Category — Theater

Another big weekend, and it’s finally going to get warmer again–wooo, hooo!   I made the mistake of telling J that we’re going to the playground later to play with her friend, whom I’ll call Streppy McStrepGirl, and now she’s asking me approximately every 3 minutes if it’s time to go yet.  Which is making me nutty because if I could only focus on this for ten minutes, I would be done already.  Instead, I am getting up to give J an underdog or to check & see if the ladybug who appears to be dead still is, in fact, dead (yup) or to play a few minutes of tickle tag.  Seriously, if it were not so fabulous out I would have suggested a tv show by now, but I simply couldn’t it in good conscience with this weather.

Bouquet, Tree Swing, & J's Fabulous Poncho

So, here’s the new early (for me)  edition of the weekend:

All Weekend

• St. Sophia’s Greek Festival has food, entertainment, children’s rides. $3/grown up, kids 12 and under free.  We’re talking carnival rides, here.  Hey if anyone goes on Friday or early Saturday, will you let us know how it is so we can decide if we should go, too?  And if you notice what the carnival company is, I’d love to hear, in case they’ll be traveling to other local spots.
• RPI Young Actors Guild presents Once on this Island Friday & Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
• Saratoga City Ballet will be presenting Hansel and Gretel on Friday & Saturday at Skidmore College.  $18/adult, $12/kids 10 and under.
• It’s Family Fun Weekend at the New York State Museum from 1-4 pm.  The theme is dance, including performances by the Ellen Sinopoli Dancer Company, which I’ve recommended before.
• There’s a Monster Trucks Show at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Friday & Saturday nights.  $51 for a family four pack of tickets.  Just, you know, nobody try to make me go.
• The Saratoga Automobile Museum is having its Spring Auto Show this weekend.  $10/person.
• At Columbia High School, there’s free admission to Parade.  But this isn’t a jolly kids’ fest–it’s the story of Leo Frank and the beginning of the Anti-Defamation League.

Friday, May 14th

• From 4-7 pm, the Children’s Museum at Saratoga is having a Parents’ Night Out for kids 3 and older.  $15/child, and pre-registration and pre-payment are required.  The kids will get pizza and you. . . will not have to eat pizza.  You’ll go someplace more exciting for dinner.
• Author Emily Arnold McCully will be at the Guilderland Public Library with a program for families at 6:30 pm.  I was just saying the other day how much I love Mirette!
• At 7:30 pm, the Empire State Youth Orchestra is presenting a Jazz Ensemble Recital at the College of St. Rose.  $6/adult, $3/kid.
• They’re doing a Star Watch at 8:30 pm at Grafton Lakes State Park.

Saturday, May 15th

• In Troy, there’s a Striped Bass Tournament and Block Party.  It’s $60 to actually register for the tournament,  but might be fun to stop by and see the sights.
• At 8 am, take a Spring Bird Walk leaving from the Thacher Nature Center.  Please pre-register.  It’s a good idea to bring binoculars and keep in mind that there may be grown-ups who will be irritated if your children scare the birds away with their loud kid-ness.  I’ll always let you know if it’s a bird thing designed for kids.
• It’s the Albany Children’s Book Festival at The Albany Academies.  It’s free and it runs from 10 am to 3 pm, including a Storybook Parade at 10:15 am.
• From 10:30-11:30 am, there’s Little Wonders of Science program about zippers for 3- to 5-year-olds at the Schenectady Museum.  It’s free with admission, but you’re supposed to pre-register.    I should say that there are tons of kids’ projects on display right now as part of their Invention Convention.
• Any Arthur fans out there?  The real DW is visiting the Malta Branch of Round Lake Library at 11 am.  You must pre-register.
• Take a Wildflower Walk at 11 am at Thacher Park.  Call for meeting place.
• There are Star Shows at the Henry Hudson Planetarium in Albany at 11 am and 1 pm.
• From 11:30 am to 1:30 pm there’s a Sherman Island Kayak Trip at Moreau Lake State Park.  Call for details.
• The Albany Institute of History & Art is trying their First Annual Tulip Tea with seatings at 1 & 2:30 pm.  $22/non-member.
• At 2 pm, it’s Violin at the Young Musicians Forum at the Niskayuna Public Library.
• See the Real Story of Little Red Riding Hood at 3 pm at Trinity United Methodist Church in Albany.  $10/adult, $8/kids 10 and under.  You can also stay for dinner.

