Not Talking Turkey

This November, there aren’t too many Thanksgiving-themed shows. By my estimation, the New York region only has one, and it’s in Long Island. But there’s a cornucopia of alternatives, including two acclaimed family-friendly musicals, globe-hopping frogs, dazzling illusionists, and early yuletide cheer.

Junie B. Jones, the Heisler/Goldrich musical based on Barbara Park’s series of children’s books, has been a familiar favorite in its various productions. The upcoming November run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre marks its third revival by producing organization TheaterWorksUSA, and it’s been touring across America in Boston, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Ohio. If you haven’t had a chance to see it, now’s a good time to correct the oversight.

Another “don’t miss” is the Stephen Schwartz musical Captain Louie, which opened Off Broadway last month at the Little Shubert Theatre. In this well-received tuner by the composer of Wicked, a young boy retreats into his imagination one Halloween to avoid thinking about that intimidating childhood prospect of making new friends in a different neighborhood.

The Symphony Space’s “Just Kidding!” series of children’s events is still going strong, with the children’s music groups The Dirty Sock Funtime Band (November 5) and Trout Fishing in America (November 12). Also performing in the series, on November 19, is a pair of shows about frog royalty — but probably not the ones you’re thinking about! One is a Balinese Frog Prince in which a poor farmer’s wife gives birth to a frog, and the other is a story about Lagushka: The Russian Frog Princess. Practical Cats Theatre presents both tales in an amphibian-themed show they call Frogs Galore.

The Spencers might not be frogs, but they can leap high enough for you to wonder whether their feet are webbed. In their magic show, you’ll find acts of levitation, blade-walking, contortion, and more. It opens November 5 at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts’ Walt Whitman Theatre. On November 15, as the weather gets colder, The Snow Maiden comes to Manhattan Children’s Theatre. Based on Russian fairy tales, it tells the story of the daughter of Father Frost and Faerie Spring, who’s afraid of falling in love because it would make her heart melt.

Ebeneezer Scrooge used to have a similar problem, and the story of the ghostly encounter that thawed his old heartstrings has been repeated every year since Charles Dickens told it. You’re sure to see several productions in December. This month, you can see A Christmas Carol in Long Island’s Theatre Three (November 18) and Scrooge, The Musical at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts (November 27).

Catch another early glimpse of the holiday season with Nutcracker in the Lower, a funky retelling of the E.T.A. Hoffman classic, opening at Abrons Arts Center on November 26. Clara’s magical journey is retold through the diverse cultural vernacular of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, with hip-hop, Flamenco castanets, Russian sword fighters, Chinese ribbon candy dancers, snake charmers, and an elegant waltz.

In Long Island, BayWay Arts Center awakens Sleeping Beauty (November 5); Bay Street Theatre presents musical adaptations of The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe (November 25) and The Little Engine That Could Earns Her Whistle (November 26); Airport Playhouse puts a new spin on an old tale with Grandma, The Wolf and Little Red (November 5); and Studio Theater gets in the Thanksgiving spirit with Who Took Tom the Turkey? (November 5).