Latest ‘Pooh’ Is a Bear Necessity : Family: Broadway on Tour’s musical additions to the hourlong show at the Gem even make gloomy old Eeyore smile.

Take a tip from Winnie the Pooh: Be good to yourself this weekend. Have a small smackeral of something nice. Maybe spend some time in your Thotful Spot.

Then, when you’re in the proper state of mind, head to the Gem Theatre for Broadway on Tour’s “Winnie the Pooh,” an hourlong musical tour through the Hundred Acre Wood that leaves even gloomy old Eeyore with a smile on his face.

Based on A. A. Milne’s well-loved Pooh stories, Kristin Sergel and Allan Jay Friedman’s book, music and lyrics provide the Useful Pot into which director Tim Nelson puts his own tasty treats.

Suitable for preschool children and up, “Winnie the Pooh” continues weekends through Dec. 17.

It is said that almost all of the characters in Milne’s Pooh stories were inspired by real toys that belonged to his son, Christopher Robin. At the urging of his wife, Milne brought the playthings to life in bedtime tales for the boy; the stories were later collected into two books, “Winnie-the-Pooh” and “The House at Pooh Corner.”

Broadway on Tour’s staging retains the tales’ covers-tucked-under-your-chin coziness while slipping in some genuine belly laughs, provided surprisingly enough by the stories’ resident depresso, Eeyore the donkey.

Glynn Montemayor, a boy of Considerable Wit with a very fine voice to boot, takes on the task with great success. The script mingles three adventures: Pooh and Piglet’s cunning (or so they think) plot to catch a Heffalump, Eeyore’s miserable birthday and Rabbit’s attempt to scare the very large, very noisy newcomers, Kanga and baby Roo, from the forest.

It’s a lot for a Bear of Very Little Brain to handle, but preschoolers at a recent performance seemed to keep up with it all just fine, and a post-performance chat with two of them revealed that they even picked up on some of the show’s little moral messages about things--such as caring for people even when they’re not much fun to be around, and not being afraid of the unknown.

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Julie Onken’s costumes were cuddly and just a little worn around the edges, as a good stuffed animal should be, but Piglet was in dire need of some extra stuffing.

Jennifer Simpson’s choreography and Nelson’s simple but effective direction set the whole package off nicely.

Nelson’s best contribution, however, is the music. Sergel and Friedman’s tunes are adequate but forgettable; Nelson’s additions, especially Eeyore’s bluesy “Just a Donkey,” are much more satisfying. (In an unusual move for local children’s theater, Nelson has produced a cast recording of all the tunes, which is sold before and after the show.)

As Eeyore, Montemayor frequently brings down the house (his dance of joy after finding his long lost tail is a hoot). Abbe Loomer’s Pooh is charmingly befuddled, and Crystal Dancer’s Rabbit is as likable a despot as ever wore a cotton tail.

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“Winnie the Pooh” continues Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. at the Gem Theatre at the Grove Theater Center, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove. $6 to $8. Through Dec. 17. (714) 741-9550. Jeremy Hogan: Christopher Robin

Abbe Loomer: Winnie the Pooh

Evonne Sturm: Piglet

Crystal Dancer: Rabbit

April Quinn: Kanga

Jamie Dreng: Roo

Glynn Montemayor: Eeyore

Colin Fitzpatrick: Owl

Justin Kloeckner: Tigger

A Broadway on Tour production of an adaptation by Kristin Sergel and Allan Jay Friedman of stories by A. A. Milne. Produced by Terry Dancer and directed by Tim Nelson. Musical direction: Tim Nelson. Scenic design: Tim Nelson. Choreography: Jennifer Simpson. Costume design: Julie Onken. Lighting design: Tim Nelson and Terry Russell. Stage manager: Terry Russell. Running time: One hour.