‘REALLY ROSIE’ A small boy left alone by his parents and then devoured by a rampaging lion? A gruesome vampire unleashed to drink the blood of innocents? How about a little brother suffering an agonizing death as he chokes on a chicken bone?
O.K., so it doesn’t sound like children’s entertainment. But it is children’s play, shaped by the talents of Maurice Sendak. All these scenes are enacted onstage by people under 10 — well, young adults playing people under 10 — to hilarious effect. They and other miniature melodramas make up “Really Rosie,†above, the latest production from Atlantic for Kids, the youth-oriented wing of the Atlantic Theater Company. And if you don’t take your children (those older than 4) to watch these pretend disasters, they’ll miss an hour of deliciously subversive fun.
With book and lyrics by Mr. Sendak and music by Carole King (yes, the Carole King), “Really Rosie,†based on Mr. Sendak’s books, was originally an animated television special broadcast in 1975. Created before the era of political correctness, the show reflects the lurid plots and mock mayhem that frequently infuse make-believe. This is a musical in which “alligator†rhymes with “sister hater†and in which the letter P in an alphabet song stands for “pushing people.†You’d better believe that these kids didn’t spend their toddler years watching Barney.
The heroine of the show is Rosie (Janet Passanante), who Mr. Sendak has said is based on a petite diva from his Brooklyn childhood. She’s always ready for her close-up, but Mr. DeMille doesn’t seem to visit Avenue P. So Rosie invents a Hollywood atmosphere with her friends Johnny (Michael Guagno), Alligator (Kari Floberg), Kathy (Marta Kuersten) and Pierre (Thomas Matthews), whom she enlists to act in the ever-evolving movie of her life. It usually centers on something ghastly befalling her younger sibling, nicknamed Chicken Soup (Andy Schneeflock).
Directed and choreographed by Alison Beatty, the production captures the improvisatory ingenuity of children (the lion’s stomach is a garbage can) and the propulsive rhythms of one of America’s best songwriters. And behind it all is a tribute to the power of the imagination: a mischief-making magic that even Barney has praised. (Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 a.m., through April 6, at the Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street, Chelsea, 646-216-1190, atlantictheater.org; $15; $5 for under 12 and members.) LAUREL GRAEBER
‘ARCHAEOLOGY ZONE: DISCOVERING TREASURES FROM PLAYGROUNDS TO PALACES’ (Saturday through Thursday) Children will step into the shoes of an explorer like Indiana Jones in this exhibition at the Jewish Museum, but the adventures will be purely scholarly. Still, there is plenty of excitement in analyzing artifacts like a jar handle, a clay jug and a bangle, and figuring out the purpose behind ancient pieces like a Greek helmet and a bull-shaped vessel. This interactive show also includes a recreated home from the Ottoman period (about 1900), where young archaeologists can dress in costume. (Through June 15, 2009.) Saturday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., and Thursday to 8 p.m., 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, (212) 423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org. Free with admission: $12; $10 for 65+; $7.50 for students; free for under 12, members and for all on Saturdays.
‘BABAR, THE LITTLE ELEPHANT’ (Sunday) The Easter Bunny may be the star of many events this weekend, but the New York Botanical Garden is welcoming Babar, that elephant of literary fame who grew up to be a king. The Bronx Arts Ensemble is offering his story in an hourlong concert featuring narration and the music of Francis Poulenc. Circus tunes will introduce children to the ensemble’s instruments. At 1 and 3 p.m., Ross Lecture Hall, Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road, Bedford Park, the Bronx, (718) 817-8700, nybg.org. Free with admission to the garden grounds: $6; $3 for 65+; $2 for students; $1 for 2 through 12.
