids are constantly participating in the show."

The four adventures featured in "Storytime Live!" include Dora rescuing Boots in Fairytale Land; Kai-lan meeting her favorite hero; the Backyardigans participating in the Festival of Dirt; and the Wonder Pets traveling to Wonderland with the Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter.

Although the episodes featured in "Storytime Live!" have already aired on television, the performance does feature a finale the young audience has never seen.

"Our finale is the first time Nickelodeon has allowed different characters from different shows to interact with one another on stage," Scalamoni said. "You have Dora, Kai-Lan, the Wonder Pets and Backyardigans all singing and dancing together, which is great."

The finale features an altered version of "Shout!" — a song that both parents and children can dance to.

The four Nick Jr. shows have musical components, but the process of turning them into live musical performances wasn't easy. The director and producers worked along with the creators of the shows over a period of four to five months to create "Storytime Live!"

"The Wonder Pets!" co-creator Josh Selig, 46, enjoyed the opportunity to help adapt the show to a live performance.

"From the very beginning, we were included in discussions about the style of puppetry and which episode we would base the musical on," Selig said.

The puppetry used in "The Wonder Pets!" for the live performance is similar to Bunraku, a Japanese type of puppetry, but not all of the shows employ it. Dora is played by a live actress, while some of the characters are costumed animals.

"I tried to encourage them to use all different sorts of theatrical forms," Scalamoni said. "Young people are a very forgiving audience, and the minute they see a character live, they buy it right away."

When writing the episode for the live performance, both Selig and songwriter Billy Lopez wanted to make sure it wasn't perceived as just another episode, but as a special event.

"You will hear a lot of new songs," Selig said. "We really wanted to make sure there was something in [the live show] that you couldn't see on television."

While the new music and interactive characters will undoubtedly enthrall the children, Selig believes that audience members will be more excited about seeing their animated friends come to life.

"When their friends come out on stage, it's unbelievable; they scream, they clap," he said. "I think that's an experience not to be missed by any parent."

If you go

Performances are at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Tickets are $15-$43. Call 410-547-7328 or go to france-merrickpac.com.