Sunday, May 16th

• Phil from Cooper’s Ark Farm will be bringing baby emus to the Schenectady Greenmarket today.  The farm offers educational family fun tours in the summer, so kids are welcome to interact and pet the emus–it’ll get them acclimated for the summer season.  The Greenmarket  runs from 10 am to 2 pm.
• At 1 pm, there’s a Kids’ Ballroom Competition at Schenectady High School run by Dance Crazy.  It’s a suggested donation of $10/adult.  This is why I love doing this blog!! I had no idea that we have our very own local Mad Hot Ballroom!
• From 1-4 pm, there’s a Teddy Bear Hospital at Albany Medical Center in the Choices Cafeteria.  Bring a stuffed friend for a check up along with plenty of kid-friendly activities, and health information for parents.  Their website isn’t updated, but I’ve seen fliers around as well as listings on various calendars.
• At 1 pm, there’s Nest Box Monitor Training at Thacher Nature Center.  This might be a good project for your older kid/budding naturalist.  You can train for your own backyard or to volunteer over the summer at Thacher.  Call for details/to register.
• Capital District Youth Chorale will hold a free concert at Union College at 3 pm.
• At 4 pm, see Fuego! Fuego at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.  A world dance show designed for families.  $15/adult, $10/13 and under, 3 and under free.
• The Northeast String Orchestra will have a free concert at 6 pm in Clifton Park.

If you make it to a playground that we haven’t put on the playground list, I’d love to hear about it.  If you’re new to the blog, I’ll remind you that you can also check regularly scheduled events at What about TODAY?? and you can “like” me on Facebook–apparently the Facebook folks decided that “becoming a fan” was too much of a commitment for many people.  I have to admit–and I’m not proud of this–that I put way too much stock in the FB page.  Occasionally I’ll notice that I’ve gone down a number, and it’s hard not to take it personally when someone’s decided that they don’t like you, after all.  Or, at least it’s hard for me.  Not that you need to pretend to like me if you don’t, out of pity.  I mean, that would be pathetic.  Right?  On the other hand, I wouldn’t know that it was completely out of pity, would I? So maybe you should, and that could be your good deed for the day. . . . Shameless!!  We’d better move on!

I wanted to throw in a quick plug for the Youth Arts Blog at the Times Union because I found a few different events on this one today.  If you like to frequent kid culture, you should follow it.  They list many more items that I do–I tend to cherry pick only those items by older students (because, let’s face it, the high schoolers are going to perform better than the elementary school kids, generally) doing performing arts that seem to either have wide appeal for children’s entertainment or educational value.

Enjoy the weather, everybody!  Going to put J out of her “misery” and take her to the playground!

I spent quite a bit of time today trying to figure out how to do various technical things, and ummmm. . . . no time writing.  But here’s a little bit of information to tide you over until the weekend post.  First, I’ve been trying to do more Friday evening events in the week ahead post so that you can plan even if I’m slow to posts, so just as a reminder, here are a few:

• Go on a Snipe Hunt at 7 pm at Five Rivers.
• At 7 pm, Clinton’s Ditch: the Saga of the Erie Canal will be shown at Steamer 10 Theatre.  It’s part of their Kids’ Fare series, and it continues on Saturday.
• It’s Troy Night Out.

It appears that we’re going to have a super-fabulous weather weekend, which is particularly awesome because most of the big farmers’ markets are moving outside!! Yay!  Troy Waterfront Farmers Market,   Schenectady Greenmarket, and Saratoga Farmers’ Market are all outdoors this weekend.  My local market, Schenectady, will have a rock climbing wall set up for the occasion.  But I will be too busy freaking out over the $2 Bag Sale at the Schenectady Public Library.  That’s right–this weekend is the Semi-Annual Book Sale–another one of my very favorite occasions.  Last year I arrived unprepared, and you should have seen me trying to navigate through the tables carrying armloads of fresh produce and a stack of books.  It was remarkably heavy and unwieldy, but my euphoria gave me super-strength.  This time I’m bringing some serious bags.  Bring.  it. on.

Hey!  I’m having a splendid day!  Check out this weather, you guys!  Awesome!

