Theater

These shows have enriched countless theater visits. Snag seats at those now playing; we’re gunning for revivals of the rest.

Illustrations by Jesse Kuhn

Really Rosie (1980)
What do you get when you hang the vivid imagination of writer-illustrator Maurice Sendak on pop hooks by Carole King? A 1975 television special and an Off Broadway stage show that reinvigorated this tale of a Brooklyn girl who dreams of stardom.

Into the Woods (1987–1989)
Fairy tales have never recovered from the fracture they received in this Stephen Sondheim musical. Too dark for little ones? Nah. True, half of the cast ends up dead, but then the Grimm Brothers weren’t exactly cheery either.

Comet in Moominland (1989)
Most quality kids’ theater has been pitched to tweens. But not so with Manitoba Theater for Young People’s Finnish story about trolls bracing for a comet’s crash. It is aimed squarely at children under seven.

The Yellow Boat (1993)
David Saar’s loving, life-affirming play—based on the AIDS-related death of his young son, Benjamin—has been breaking and expanding hearts all around the country for 15 years. Sadly, it has not yet played in New York City.

Peter & Wendy (1997)
The 1995 arrival of the New Victory Theater—dedicated to adventurous and top-level programming—opened huge new windows for local families. Among the first triumphs: this puppet-show reworking of Peter Pan by the seminal avant-garde troupe Mabou Mines. Viewers fell for it line, sinker and Hook.

A Year with Frog and Toad (2003)
Adapted from Arnold Lobel’s anthropomorphic-amphibian books, this Broadway musical (the first to be targeted to the under-ten crowd) was a labor of love: Lobel’s daughter Adrianne designed the sets, and her husband, Mark Linn-Baker, played Toad. The resulting glow of affection has helped the show become a staple of rep companies.

Sarah, Plain and Tall (2002)
Theatreworks USA’s free musicals are among the jewels of the city’s programming. And none has been better than this lobster-out-of-water tale of a Maine woman wooing her new family.

Still Playing

Big Apple Circus (1980–present)
NYC’s one-ring institution debuted in 1977, but it wasn’t until 1980 that it set up tent in Damrosch Park. Since then, jugglers, aerialists, acrobats and animals (plus the mischievous Grandma the clown) have visited yearly.

The Lion King (1997–present)
This breathtaking adaptation of the popular animated film made Disney Theatricals into the mouse that roared. The company’s genius stroke was to hire and trust director Julie Taymor, who ennobled the source material with proud African accents, elegant stagecraft and a dazzling menagerie of animal puppets.

Wicked (2003–present)
It isn’t easy being green: Just ask Elphaba, the misunderstood young witch at the center of this inside-out prequel to The Wizard of Oz. The Yellow Brick Road has turned out to be pure gold for the producers of the megahit girl-power musical, which has proved especially popular with tweens.

More expert picks

• Afternoon of the Elves (1993)
• Shockheaded Peter (1999)
• Green Bird (2000)
• Seussical (2000)
• Hairspray (2002)
• Brundibar (2005)
• Cathay: Three Tales of China (2005)

Our experts
• Roger Bedard, director of ArtsWork, a research and program development center focusing on children and the arts
• Kim Peter Kovac, producing director of the Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences
• Mary Rose Lloyd, director of programming at the New Victory Theater
• Barbara Pasternack, artistic director of TheatreworksUSA
• Stephen Sunderlin, producing artistic director of Vital Theatre Company

NEXT: Television >>

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Incredulous because we overlooked your faves? Don’t get mad; set us straight! Email kids@timeoutny.com with your new classic picks. 

Time Out New York Kids / Issue 41 : Mar 1–31, 2009

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