Fairy Tale fans rejoice! The Manhattan Children’s Theater is devoting the entire season (their last in their current space) to the fairy tale genre with productions of Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and The Complete (Abridged) Works of The Brothers Grimm.  This company is particularly good at creating theater for children.  The shows are fast paced, unique and engaging, about one hour in length and the small, casual theater allows for kids to see no matter where they sit. And after the performance the cast greets the mini-theater goers in the lobby. All for the wallet friendly price of $20 a ticket.  Shows are on weekends, click here for the schedule and tickets.

There's more Fairy Tale fun at the Galli Theater in Midtown Manhattan where The Princess and the Pea is showing through February 27th, followed by Rapunzel in March. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for kids. You can also Boogie Down to their Bronx theater where they will be showing The Frog Prince, followed by Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel in March. Tickets for Bronx performances are just $9 for adults and $7 for kids. After theater workshops are available for an additional fee.

The Shadow Box Theater has entertained over two million New York City kids with their interactive “Shadow puppets-and-people” performances.  Now is the time to catch their annual performance of The African Drum where audiences see how the turtle got its shell and how animals got their colors in these and other African folktales.  Weekday performances, including the upcoming school break, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Queens through March 4, 2011.  Click here for the schedule.  

They will also be presenting Little is Big an underwater fantasy where fish educate kids about tolerance, courage, friendship and the possibility of a more peaceful world. Performances are in Brooklyn, March 24 through April 29, 2011. Click here for the schedule. Tickets for both shows are $20 at the door and $15 in advance.

Puppet shows are first class theater to little people and The Swedish Marionette Cottage is the place to see them in Manhattan.  The troupe has recently debuted The Secret History of the Swedish Cottage, a real change from their normal fairy tale style marionette shows.  In this tongue in cheek adventure the cottage itself is the star of the show.  Watch the cottage as it starts out as a tree in a Scandinavian forest and then travels the world to make its home in Central Park and get a glimpse of what the future may have in store for the cottage in this fun marionette and toy puppet production. Showtimes are most weekday mornings and afternoons with an additional matinee on Wednesday. Weekend shows are at 1:00 pm and tickets are just $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for children. Click here for the schedule.


Puppetworks in Park Slope is another fantastic puppet theater and worth a trip to see their performance of Alice in Wonderland (through April 17, 2011), followed by The Wizard of Oz (April 30 – August 21, 2011)  Expect a real theater experience with impressive lighting, original scores, dramatic sets and sometimes even special effects complimenting the great puppetry.  The theater is open on weekend afternoons and they will also be offering shows daily during mid-winter break. Tickets are only $8 for adults and $7 for kids. Click here for the schedule and reservation information.


At The Brooklyn Center for Performing Arts, families can watch as Theaterwork’s USA brings The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to life for just $7 (Thanks to under writing from Target)! This musical adaptation is the perfect introduction to the adventurous Narnia series for kids. One show only - Sunday, April 10, 2011.  You can also delight the little girl in your life on May 22, 2011 with Beauty and the Beast, also part of the Target FamilyFun Series with tickets for just $7.  Click here to order yours now.

Brooklyn based Alphabet Arts will be at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Dweck Center with their colorful rod puppets in “City of Hamburgers”.  The show is based on the book of the same name and tells a true story of a hamburger and frankfurter that marry and become American.  The performance is free and followed by interactive activities, sing-a-longs and a chance to meet the burger and the dog up close.

Queens Theater in the Park has two productions on the way, both based on beloved children’s literature: Jemima Puddle-Duck- Saturday, March 12, 2011 and Charlotte’s Web, Saturday, April 16, 2011. Jemima Puddle-Duck, will performed along with The Story of the Fierce Bad Rabbit, using giant moving puppets by the amazing Hudson Valley Vagabond Puppet troupe.  Charlotte’s Web is produced by NYC’s own Theaterworks USA well known for their top quality, entertaining shows.  Tickets for each show are just $12.

If you want to see this one, you better act fast, it is closing soon - Miss Nelson is Missing.  Based on the books: Miss Nelson is Missing and Miss Nelson is Back (both were extremely popular in my son’s pre-k class last year).  Find out what happens when the worst behaved class in school gets a scary new teacher!  Produced by The Atlantic Theater Company and tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for kids.  Click here for schedule and more information.

Hans Christians Andersen’s, The Emperors New Clothes, by the Phoenix Theater Ensemble, is the best kiddie theater bargain going.  Tickets at the door for this modern musical adaptation of the story on the snobby king are just $9 but if you get your tickets one week before the performance you can pay what you wish. Performances held on Presidents Day and March weekends. Get the schedule here.  


Dust off your Shakespeare with this special one hour production for kids (aged 10 and up) by the talented high school students in Shakespeare To Go, as they perform the Bards most famous work in just one hour. Romeo and Juliet is part of the Big Red Chair Family Series at NYU’s Skirball Center. Adult tickets are $15 and kids are $10.

Jigsaw Jones and the Case of the Class Clown is taking to the stage at The Center for the Arts at The College of Staten Island for one performance on March 5, 2011.  Watch as Jigsaw, a student/detective figures out who is the practical joker in Ms. Gleason’s class.  Or watch as the famous petite mademoiselle, Madeline, gets up to her usual hijinks in Madeline and the Bad Hat. This funny musical adaptation of the famous book will teach kids to look beyond first impressions when making friends. Tickets for each show are $15.

This is one that you won’t want to miss, straight from Las Vegas, The Gregory Popovich Comedy Pet Theater, stars extremely talented cats and dogs rescued from shelters doing circus style tricks along with European style clowning, juggling and more.   They are in town for one night, March 27, 2011 at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College.  Tickets are $18

Seeing a show at Tada! is kind of like going to see your kid’s school play but way better! The talented singers, dancers and actors of the Tada! Youth Theater have been honing their craft since pre-school and are ready to sing and dance for NYC kids. Their latest show Odd Day Rain runs April 15 – May 22, 2011 and is a rocking romp exploring reality in a technologically driven world. Tickets are $20 for adults and $8 for kids. Click here for show times and tickets.