I woke up and noticed that my five-year-old had once again made her own bed and tidied up her room.  Then I walked downstairs to find the two girls cuddling and giggling together on the couch.  And then I laughed out loud when I saw how W was preparing for our nursery school’s Silent Auction.   When I was packing lunch, M decided that she’d rather have two carrots instead of Easter candy for the last compartment in her lunch box.  Driving J to school, I spotted a nice, sturdy table at a yard sale, perfect for my screened porch area, and on the way home I nabbed that baby for $5!  Yes! I was going to show you a picture of the newly adorable-ized porch, but it really needs flowers in the window first, so we’ll get to that later.  Then I took a run without getting lost and went 5K.  So, I’m ready to go!  And then, I discovered a way to enjoy a new vegetable which almost rivaled my Roasted Cauliflower Revelation.  I mean, this is like the Day of Awesome.

Pickled Daikons & Carrots

Except, that I am shivering and starving at this moment, because I wanted to get this post done so that I could have a relaxing and enjoyable lunch.  So, as soon as I click publish, it’s right back to Awesome.  Okay, are you ready?

All Weekend

• Don’t forget that the Riverway Storytelling Festival continues through the weekend.  There are plenty of opportunities to hear some great stories at a variety of different locations.  Click the link for the schedule–it’s all free.
• New York State Theatre Institute is still showing Orphan Train.
• Washington County has its annual Farm & Fiber Tour.  There are a variety of locations, so check the link for details.

Friday, April 23rd

• There’s another Wild, Wacky Woodcock Watch at 6:30 pm at the Albany Pine Bush.  Pre-registration required, and it’s $2/person, $5/person.
• Do a Spring Peeper (frogs)  Survey at Five Rivers at 7 pm.  Bring a flashlight and wear your galoshes!
• They’re showing The Princess and the Frog at Schuylerville Public Library at 7 pm.

Saturday, April 24th

• Downtown Troy has an Earth Day Clean Up.  Folks are meeting at 8:30 am at the municipal parking lot on 1st Street between State & Broadway.
• Take a Woods Walk with children’s activities at Dyken Pond from 8:30 am to noon.  $15 fee to support the programs.  Or volunteer to help clear the trails between 1:30 and 4 pm.
• Or take a Spring Overlook Hike at Moreau Lake State Park at 9 am.  Short but sometimes steep hike.  Call for details.
• At Thacher Nature Center at 10 am, they’ll have two short films, a craft, and a snack suitable for ages 8 and up. Please pre-register, and it’s $3/person.
• There’s a Mardi Gras Festival from 11 am to 4 pm in Saratoga.  There’s a parade at noon, a street fair, and plenty of food, including Cajun food from the folks who will be opening   Cafe Nola in the next month or so on lower Union Street in Schenectady.
• The New York State Museum’s celebrating Earth Day from 11 am to 4 pm, plus it’s Creative Art Day from 1-3 pm.  Free.
• Learn about cryptology at Crypto-Clue Finders at the Troy Public Library at 11 am.  For ages 8 and up.
• The Saratoga Springs Barnes & Noble has a storytime devoted to Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire at 11 am.
• Take Time Out for Tales at the Bethlehem Public Library at 11 am.  For preschoolers and family.
• There’s a Guided Kayak Trip at Moreau Lake.  It’s from 1-3 pm.  BYOB or rent a kayak for $15.  Call to pre-register.
• Learn about Turtles at the Albany Pine Bush at 1 pm.  Pre-register.  It’s $2/person, $5/family.
• It’s Astronomy Day from 1-4 pm at the Schenectady Museum.  $4 + admission.
• There’s a Family History Hunt at Historic Cherry Hill at 1 pm.  $2/adult, $1/child aged 6-11.  Okay, can I say, I just went for more information on their Facebook page, and they’re having a fabulous time there?  They have a Curatorial Curiosities Series–they post pictures of various doo-hickeys from the collection and people try to guess what they are.
• Wilton Wildlife Preserve is hosting a free Earth Field Day from 1-4 pm.  Compare your talents and abilities to those of local wildlife.
• The Albany Institute of History & Art has Art for All from 1-4 pm.  Free with museum admission.
• They’re having an Earth Day Festival from 1-4 pm at Five Rivers.
• At 2 pm, there’s a lecture about Clothing through the Dutch and then English colonial periods at Crailo State Historic Site in Rensselaer.  Free.
• Park Playhouse Kidz presents Cupcakes and Cabaret, favorite Disney songs performed by 10- to 13-year-old kids at 4:30 pm at the Delmar Reformed Church  It’s $4/adult, $2/kid, pre-order tickets via email: delmardesignsquad@gmail.com
• 518Fever.com is putting on United4Thacher in support of Thacher Park at Proctors.  Kids activities include clowns, puppets, face painting, and more.Free entry, but of course you’ll want to donate to the cause.
• Smuckers Stars on Ice is at the Times Union Center at 7:30 pm.

