Disclosure: I was provided 2 tickets to RE:PLAY in exchange for a fair review. I purchased another ticket as well, so rest assured my opinion is as honest as you can get!
About RE:PLAY and Mummenschanz
I was a child of the 1970's (shh! Don't tell!) and I clearly remember the unique Mummenschanz characters that would grace the screen during Sesame Street and episodes of The Muppet Show. I remember them vividly because they were unlike anything I had ever seen before. The modern-day Mummenschanz in RE:PLAY is a bit more colorful and even more fantastic, yet still retains that mind-blowing creativity without the use of music, words or computerized special effects. Here is a description of the show straight from their website:
"Creature conjurors! Shape shifters! Material manipulators! The masked mimics of MUMMENSCHANZ make their New Victory debut with RE:PLAY. Inspiring audiences across five continents over four decades with three stints on Broadway, the "Musicians of Silence" will surprise you with each artful scene. A playful production of timeless vignettes, RE:PLAY is as much about what you don't see as what you delightfully do!"
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| photo cred: Mummenschanz Foundation |
RE:PLAY is an hour long show with no intermission. It's wordless and silent (no music), and it's primarily visual. And although this was a 'silent' show, don't think you'll be sitting in an awkwardly quiet, dark room. The audience was laughing, clapping and gasping at pretty much everything on stage, so the room was anything but silent. My son is actually sensitive to loud music and noise, so it turned out this was the perfect type of performance for him. There were boosters available for smaller children to sit on, activities for them to do in the lobby, a snack bar, and a small souvenir shop. The New Victory Theater is New York City’s first and only nonprofit performing arts venue for kids and families. If that's not enough to entice you to visit, the theater is quite beautiful, with funny quirks hidden here and there (like googly eyes on the water fountain!). The theater is easy to get to near the heart of Times Square, and every usher we encountered was helpful, friendly, and very child-centered! I am eager to see another show there, as we really loved the venue (and we loved supporting such a wonderful non-profit organization).
RE:PLAY was a breath of fresh air in this technological world. It is proof that kids aren't only entertained by special effects, CGI and cell phones. The kids in our audience were roaring with laughter, and they didn't seem to notice that there was no music, no sound effects, no computer imaging. I clearly heard kids around me saying things like, "Magic! Mommy, is this magic?" and gasps of "Wooooowww!" I also loved that the show was totally universal since there were no words.
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| photo cred Mummenschanz Foundation |
The skits (approximately 24 of them) were quick enough to keep even the littlest viewer's interest (the show is recommended for ages 6 and up but there were kids much younger in my audience). Our son is 11 and he delighted in trying to figure out how the performers were creating their illusions, or what they were doing behind the scenes. The performers kept the kids engaged with some audience participation, as well.
Check out this short video about the show:
Looking for another perspective? My friend Kid Congeniality saw RE:PLAY in the evening (we saw a matinee). Check out her review here.
Important Show Information
Mummenschanz RE:PLAY is going on now through 12/1/19
For everyone 6 and up
Tickets start at $17
Running Time: 60 minutes with no intermission
New Victory Theater
209 W 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Ticket Services:
646.223.3010
Ticket_Services: NewVictory.org
Phone hours:
Sunday – Monday: 11am-5pm
Tuesday – Saturday: 11am-7pm
See Box Office window hours
Special Performances:
Talk-Back: Friday, 11/22 at 7pm
Sign-Interpreted: Friday, 11/22 at 7pm
Audio-Described: Saturday, 11/24 at 5pm
Creative Team:
MUMMENSCHANZ was founded by Andres Bossard, Floriana Frassetto and Bernie Schürch
Floriana Frassetto, Artistic Director
Marc Reinhardt, Managing Director
Follow The New Victory Theater on their social channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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| photo cred Mummenschanz Foundation |
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