‘BRAIN TEASERS’ (Saturday through Thursday) Intellects need exercise too, and this exhibition is intended to be push-ups for gray matter. Devised by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, it consists of 20 challenges, including number games, visual puzzles and, in one case, handcuffs made of rope. It even includes an enigma, called the Five-Room House, that has never been solved. (Through May 4.) At the Staten Island Children’s Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Livingston, (718) 273-2060, statenislandkids.org. Hours: Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays (except Easter Sunday), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free with admission: $5; free for members.
‘THE BUTTONHOLE BANDIT: AN INTERGALACTIC MUSICAL FANTASY’ (Saturday) You never know what you might find buried in a child’s messy closet. In Phoebe’s case it’s an entire galaxy. This new show by Mary Fengar Gail, produced by the Looking Glass Theater, follows the adventures of Phoebe as she helps save the galaxy in the company of an alien called Melf the Gelf. (Through April 6.) Saturdays at noon and 2 p.m., Sundays at 2 and 4 p.m. (except Easter Sunday), 422 West 57th Street, Clinton, (212) 307-9467, lookingglasstheatrenyc.com; $15; $12 for 12 and under.
‘THE CAT WHO WENT TO HEAVEN’ (Tuesday) At least one of the cats involved with the jazz in this production is the kind that meows instead of scats. Nancy Harrow, the creator of the jazz-and-puppet show “Maya the Bee,†has returned to Culture Project with a new theater piece based on the Newbery Medal-winning book by Elizabeth Coatsworth. It’s all about a struggling Japanese artist and the mysterious cat that seems to change his fortunes. (Through April 12.) At 7 p.m., 55 Mercer Street, SoHo, (212) 352-3101, cultureproject.org; $20.
‘A DOLPHIN UP A TREE!’ (Sunday) The only dolphins around New York can be found in the water, typically in the aquarium on Coney Island. But these days at least one member of the species occupies a far more unusual position: up a tree in Manhattan. In this show for ages 2 to 8 by Kimberly Foster (book and lyrics) and John Fleming (music and lyrics), the title character is actually a little girl named Tina, and she has far more to worry about than just being beached in some branches. (Through April 13.) At 10:30 a.m. and noon, DR2 Theater, 103 East 15th Street, Manhattan, (212) 239-6200; $20.
EASTER AT THE ZOOS (Saturday and Sunday) When zoos offer spring festivities, the eggs that are celebrated go well beyond the Easter variety. At the Bronx Zoo’s Eggstreme Weekend children can see hatchlings like dwarf caimans and green tree monitor lizards, as well as watch zookeepers toss crickets to African bee-eaters, birds that eat these snacks midflight. The fun, on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will also include egg races, egg hunts, storytelling and Easter crafts. At Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Road, Fordham, (718) 367-1010, bronxzoo.com. Free with admission: $14; $12 for 65+; $10 for ages 3 to 12; free for under 3. Parking, $10. At the Queens Zoo’s annual Eggstravaganza, on Saturday only, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., children can learn about the diversity of animal eggs and then test their knowledge in an Egg Jeopardy game. Other activities include an egg hunt, crafts and an opportunity to meet two bunnies that would make good Easter mascots: Henry and Herbie, Flemish giant rabbits that each weigh about 20 pounds. At 53-51 111th Street, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, (718) 271-1500, queenszoo.com. Free with admission: $6; $2.25 for 65+; $2 for ages 3 to 12; free for under 3.
‘ “EGGâ€CELLENT EASTER CELEBRATION (Saturday) Holiday festivities continue to crop up everywhere, along with the inevitable bad puns. This fair is a first for the South Street Seaport and Trinity Wall Street, which will offer several egg hunts in an Easter garden and visits with the Easter Bunny, as well as crafts, games, face painting and live music by the Bari Koral Band. From noon to 4 p.m., South Street Seaport, Front and Beekman Streets, Lower Manhattan, (212) 732-7678, southstreetseaport.com; free but a $5 donation is suggested.
