Magic to Do
The Wonderful World of Disney descends on NYC’s Madison Square Garden this month with Disney Live! Mickey’s Magic Show (March 17-20). With the help of awesome magicians, Mickey and Minnie Mouse put on a dazzling show full of amazing illusions. A host of favorite Disney characters — including Donald, Goofy, and film faves Cinderella, Snow White, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Belle, and Princess Jasmine — will get in on the magic acts too. Watch the Fairy Godmother transform Cinderella before your eyes, and see Jasmine levitate! It’s magic for the whole family.
Also at MSG, the hero of train-loving children everywhere, Thomas the Tank Engine rolls into town for a special engagement. In Thomas & Friends Live! On Stage (March 5-6), Thomas and pals like Percy and Diesel get ready for the Magic Lantern Festival, an annual event on the Island of Sodor. But the lighthouse that leads visitors safely to the island is in need of repair — and Thomas and his friends must learn lessons about ingenuity and cooperation to save the day.
Acclaimed London troupe Theatre-Rites and choreographer Arthur Pita are making Mischief (March 18-27) at the New Victory Theater. With its fusion of music, movement, and cool visuals, this whimsical show invites audiences into a playful world full of fun and surprise. Also at the New Victory is Skellig (March 4-13), the stage adaptation of David Almond’s Carnegie Award-winning novel of the same name, produced by England’s Birmingham Stage Company. This unusual tale is about a 10-year-old boy who discovers a vagabond hiding in the family garage.
It’s fairy tales galore this month on the children’s theater scene. Rapunzel (March 5-27) lets down her hair at the National Comedy Theater in a 50-minute interactive show presented by Galli Theater. Meanwhile over at Manhattan Children’s Theater, the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears (March 5-April 17) is being told in a fresh new way — with just two actors, a suitcase full of puppets, and lots of good humor.
Looking Glass Theater spins folktales into stage magic with Donna Latham’s Three By the Sea (March 5-April 10), a collection of short adventures based on Irish yarns, Native American and Mexican folklore, and America’s own tall tale tradition. The trio of stories all center on people and creatures of the sea, from mermaids to buccaneers to surfer dudes. Music, puppets, and more are used to bring these funny seafaring adventures to life.
Experience Treasure Island (through March 26) at Brooklyn’s Irondale Center, where the audience is truly drawn into Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic South Seas adventure about pirates, treasure, and a brave youngster’s coming-of-age. The cast includes Broadway favorites Tom Hewitt and Steve Blanchard. Also in Brooklyn, you can catch Puppetworks’ Alice in Wonderland (through April 17), performing to an original score with Nicholas Coppola and Adam Kilgour’s fantastic marionettes.