Sunday, April 25th

• Downtown Albany Restaurant Week begins today.
• The Baby Expo is at The Desmond Hotel today from 11 am to 4 pm.
• It’s Doggie Earth Day at Saratoga Spa State Park.  Bring your dog along to a park clean up from 11 am to 1 pm.
• There’s the 2nd Annual Clearwater Fundraiser from noon to 7 pm at 28 Stone House Hill Road in Coeymans, NY.   There will be barn dancing from 1-2:30 pm, barbecue for dinner, music jams, and a silent auction.  There’s no cover for this event, but of course you’d want to donate.  It’s being advertised as child-friendly.  I couldn’t find a good link for further info. on the event, but I’ve got it in my email if anyone wants more details.
• The Albany Institute of History & Art has a special Art for All from 1-4 pm.  It’s an Iroquois Beadworking Workshop. Free with museum admission.
• If you still haven’t managed to Discover it yet, go to the Albany Pine Bush at 1 pm.  Pre-register.  It’s $2/person, $5/family.
• Schenectady Theater for Children presents The Mermaid of Edam at Stillwater Community Center at 2 pm.  Neither organization lists it on their website, but I swear I’ve seen it listed in muliple places!
• At the National Museum of Dance’s School, there’s a New York City Ballet audition for girls 8 to 13.
• There’s a classical concert at Schuyler Mansion at 3 pm.  It’s $25/adult, $15/student.
• From 5-7 pm at Proctors, there’s dinner and a music program put together by the Empty Bowls Project of Schenectady.  This is a fundraiser to alleviate hunger, and it’s $20/person at the door or $15/person ahead of time.

Would you believe that I was about two-thirds through this post when it suddenly disappeared?  Oh, man, I was so bitter.  Especially since, as I write this thing up, I always delete my notes of whatever I’ve been hearing about.  So maybe there are a couple of things that were completely lost.  SO irritating.

We biked over to Central Park today, and Tiny Tot Land, the part that was just redone, had a big sign saying that it was closed! Anyone know about this?  I’m going to call tomorrow to investigate.  Wondering if it’s related to the buckling ground cover.

If you’re a new reader, I just want to point out that regularly scheduled events are listed separately, on the What about TODAY? page.  Also, if anyone knows a brand-new mommy in Saratoga, we’ve got a slingbabies meeting and a baby massage class at the library this week–so would you tell them, please?  I just always worry about those first-time mommies.  It’s just not always fun.

Monday, April 12th

• At 3:30 pm, they’re doing Mad Mad Libs at the Bethlehem Public Library.  Sign-up required.
• At the Mont Pleasant branch library, there’s Teen Fun for grades 6 and up at 3:30 pm and then After School Fun for k-5 at 4:15 pm.
• At 7 pm, there’s an open house for prospective hosts with the Fresh Air Fund at the Crandall Public Library.

Tuesday, April 13th

• There’s a Wee Read program for children under 3 years old at the Bethlehem Public Library at 9:30 or 10:30 am.  Registration required.
• At Moreau Lake State Park, they’re taking a Vernal Pond Hike from 1-3 pm.  You’re supposed to call for details.
• At 4 pm at the Woodlawn Branch Library, there’s In the Garden with Peter Rabbit for grades k-5.  Registration is required.

Wednesday, April 14th

• South Pacific is playing today through the weekend at Proctors. My cute husband once played Luther Billis, coconut bra and all (sigh. . .).
• There’s a Wee Read program for children under 3 years old at the Bethlehem Public Library at 9:30 am.  Registration required.
• At Grafton Lakes State Park, they’ll be doing a Signs of Spring hike from 10 am to noon.  Pre-register; it’s $2/person, $5/family.
• From 10:30 am to noon, there’s a Slingbabies meeting in the Sussman room at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.  It’s open to the public, so if you’ve got a baby and are looking to connect with other parents, it’s a good opportunity.
• Turn Trash to Treasure from 1-3 pm at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga.

