Piggy Nation the Musical, is a new off-Broadway musical that is written by Richard Rosser and is based on the award winning children’s book, Piggy Nation: A Day At Work With Dad also written by Richard Posser.. The musical is currently playing on weekends at the Jerry Orbach Theater at the Snapple Theater Center in Manhattan (210 W. 50th Street) and is just over an hour long and for children 3 and up.
My family and I had an opportunity to see Piggy Nation the Musical last weekend and it was entertaining and educational to both my 4 year old and my 7 year old and it also has humor for the grown ups! It is the perfect length and there was never a dull moment between the dancing, singing and the variety of animal actors & actresses zipping around the theater!
We learn that Sammy Hamhock is on the first day of summer vacation and gets to go to work with his dad, Hank Hamhock, on Piggy Patrol. Hank is supposed to give tickets to anyone who is acting “piggy” and don’t want to give away the whole show but we see a variety of piggyness with littering and not respecting gardens. What Sammy also discovers as they go around town is that everyone can be a little ‘piggy’ at times including his Dad! My daughter caught onto Hank’s behavior early on with Sammy and was very proud of it. We learn that when we do act ‘piggy’ we should apologize and be aware of our surroundings and try not to do it again.
The original score was a mix blues, rock, rap and gospel influences so every song was different and could be quite catchy like the song “Blah, Blah, Blah”. Some of the cast play multiple roles and we enjoyed the animal costumes and quirky names they had like Fanny Flamingo and Oliver Oxley. I think even the change of the set was entertaining to the children! My little boy was sitting up straight and watching every minute!
The theater is small and cozy so everyone has a good view of the stage and they also have boosters for the smaller children.
There are healthy snacks and candy available in the lobby, as well as a wide array of drink options which you can bring into the theater (so family friendly!). Then at the end of the show the actors come out and let your children meet them, get autographs and pose for pictures! My two were too shy but I am sure it would be a hit with others.
I would definitely recommend this show to families! The musical is an entertaining way to introduce young children to manners and respect. Children and adults can leave the theater smiling and upbeat and you can use the musical to keep the discussion going about being thoughtful of others at all times. We had a great time at the show and then talking about the show over dinner at a diner nearby. When we were getting organized to head home after dinner the table next to us gave us a huge compliment on how well behaved the children were. This made the children super happy and made mommy proud!
Piggy Nation the Musical plays at the Jerry Orbach Theater at the Snapple Theater Center at 210 W. 50th St. Performances are on Saturdays at 11am & 5pm and Sundays at 12pm. Tickets are $60 for premium seats and $30 to $44 for standard seats, and are available st the Snapple Theater box office at 212.921.7862 or online at Ticketmaster.