What would make a trio of Brooklynites go to 42nd Street at 4pm on a Friday? Not much really, but I was determined to check out this kid’s show that I had heard was fantastic. It’s only an hour long, but that is really the perfect length for this kind of experience–a bit long for the 4-year old bunch, but long enough for the 10-year olds to feel like they had a real journey through the office space turned magical island. The sets were pretty great.
Pips Island is referred to as “an immersive theatrical adventure” and I can say that is absolutely true. It is definitely immersive and felt like an adventure. It is probably best viewed with a mix of children’s ages, but even the youngest kids can participate without needing to fully comprehend the somewhat confusing story. There are lots of hands-on moments that don’t really need the whole story to be fun and scenes that use all the senses, including smell. We loved those aspects, but wished there was a bit less volume (I know that is hard to gauge when you have a room of kids).
I asked my daughter (the youngest explorer) for a quote about the show and this is what she said: “Wasn’t it funny how the bad guy was just all in these different places all at once?” Her favorite part was based on the fact that a character had the same name as a friend of hers, so she is not the most reliable reviewer. I don’t want to give away too much, but there were some pretty exciting parts where her eyes were huge.
For older kids, they will recognize the common components of an adventure show or a game you would play on a tablet.
The actors were really good. The wonder on Pip’s face felt so real I was almost taken aback. Did we really help him? Our guide felt like that one camp counselor you think is too enthusiastic at first, but end up crying when you have to leave her at the end of camp. Despite the actor’s enthusiasm and very real feeling emotions, it was not really possible to understand the characters in the midst of all the showmanship and effects. If your kids are older, they can review the character descriptions on this page ahead of time. In any case, does it really matter? The story is less important here than the feeling of the show.
If you were a theater major or the type of family that saves up to go to Disney world each year, this show is perfect for you and you should buy tickets immediately. For everyone else, it’s still worth the trip and you will find yourself smiling and dancing even if you try not to.
We were given press passes to attend this show, but it did not impact my opinion (I hope).