Running February 19 through March 17, Grug is a great show geared for children ages 2-5 at The New Victory Theater. Based on a much loved Australian picture book character created by Ted Prior, Grug is a funny little creature who is made of the bristly top of a tree and uses his imagination to help him solve situations that come along.
My kids (ages 6 and 4) were enchanted with the beautifully-designed set and Grug puppet as the puppeteers led the audience of kids through a series of parcels Grug receives in his mailbox. The set looks sort of like a huge Astro-turf covered skateboard park ramp with a tree at the top and a mailbox at the bottom. Big doors on the sides of the ramp open to reveal Grug’s cozy home and his favorite fishing hole.
As I’ve experienced at past New Victory performances, the performing company thinks of all the elements children use to experience a life theater production.
* The theater personnel greet and speak directly to the children about the rules of the theater.
* The puppeteers greeted and spoke for a bit to each of the kids about themselves before beginning the show – they were from Australia so one of the players told my son about the animals they see in their country, such as kangaroos and koalas.
* The theater is darkened, but not pitch black.
* The production uses a soft background sound and live narration via the puppeteers.
* The storyline is simple and repetitive, with humorous physical comedic elements that had the entire audience laughing.
* At the end of the show, the lights were turned on and the audience was encouraged to come up to view the set and Grug.
My children loved the show and my daughter even provided her own review here:
I liked the show Grug because Grug was funny and it was Grug’s birthday. He got mail every day… and week. And he had a best friend. Those are my three reasons why you should go to Grug.
– Charlotte (6 years old)
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased via http://www.newvictory.org/Home.aspx
Grug only runs for a couple of more weeks, but the New Vic Theater has a full schedule of amazing kids’ shows. I would highly recommend any of their shows and trust their guidance on age-appropriateness.
– That’s IT Mom Jill
* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. Jill received tickets to see Grug free of charge to facilitate this review. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