EGG HUNT AND EGG-O-RAMA (Saturday and Sunday) Visitors to the Audubon Center in Prospect Park in Brooklyn often come looking for birds, but the emphasis this weekend will be on looking for — and at — eggs. On Saturday, from 1 to 3 p.m., the center will hold an egg hunt, and both Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., it will offer experiments, exhibits, games and crafts, all devoted to eggs and their amazing diversity. Near the park’s Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue entrance, (718) 287-3400, prospectpark.org; free.
‘THE ENCOUNTER OF JUAN BOBO AND PEDRO ANIMAL’ (Saturday) The title characters of this show might be considered the Dumb and Dumber of Puerto Rican and Dominican folklore. Guys from different islands, they are involved in comical adventures in this production, presented in an easy-to-understand mix of Spanish and English by Teatro SEA, which specializes in Latino theater for children. Written by Manuel A. Morán, it includes music, puppets and audience participation. (Also March 29.) At 3 p.m., Los Kabayitos Puppet and Children’s Theater, 107 Suffolk Street, near Rivington Street, Lower East Side, (212) 529-1545, sea-online.info; $15; $12.50 for 2 to 12; free for under 2.
‘THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF UNCLE WIGGILY: WINDBLOWN VISITORS’ (Friday through Sunday) In this musical Uncle Wiggily, the elderly rabbit who helped young animals in the stories by Howard R. Garis, becomes protector of a windblown visitor to New York: Merilee, who ends up in Manhattan after her home is devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Written by Laurel Hessing (book and lyrics) and Arthur Abrams (music), the show, which originally played last spring, incorporates masks, puppetry and aerial choreography. Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m., Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, at Ninth Street, East Village, (212) 254-1109; $12; $5 for 12 and under.
‘GUSTAFER YELLOWGOLD’S MELLOW SENSATION’ (Saturday) Ready for a new kind of mellow yellow? Hailing from the Sun and looking like an animated drop of butter, Gustafer Yellowgold is the creation of the illustrator and composer Morgan Taylor, who is now presenting Gustafer in his Off Broadway debut. Like Gustafer’s other appearances, this run includes live music, slides and narration. (Through May 3.) At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., DR2 Theater, 103 East 15th Street, Manhattan, (212) 239-6200; $20.
‘HANNAH AND THE HOLLOW CHALLAH’ (Saturday and Sunday) Alice travels down a rabbit hole, Dorothy journeys in a tornado-propelled house, and Hannah — well, Hannah goes to another world in a hollowed-out loaf of challah. In this new comedy for ages 4 to 12 by Alice Eve Cohen, with puppets by Emily DeCola, Hannah’s trip takes her to Bread Land, where everyone is made of bread. (Through April 6.) At 11 a.m., the 78th Street Theater Lab, 236 West 78th Street, Manhattan, (212) 352-3101; $12 to $18.
‘HANSEL & GRETEL’ (Saturday and Sunday) It’s easy to imagine the title characters of this fairy tale as lost in the Black Forest, but in this musical version from Manhattan Children’s Theater they’re surrounded by Kentucky bluegrass. Kristin and Michael Walter, the show’s writers, have set the story in Appalachia, with a score to match, and the brother and sister have become Hank and Gerti. But the witch is still a witch. (Through March 30). At noon and 2 p.m., 52 White Street, near Church Street, TriBeCa, (212) 352-3101; manhattanchildrenstheater.org; $20; $15 for 2 through 17 and 65+.
‘JUNIE B. JONES’ (Friday, Saturday, Wednesday and Thursday) Junie encounters several firsts in this show, including first grade and her first pair of glasses, but it is definitely not her first time onstage. Theatreworks/USA has revived its hourlong musical adaptation (with book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich) based on the adventures of the enterprising Junie, heroine of the elementary-school book series by Barbara Park. Friday at 2 and 6 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. (Through May 4.) At the Lucille Lortel Theater, 121 Christopher Street, West Village, (212) 279-4200, twusa.org; $25.
‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’ (Saturday, and Monday through Wednesday) You can almost always find C. S. Lewis’s novel “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe†in the library, but this time it won’t just exist between book covers. The Traveling Lantern Theater Company is going to several New York branches, offering a dramatic adaptation of this story of three British children who discover the magical land of Narnia. Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the Donnell Library Center, Children’s Room, 20 West 53rd Street, Manhattan, (212) 621-0636. It also plays at the Edenwald branch in the Bronx on Monday, the Richmondtown branch in Staten Island on Tuesday and the Ottendorfer branch in the East Village on Wednesday; those shows are at 4 p.m. Full addresses and information: nypl.org/events. Free.
‘MOMIK’ (Friday through Sunday) A 9-year-old boy invents a fantasy land as the prewar home of his parents in this theatrical adaptation of David Grossman’s best-selling novel “See Under: Love.†The boy’s fiction fills the void left by his parents’ unwillingness to talk about their pasts as Holocaust survivors. Taking place in 1950s Jerusalem, the play, presented by the Gesher Theater in Tel Aviv, will be performed in Russian with English supertitles. Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street, (212) 220-1460, tribecapac.org; $45, $55 and $65.
‘PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL’ (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) It’s time to think pink again. This show from Vital Children’s Theater has been revived, so if you missed it last year, you can now catch it at New World Stages. Elizabeth and Victoria Kann adapted their children’s book, in which the pink-obsessed title character finds out that sometimes being in the pink can be too much of a good thing. (John Gregor wrote the score and some of the lyrics.) (Through May 25.) Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon and 3 p.m.; 340 West 50th Street, Clinton, (212) 239-6200, vitaltheatre.org; $29.50.
‘PIPPI’ (Friday and Saturday, and Tuesday through Thursday) Children’s literature had at least one feminist heroine long before the feminist era: Pippi Longstocking, the pint-size, pigtailed dynamo who lived independently and fought off villains with the help of pluck and superhuman strength. Now the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater is offering a musical based on the Pippi stories and celebrating the centennial of their creator, the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. With a book by Zakiyyah Alexander and a score by Darryl Kojak, the production features almost two dozen new, handmade marionettes. Friday and Tuesday through Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and noon; Saturday at 1 p.m., 79th Street and the West Drive, Central Park; $8; $5 for 18 and under. Reservations required: (212) 988-9093.
SPRING FLING EGG HUNT (Saturday) Call this the equitable egg hunt: It’s free, takes place rain or shine, involves 15,000 candy-filled eggs (so the spoils won’t just go to the fast and the furious), and it offers separate hunting areas based on age. Sponsored by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and the state parks office, the event will also include storytelling, children’s theater by the Heights Players and live music by the band AudraRox. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Brooklyn Bridge Park (Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park and Main Street Park sections), beginning at the Main Street entrance, Brooklyn Heights, (718) 802-0603, brooklynbridgepark.org.
‘A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE’ (Saturday and Sunday) In the film “Bruce Almighty,†Bruce changed places with God; in this new musical from Vital Children’s Theater, written by Rick Hip-Flores and Ben H. Winter, the exchange is a bit more humble but equally complicated. Oliver, tired of being a kid, trades positions with the Tooth Fairy, who’s sick of retrieving teeth and delivering change under pillows. (Through May 25.) Saturday and Sunday at noon, SoHo Playhouse, 15 Van Dam Street, South Village, (212) 691-1555, sohoplayhouse.com; $25.
‘THE TOP JOB’ (Saturday and Sunday) Children don’t need many excuses to feel embarrassed over their parents, and Jenna is dreading her turn in Career Day at school, when her father is revealed to be a light-bulb changer. But in this musical from Vital Children’s Theater, adapted from the book by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, Jenna discovers that some of her father’s duties are highly unusual. (Through April 27.) At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., McGinn Cazale Theater, 2162 Broadway, at 76th Street, fourth floor, (212) 352-3101, vitaltheatre.org; $18.
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