Oh help! Oh no! It’s a Gruffalo in NYC! My favorite picture book, The Gruffalo, comes from the pages describing the deep dark wood to the big city and big stage at the New Victory Theater. The pages of the book were brought to life on the stage with sing-alongs, interactive elements, and sensational storytelling by the stellar three-person ensemble. Mommy and Daddy agree with me that the show will win over kids of all ages (well, me and my little friends ages 4 and up).
The show follows the story of a little mouse traveling through the deep, dark wood in search of a prized nut. Along the way, she encounters a sly fox, an air brigade owl, and a maraca-shaking, sassy, slithering snake. These woodland “friends” offer the mouse a snack here or meal there but truth be told, they were after the little mouse for their meal. Yikes! But have no fear, with help from me and others in the audience, the mouse outwits them all by creating an imaginary monster to scare them off: A Gruffalo with “knobbly knees, and turned-out toes, and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose.”
All along the journey, the mouse needed us to help her invent the Gruffalo, alert her when predators were lurking and, most importantly, roar like a Gruffalo to scare them off. And it worked! Until, you won’t believe it, but a Gruffalo really shows up. The Gruffalo tore up and down the aisles and wandered the audience. It was show-stopping!
Tall Stories’ adaptation of one of my favorite books had me mesmerized (and maybe even a tad afraid). The interactive component kept me super engaged and at times, at the edge of my seat. The sing-alongs well they had me happily singing along and the animals were sometimes so silly that I laughed out loud. The production was so great that I was clapping along and my baby sister was, too. It’s a show the whole family will love. By the end, it made us want to come home and read the book again and again but also had us hungry for Gruffalo crumble!
About the New Victory Theater: The New Victory celebrates its 20th Anniversary season of bringing kids to the arts and the arts to kids as New York City’s premier theater devoted to the highest quality performing arts for kids and families. Serving the community in all its diversity, The New Victory Theater on 42nd Street presents theater, dance, circus, opera and music from around the world at affordable ticket prices. In addition to its public performances, the New Vic is also the largest provider of live performance to NYC school kids, serving 40,000 youth through more than 200 schools, after school programs and day camps each year. The New Victory has been recognized for its contributions to the cultural landscape of the city. Awards include a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award presented by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities for the NEW VICTORY Usher Corps, which provides paid employment to over 50 NYC teens each year, the national Arts Education Award from Americans for the Arts and a Special Award from The Drama Desk for “providing enchanting, sophisticated children’s theater that appeals to the child in all of us, and for nurturing a love of theater in young people.”
To learn more, visit newvictory.org!
Elle Belle is an adorable preschooler who lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan with her magnificent mommy, dapper dad, and baby sister. She can be reached at ellebellenyc@gmail.com or like at facebook.com/ElleBelleNYC.
