Theater News

Going Green

Sesame Street Live returns to New York City with Elmo’s Green Thumb, while this month’s family-friendly fare also includes Circus Incognitus, Sky Boys, 8-Minute Madness Youthfest, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, and The Little Mermaid.

A scene from Elmo's Green Thumb
(© Sesame Street Live)
A scene from Elmo’s Green Thumb
(© Sesame Street Live)

Sesame Street Live returns to New York City with Elmo’s Green Thumb (February 17-21) at Madison Square Garden. Every kid’s favorite furry red friend Elmo and his pals search Big Bird’s garden for a place to plant Sunny the sunflower. But when Sesame Street’s resident fairy Abby Cadabby casts a “grow” spell that goes awry, the gang ends up shrunk instead. Talk about a big adventure!

Jamie Adkins flies solo in Circus Incognitus (February 11-27), playing at the New Victory Theatre. Looking like a sweet-faced “every man” desperate to communicate with his audience, Adkins impressively juggles, walks a tightrope, performs numerous feats of balance and agility, and just plain clowns around in this inventive 60-minute circus act.

Set in New York City during the Great Depression, Sky Boys (Abrons Arts Center, February 18 – March 6) is about 15-year old Mickey, a boy who is fascinated with the still-under-construction Empire State Building. After being discovered hiding in the building, Mickey becomes friends with a group of Mohawk ironworkers and even gets a job helping the building photographer. During his skyscraping adventure, Mickey learns about his new friends’ culture, and they teach him to conquer his fear of heights.

A perfect event for the young theater lover with a short attention span, Turtle Shell Productions’ 8-Minute Madness Youthfest (through February 6) is a collection of nine original short plays performed by a talented young cast. Aliens, spies, and sushi are just a few of the items on the menu, so get ready for a big helping of craziness at this theater festival.

Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour brings Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical (February 26-27) to NYU’s Skirball Center for a short run. Knuffle Bunny is the humorously dramatic tale of Daddy, Trixie, and Trixie’s beloved stuffed animal and their fateful trip to the Laundromat, which results in both Knuffle Bunny’s first dip in the washer and Trixie’s first words. Mo Willems has written this stage adaptation of his own Caldecott-winning children’s book, and the music is provided by composer Michael Silversher.

Literally Alive Children’s Theatre presents a new production of Michael Sgouros and Brenda Bell’s musical The Little Mermaid at The Players Theatre (February 5-May 22). The show tells the fairy tale story of a mermaid who falls in love with a young prince she saves from drowning. Running Saturday and Sunday mornings only, the run will also feature a pre-show Arts Workshop one hour prior to every performance.

“Eeek!” A Mousical (through February 5) is finishing its run at the Joria Mainstage this month. A modern musical retelling of Aesop’s fable “A City Mouse & A Country Mouse,” the show is about a city mom and country mom whose lives collide when the city mom decides to take her brood away from the technological mayhem of their world to get some peace and quiet in the country. Also ending its run this month is Dear Edwina (through February 25), the Zina Goldrich/Marcy Heisler musical about an advice-giving girl, at the DR2 Theatre.