Thursday, April 15th

• Today through the weekend, Disney on Ice presents Princess Classics at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
• There’s a Wee Read program for children under 3 years old at the Bethlehem Public Library at 9:30 am.  Registration required.
• They’re doing a guided Bike Ride around Moreau Lake State Park from 1-2:30 pm.  You’re supposed to call for details.
• There’s Teen Fun for grades 6 and up at 3:30 pm, and then After School Fun for k-5 at 4:15 pm at the Duane Branch Library.
• At 4 pm, they’re doing Kitchen Chemistry with kids in grades 3 to 5 at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library.  Registration is required.
• At 4 pm, there’s an Anime Club for grades 6 to 12 at the East Greenbush Community Library.
• From 6-6:45 pm, there’s the first of 3 sessions on Baby Massage for babies 6 months or younger and their parents at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.  You need to register, and you’re supposed to attend all 3 sessions.
• At 7 pm, there’s a free Folklife Concert at the Crandall Public Library.

Friday, April 16th

• Wiggle and Giggle at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga from 10-11:30 am.
• Journey Through the Body, an interactive health education program for kids, begins at noon today at Colonie Center.  At 5 pm, Channel 13 will broadcast the news live from there.  Journey will continue Saturday as well.
• At 12:30 pm, the 4th & 5th Grade Book Discussion of No Talking by Andrew Clements at Voorheesville Public Library.
• There’s a Cowboy Revue–that’s right! cowboy songs!–at the Bethlehem Public Library at 1 pm.  Hey, if you’ve got a kid who’s into cowboy music, did you know that Nickel Creek did a cowboy songs album back when they were just kids?
• At 4 pm, the Delaware Branch Library hosts the Sensemaya Trio.

So, did everyone enjoy spring break?  Anyone do something fun around here that people should know about?  I’m also going to be updating the playground list in the next day or two, so if anyone’s been meaning to add a playground, now’s a good time.

Okay, I’m just twisting down a shame spiral right now because not only did I neglect to mention yet another theater experience (I added items to the last post, in case you missed it), but I also found a typo in an old post.  Am I losing my touch?  Did I ever have a touch?  I am feeling discouraged, and this, along with the fact that my cute husband is deeply overworked and the rain is quite possibly turning to snow and piling onto the roads while I sit here waiting for J to finish her gymnastics class has put me into  a foul mood.  I’m going to try to shake it off.

As I started looking into the plans for the weekend, I was overjoyed to see that the Lake George Opera is doing their first of several area performances of The Three Little Pigs.  Now, I don’t understand opera.  And I don’t just mean, I can’t understand Italian or German. . . I just don’t “get” it.  Do you remember in Pretty Woman, when Julia Roberts sees her first opera?  She gets so excited she “nearly peed her pants”, and Richard Gere tells her that people are divided into two groups:  those (clever and passionate types) who instinctively love opera, and those pathetic poseur losers who just wish that they were that cool?  I mean, he puts it more nicely than that, but we know what he means.  Well, I’m firmly entrenched in the not-as-cool-as-the-leggy-hooker camp.  That said, I was able to watch the Lake George Opera group doing The Three Billy Goats Gruff not too long ago, and it was great.  The kids all loved it, and frankly, it was just my speed, too.  I mean, I knew the story and I could understand the words because they’re singing very clearly in English.  They make it accessible for kids and, in doing so, accessible for me!  woo, hoo!

Now, if that’s not enough to tempt you, they perform for free! A 45-minute opera for your and your children’s cultural edification!   Performed in various venues, starting with this Saturday at the Schenectady Civic Players’ theater at 2 pm.  I’ll be adding their performances into my regular listings, too, but it’s worth it to mark your calendars now if you know that there’s a time and place that works for you.

I’d mentioned To Kill a Mockingbird once before, I thought, but I should have included it again here.  That, coupled with the information on The Miracle Worker in today’s Gazette, made me feel a little silly about this post.   I wasn’t even aware of the Curtain Call Theatre.   And Bethlehem High School, too!  So I’ve added the information here.  Sorry.

I thought that we were due for a Theater Roundup because there’s quite a bit coming up.  If I’ve left something good out, please add them in the comments.  If you’re not currently a bring-your-kids-to-the-theater person, please click here so that I can dismiss the most popular reasons why people deprive themselves and their children of some theater.  You don’t want to deprive your children, do you?  I mean, what kind of parent are you?

