The Wolves in the Walls

The Wolves in the Walls October 5-21 The New Victory Theatre 209 West 42nd Street New York, NY I was completely enchanted by this musical retelling of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's picture book "The Wolves in the Walls" The set featured artwork by McKean, and anyone who saw "MirrorMask" will recognize the feel of the set. Excellent use of scrim and moving panels throughout the show. The show has eight actors, four who are the family and four who are the wolves. The wolves are also accomplished puppeteers and all of the actors have lovely voices which were subtly miked (meaning I wasn't distracted by the miking) and had wonderful physicality as well. This is a very physical performance, not just from the puppet-wolves but from all of the actors. From the very start, Lucy, played by Helen Mallon, was an absolute joy, with the most adorable Scottish accent and a sweet singing voice. The entire group worked as an ensemble, but I feel she merits special attention, especially since she got across the feeling of a small girl without seeming like she was "acting" but inhabiting the character. The songs interwove seamlessly throughout the show, with actors going back and forth between speaking and singing without it being jarring or breaking the scene. I hope that a cast album will be available, because I definitely want to hear the songs again. I left singing "when the wolves come out of the walls..." over and over to myself. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and whether you have children or are young at heart, you will enjoy this show!