Birmingham audiences can see Kid Koala’s graphic novel “Nufonia Must Fall” brought to the stage in a performance that is equal parts cinema, theater and musical concert.
“Nufonia Must Fall – Live!” is presented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. The performance is at 8 p.m. each night Friday, Feb. 16-Saturday, Feb. 17.
A live animation film with live music, the performance also features a team of puppeteers bringing the film’s characters to life in miniature sets built to recreate each scene from the book.
Tickets are $15, with $10 student tickets. Friday’s performance is free to ages 18 and under; those tickets are available only at the ASC Box Office, limit two per person. All UAB students, faculty and staff may receive a 20 percent discount on single tickets. This performance is made possible by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.
Fifteen people make up the live production, involving an amazing team of puppeteers, technicians and musicians. Under the direction of Oscar-nominated production designer KK Barrett (“Her,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Adaptation,” “Being John Malkovich”), the performance is cinematically lit, filmed and projected overhead on a large screen. Kid Koala, accompanied by the Afiara String Quartet, performs his original score on piano and turntable. All of the elements come together in real time. To see everything happening live adds “an extra five layers of danger,” Kid Koala said, adding it was by far the most complicated show they had ever attempted as a team.
The Boston Globe says, “The story itself seems like a mix of Chaplin follies and Pixar charm … the simplicity and sweetness of its characters serve to amplify the complexity of the production.” Broadway World declared, “There is something for everybody in this production, and so many intricate elements, each of which is tightly integrated into the marvelous whole.”
A Meet the Artist school show is set for Friday, Feb. 16, and a master class with DJ Kid Koala is from 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at UAB's Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts. The master class is free but registration is required. To register email sjr1@uab.edu.