Michael Kondziolka, the University Musical Society’s director of programming, confessed that when he first saw “The Animals and Children Took to the Streets”—now appearing on the Performance Network Theatre’s stage, courtesy of UMS—at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he had modest expectations.

“I went into the performance with that mindset, and then it absolutely captivated me,” said Kondziolka. “I think one of the reasons I love it so much is the unexpected marrying of live music and theater and animation in a seamless way.”

Indeed, the innovative, London-based performance troupe 1927 combines these elements to tell the story of an urban tenement block “where curtain-twitchers and peeping toms live side by side, where children have gone completely feral, and the wolf is always at the door.” When an idealistic mother and daughter arrive, will they bring hope to their dark environs, or get sucked into it?

Audiences will learn the answer at a venue that’s a unique choice for UMS.

“We’ve collaborated with Performance Network before in other ways,” said Kondziolka. “We’ve done community events and held social events there, and we’ve done things with visiting theater artists there, but we’ve never actually presented in the space before. We’re excited and really happy about it. … They had to figure out how and if they could adjust their rehearsal and production schedule to fit (‘Animals’) in, but … the scale of the piece is really suited to that size frame and that audience size.”

And while past UMS theatrical presentations (Complicite’s “A Disappearing Number” and Robert Lapage’s “The Andersen Project,” to name two) have incorporated different media elements, Kondziolka argues that the intimate relationship between them and the performers in “Animals,” along with its sense of home-spun whimsy and creativity, sets the show apart.

“ … The actor on stage has an impact on the animation, and it’s just so fun and magical, in that sense,” said Kondziolka. “It’s fun because you understand the trick, but it’s still really, really fun to see it happen. It’s also a very sophisticated visual experience, referencing many different things in different ways. In one moment, you think of silent films; then you feel like you’re looking at Edward Gorey book; then another scene seems to be screaming Russian constructionism, like you’re looking at a Soviet-era propaganda poster.”

Needless to say, the show creates a darkly sinister atmosphere, with a generous dash of mirth, as suggested by the title. (“You just hear the title and think, ‘I kind of want to go to that,’” said Kondziolka.)

But watching video clips of “Animals” both mesmerizes you and makes you wonder why we don’t see more live shows that integrate various media in a similar way.

“When you experience it in a live performance, you think, ‘Of course,’” said Kondziolka. “But it’s something that not a lot of people have gotten to experience. (1927’s) work in general will continue to have an impact, I think. … It gets the brain going about what’s possible.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.