Puppet Shows for NYC Kids: Beyond the Swedish Cottage

Even if your kids can't sit still for more than five minutes, chances are they'll make it through a puppet show. They're the perfect first-time theater experience: The colorful characters are captivating, the stories are usually adaptations of familiar fairy tales, the tickets are cheap, the shows are short, and if your kids make silly faces at the stage, the puppets won't get offended.

While the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in Central Park is the best known children's puppet troupe in New York City, there are many other companies regularly mounting puppet shows for families. We've got the scoop on six places where you can see puppets in action—marionettes, shadow puppets and hand puppets—as well as a preview of their upcoming seasons, which start this month.

Since shows often sell out, we recommend buying tickets in advance.

Puppetworks – Park Slope
338 Sixth Avenue at 4th Street
Saturdays and Sundays at 12:30pm and 2:30pm
$8 for adults, $7 for children. Reservations recommended. Call 718-965-3391.
Puppet master Nicolas Coppola opened this charming theater back in 1980. Situated in the heart of über-family-friendly Park Slope, Puppetworks usually mounts adaptations of classic fairy tales that are aimed at younger children. The beautiful handmade wooden marionettes lining the walls are truly awe-inspiring. Kids can sit on a large mat close to the stage, or with their parents on benches toward the back. Upcoming shows:

Puss in Boots plays Saturday, January 14-Sunday, April 5.
Forget the big-eyed feline from Shrek. This is a faithful adaptation of the 17th-century French fairy tale about a cunning cat and a giant ogre.

Little Red Riding Hood plays Saturday, April 14-Sunday, April 15.
This version of the familiar tale is told via hand puppets and set in the Louisiana bayou.

The Jungle Book plays Saturday, April 21-Sunday, August 19.
Rudyard Kipling's 19th-century fables come to life via lovely marionettes, including the story of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves.
 

Penny Jones & Co. Puppets – West Village
Westbeth Home to the Arts, 155 Bank Street between Washington and West Streets
$5. No reservations required.
Sundays at 11am and 3pm
The least expensive (and possibly least well know) troupe in our roundup, this early childhood puppet theater has actually been around since the '70s. The company specializes in classic tales, like Mother Goose, but also mounts some original shows, and all productions feature detailed sets and puppets. Audience participation is encouraged. Upcoming shows:

Mother Goose Tales plays Sundays, January 15, 22 and 29.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Three Billy Goats Gruff and Little Red Riding Hood are all told via puppets, participation and games.

More Mother Goose Tales plays Sundays, February 5, 12 and 26.
This time around, the Three Little Pigs and Boswell the traveling Polar Bear take center stage.

The Magic Forest plays Sundays, March 4, 11, 18 and 25.
The kids in the audience help a litterbug witch, a ghost, a fox and other creatures bring about spring.
 

Puppetsburg: An Interactive Puppet Show for Babies – Williamsburg
The Brick, 575 Metropolitan Avenue between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street
$16 for children, free for adults. Buying advance tickets is recommended.
Thursdays at 11am and 12:30pm
While most puppet productions are aimed at children ages 3 and up, Puppetsburg (which we reviewed last fall) was created with infants and toddlers in mind. Instead of sitting in seats, kids are fully engaged with singing, dancing and bubbles. The enthusiastic performers really keep the mood lively, and their puppets even sport tattoos (just like a lot of the local parents). Elements of the show change every week, but the atmosphere is always funky and fun. If you email email puppetsburg@gmail.com and ask to join the mailing list, you'll receive updates with teasers for the upcoming performances. The show may move venues in March so check the Facebook page for updates.
 

Teatro SEA @ Los Kabayitos Puppet & Children's Theater – Lower East Side
Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center
107 Suffolk Street
$18 for adults, $15 for children ages 2-12. Reservations required. Call 212-529-1545.
Saturdays at 3pm
We were thrilled when this downtown institution opened its revamped 110-seat space last spring. NYC's only Latino children's theater company, the troupe presents all of its productions in Spanish and English, but even if you only know one of those languages, the shows are pretty easy to follow. The offerings are usually fairy tale adaptations with a Latino bent, like Viva Pinocho! A Mexican Pinocchio!, or Hispanic folk tales. Unlike the other puppet theaters, Teatro SEA also uses human performers. In fact, its productions of Cinderella/Cenicienta and Ricitos and the Three Bears/Ricitos y Los Tres Ositos don't use any puppets at all. Upcoming puppet shows:

La Muela del Rey Farfán/The Toothache of King Farfan plays Saturdays, January 7, 14, 21 and 28.
This Spanish operetta about a king who needs to learn to respect others stars more than 20 life-size puppets.

The Encounter of Juan Bobo & Pedro Animal/El Encuentro de Juan Bobo y Pedro Animal plays Saturdays, March 3 and 10.
A pair of unlikely pals learn about self-esteem and friendship.

Little Red Riding Hood/La Caperucita Roja plays Saturdays, April 7, 14 and 21.
In this humorous retelling of the familiar tale, Little Red stands up to the Big Bad you know who.

Viva Pinocho! A Mexican Pinocchio plays Saturdays, April 28, May 5, 12 and 19.
A Mexican boy immigrates to the U.S. and tries to maintain his connection to his Latino heritage.

Shadow Box Theatre – Bedford-Stuyvesant
P.S. 3 The Bedford Village School, 50 Jefferson Avenue between Bedford and Franklin Avenues
In advance: $10, at the door: $15. Reservations required. Call 212-724-0677.
The only shadow puppet theater in NYC, this troupe has been entertaining NYC kids since the '60s with multicultural shows. In addition to presenting public performances at a Brooklyn school, the company travels to other boroughs. Unfortunately, this theater's website is difficult to navigate and rarely up to date. It's best to call to confirm performance dates and times. Upcoming shows:

The African Drum plays Saturdays February 4 and March 3 at 11am, and Tuesday, February 21 at 11am and 1 pm.
A collection of African folk tales, including How the Turtle Got Its Shell and How the Animals Got Their Colors in honor of Black History Month. There's also a special performance of the show at Harlem's National Black Theatre on Sunday, February 12 at 3pm. Visit the website for details.

Once Upon A Story plays Saturdays, April 21 and May 5 at 11am, and Thursday, April 12 at 11am and 1pm.
Learn about American legends like Big Annie and Johnny Appleseed, among others.

Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre – Upper West Side
Enter Central Park at 79th Street and Central Park West
$8 for adults, $5 for children under 12
Reservations required. Call 212-988-9093.
This rustic 19th-century cottage imported from (you guessed it!) Sweden has been presenting puppet theater in the park since 1973. Like most of the other companies, the shows are usually fairy tale adaptations, often with a modern twist or multicultural elements. Little audience members are encouraged to sit up front on communal benches while adults hole up in the back. (This can be disconcerting for some parents, but it means every child has an unobstructed view.) The theater is just inside the park, quite close to the American Natural History Museum and other Upper West Side attractions. In the summer, the CityParks PuppetMobile mounts Swedish Cottage Marionette shows at parks throughout the five boroughs. Upcoming show:

Little Miss Muffet's Monster-Sitting Service plays Tuesday, January 17-Sunday, August 26. Dates and times vary. Visit the website for the complete schedule.
This comedic marionette show follows the babysitting adventures of Molly Muffet—the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Little Miss Muffet—and the spider from the old nursery rhyme. Check out behind-the-scenes photos of the puppets being made on the Swedish Cottage's Facebook page.
 

Find more cool things to do in our Indoor Activity Guide and our Event Calendar.