"I give it a 9.6!" exclaimed a friend's 7-year-old daughter as we discussed our post-show thoughts on new venue Brooklyn Art Haus' kid-friendly show, Day of the Dead LIVE! in Williamsburg. If you're anything like me, you find it difficult to find quality entertainment which delights BOTH kids and adults. Look no further! Beautifully blending classical piano compositions with larger-than-life human puppets performing everything from acrobatics to dances, the show offers a musical and visual journey for the whole family. And do not let the skeleton-clad photos fool you; the show's mood is jubilant rather than scary.
I was hosted for the purposes of this review, but as always, the opinions are 100% my own.
Gifted 26-year-old pianist Llewellen Sánchez-Werner charismatically guides the audience through diabolical classical music from Mexican and European composers while narrating Mexico's Dia de los Muertos traditions and history by the show's ofrenda (family shrine). Accompanying the music are jugglers, stilt-walkers, ghosts, skeletons, aerialists, and dancers, which literally bring composers and Mexican revolutionaries to life before your eyes. It’s a witty wild cultural romp — with dearly departed ancestors as the guests of honor!
Musical history and the lives of composers are passions Llewellyn likes to share. He’s an advocate for accessible classical music: “...younger audiences love a blueprint of what they’re going to hear, to know what to listen for, what is the story the music tells. People can better relate to the colorful moments in a score if they’re prepared, if they’ve been told a little bit about the composer, and their relationship to the classical canon. Audiences today want to break down the old barriers and see concert experiences and musical repertory anew.”
Colombian-born Artistic Director Juanita Cárdenas innovatively combines puppetry and aerial performance. With an undying love for live performance over the years, she has created a menagerie of animated creatures, glittering costumes, and absurdist circuses that she describes as embodying “inexhaustible joy.”
Day of the Dead LIVE! presents music for adults and children of all ages, plus delightful fantasies for the child in all of us.
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Limited Performance Schedule
- Friday, October 20, 2023 - 6pm
- Saturday, October 21, 2023 - 6pm
- Sunday, Oct 22, 2023 - 2pm
- Wednesday, October 25, 2023 - 6pm
- Thursday, October 26, 2023 - 6pm
- Friday, October 27, 2023 - 6pm
- Saturday, Oct 28, 2023 - 6pm
- Sunday, Oct 29, 2023 - 2pm
- Tuesday, October 31, 2023 - 6pm (Halloween)
- Wednesday, Nov 1, 2023 - 6pm (Day of the Dead)
Location: BKLYN Art Haus 24 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (between Metropolitan and Hope Streets close to Lorimer L station / Metropolitan G station)
Run time: One hour
Price: $25/tickets can be reserved online
Food and drinks: Stop by adjoining Café des Artistes for a drink or a bite before or after the show
Tip: Across the street from Jaime Campiz Playground
Watch our Instagram reel for video snippets of the show:
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