Kids’ theater isn’t child’s play anymore. Never before has there been so much live (and lively) action for so many different age groups.
And tickets won’t cost you a fortune, either.
The New Victory Theater, $10 – $7 if you’re a member – lets you see some of the best entertainers from around the world.
Just ask Mary Rose Lloyd, the theater’s programming director, who selects nine to 12 shows a year from the 200 she’s seen.
“You’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs till you find your prince,” she says. (Indeed, one of this year’s productions features a toad.)
Her latest travels took her to Korea, France, Holland, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom – but one of her favorite acts this year comes from the Bronx.
The troupe is called Full Circle and its high-energy show, “Soular Power’d” – with more than a dozen rappers and dancers – kicks off a three-week run this weekend.
“I’ve seen a lot of hip-hop everywhere, even in France,” Lloyd says, “but they’re all emulating what comes from our own backyard.”
The 75-minute show – featuring an onstage DJ who reminds Lloyd of “a hipper, younger Bobby McFerrin” – is recommended for kids 9 and older.
Other shows this season cater to a younger crowd. On Nov. 15, look for “A Year With Frog & Toad,” a musical theater piece based on Arnold Lobel’s classic series.
Mark Linn Baker and Robert Sella star, respectively, as the worrywart Toad and his feckless friend, Frog, who go through the seasons together in a show best suited for the 4- to 8-year-old set.
The same age group will probably enjoy “Twinkle Twinkle Little Fish” (Feb. 7-23), a wordless puppet piece inspired by Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”
Returning this year are the New Shanghai Circus (Dec. 6 to Jan. 12), whose acrobatic antics – flaming arrows, strongmen and all – are geared to kids of all ages, while “Thwak” (April 4-27) is for a decidedly older (12 and up) crowd.
“They’re not really brothers,” Lloyd says of Australia’s Shane Dundas and David Collins, who bill themselves as the Umbilical Brothers.
What they are, she says, are “very animated, comic-book-style” performers who delight in sounding out various bodily functions and making a mockery of “The Matrix” and Michael Jackson. Sounds intriguing to us.
Other highlights include “Snow White” (Feb. 28 to March 16), a new take on an old tale by London’s Tall Stories Theatre Company. Among other things, it promises “crude, rude and shrewd seven dwarfs” – all of them played by one singular performer.
For more information, video clips, age guidelines and more, visit http://www.newvictory.org or call (646) 223-3010. The theater’s box office is at 209 W. 42nd Street, just west of Broadway.
Of course, the New Victory isn’t the only show in town. The Vital Theater Company kicks off its fourth children’s season this weekend with “History Time Henry,” an original musical for kids 2 to 10.
“What’s really great about this season is that, even though the shows are only an hour long, they’re very full – full of music and dance,” says Carrie Libling, one of the troupe’s directors.
“They’re more than plays with singing – they have overtures and everything!”
“Henry” stars Michael Schloegl as the man with a time machine, which needs a little coaxing from the crowd before it takes off on another historical adventure – whether it’s heading out to the Wild West or taking a seat alongside Rosa Parks.
On Nov. 10, the troupe returns with another new musical, “Animal of the Year” – about a beauty pageant whose contestants include a police dog, a cunning cat, a moose and a hyperactive space monkey.
The season continues Jan. 4 with “The Nastiest Drink in the World,” based on an African folk tale about a king who issues such ridiculous decrees as “All children must sleep in their schools, so they’re never late for class.” Imagine the interactive appeal of that one!
Performances are Sundays at 1 and 3 p.m. at 432 W. 42nd St., third floor, between Ninth and 10th avenues.
Tickets are $14 – or $10 each if you buy a Family Fun Pack (four tickets to any show for $40). For information and reservations, visit http://www.vitaltheater.org or call (212) 592-4508.