Nevermore and More

The New Victory Theater is buzzing with activity this month, presenting a number of exciting shows in October. Imago Theater takes you to the ZooZoo (October 15-24), where they use marvelous costumes and animal-inspired acrobatics to create humorous vignettes about leaping frogs, playful polar bears, and more. He is not a zoo-dweller, but Puss in Boots (October 1-10) is also at the New Victory, in productions (one in the original Spanish, the other in English) directed by Moises Kaufman and featuring a grand score, five singers, and lifelike puppets that tell the story of a tricky cat in a hat (and a cape, and a pair of boots). And, not forgetting that ’tis the season to scare, the New Victory takes us into the mind of a notoriously macabre poet with Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe (October 29 – November 7), a witty and poetic show full of strange imagery and haunting music.

Manhattan Youth presents a new Story Pirates creation, HalloWHOA! (October 15 – 31) at the Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center. This 30-minute interactive haunted house is designed for all ages (except kids under 5, who have their own special performances) and includes lots of wacky, spooky, and Halloween-y happenings. Secret passages, a visit with the wolfman, and ballet-dancing Frankensteins are all part of the spine-tingling hilarity that infests this haunted house, where visitors move from room to room by solving puzzles.

Once you’ve had your fill of haunted houses, get your frights the old-fashioned way, with a Grimm Brothers tale. Galli Theater presents Little Red Riding Hood (October 2 – 31), the story of a girl, her grandma, and the big bad wolf who wants ’em both. In Galli’s musical telling of the story, however, the wolf is more likable and the focus is on how Little Red develops her potential by learning about hope and trust.

At 45 Bleecker, the Shadow Box Theatre is telling a kinder, gentler Halloween story, Lumpy Bumpy Pumpkin (October 13 – 31). With the help of puppeteers and a guitarist, young audiences are transported to Farmer Joe’s pumpkin patch, where they meet a lumpy bumpy pumpkin who doesn’t look like all the others. This show with music and a story by Sandra Robbins is ideal for tiny tots to second graders, and includes a sing-a-long and a great message about how everyone has their own special talent.

Although the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) is usually a grown-up affair, at least one entry this year is a family show, and that’s Shine! The Horatio Alger Musical (October 7 – 17). Based on the Alger tale, Shine! is about a poor bootblack and his adventures in 1870s New York City, where he encounters a world of schemers, comic villains, and even the occasional good guy.

After three years of treating Off-Broadway to the delight of bubbles, the Gazillion Bubble Show re-opens as Gazillion Bubble Show – The Next Generation, featuring 20-year old “bubble superstar” Deni Yang and a new look that includes an awesome bubble-laser spectacular. The effects and artistry will amaze kids and adults alike.