So, I checked out some of our favorite Capital District venues, and here’s what I found:

• Capital Repertory Theater has To Kill a Mockingbird all weekend, beginning with a pay-what-you-will performance on Thursday, 2/25.
• The Curtain Call Theatre has The Miracle Worker this weekend, with a matinee on Sunday.
• Holy cow!  All of the tickets to the Wizard of Oz at Steamer 10 Theatre are sold out!  Luckily, they’re following it up with Rumpelstiltskin in March.
• Proctors has The Little Mermaid on Sunday, March 7th at 2 pm and on Monday at 10 am.  They suggest it for the preschool to 2nd grade age range.  Then Annie‘s on March 13th & 14th.  The Magic of Lyn is playing twice on Friday, March 19th.  Stories That Dance is playing twice on Thursday, March 25th.   (For a couple of these, the link only sends you to one of the performances, but I bet you can find the other one, too).
• The Palace Theatre has Doktor Kaboom! on March 26th and Playhouse Disney Live! on April 3rd.
• At The Egg, Justin Roberts will be singing on Sunday, April 11th, and the New York Theatre Ballet will be dancing Sleeping Beauty on Sunday, April 18th–it’s a performance designed for kids.  They’ve also got A Year with Frog and Toad showing on March 15th–there’s no option to purchase for this one online, since it’s a school group performance, but any group can purchase tickets to performances like these, so if you’d like to go, get your group together quick:  there were about 30 seats available.

Early spring means that we’re moving into high school musical season. High school musicals are a great option for family entertainment.  They’re relatively  inexpensive and accessible, and you can support some “big kids” in your community.  I was looking around for some possibilities, and let me just tell you, it is not particularly helpful to Google “Troy High School Musical” .  Stinkin’ Disney.

• Niskayuna High School’s performing Bye Bye Birdie this weekend.  The Saturday matinee is  at 2 pm, with slightly cheaper tickets: $12/adult, $10/student.
• Schenectady High School’s Blue Roses Theatre Company will be showing The Diary of Anne Frank March 10-13, with a matinee at 2 pm on the 13th.
• Waterford-Halfmoon High School students will be performing Peter Pan March 11-13 at 7 pm.  Tickets are $5.
• The Guilderland High School’s Guilderland Players will be showing Anything Goes March 11-14, with a matinee at 2 pm on the 14th.  Tickets are $7 or $5 each.
• Shenendehowa High Schools’ students will also be performing Anything Goes the next week, March 18-20, but all performances are in the evening.  Tickets are $12.
• Ballston Spa High School will be presenting Into the Woods on March19th & 20th, with a matinee on the 20th at 2 pm.  Tickets are $10.
• At Mohonasen High School, they’re performing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat March 25-28, with a matinee on the 28th at 2:30 pm.  Tickets are $12/adult, $6/child.
• At Bethlehem High School, Stage 700 will present Once on This Island from March 25-28, with at matinee on the 28th at 2 pm.  $10/adults, $6/students.
• Hoosick Valley High School students will be performing Suessical March 26-28, with a matinee at 3 pm on the 28th.
• South Glens Falls High School will have evening performances of 42nd Street March 26-28.

Of course, at this rate I’m a little bit concerned that everybody’s rehearsals will have been cancelled due to snow.  Hopefully they’ll all remember their lines!

Okay, I am unbelievably bummed because Hairspray is at The Palace Theatre for one night only on January 27th at 7:30 pm.  My whole family loves the Hairspray movie (the more recent, remake one).  We’ve got the soundtrack memorized.  Yes, it’s not entirely appropriate for my kids–like when we all sing with Tracy, “won’t go all the way, but I’ll go pretty fa-har!”  Or when J started talking about “Negro Day”.  But when I saw that it was here live, I thought, we must go.  And then I realized that it’s at 7:30 on a school night the day after we return from our long weekend ski trip.  It’s simply not meant to be for us, much to my sorrow.

Wait a minute, you don’t go to the theater? Oh, come on, you have to go!  No, really, kids love it!  So what’s holding you back?

–My kids are too rowdy to sit still.  Umm, yeah, like the other kids watching Elmo are acting like sweet tranquilized angels.  Unless your kids keep standing up on their seats or won’t stop using their outside voices (or keep trying to torpedo a magic show), you’re golden!  If you’re really worried, choose something for the very youngest or a “school days” production:  these are packed with hyped-up kids on field trips.  I promise yours won’t be the worst one there.

–My child can’t miss the nap. A couple of these shows have a variety of start times from late morning to late afternoons.  Surely you can fit one in, and if you have a baby who’s on the two-nap schedule, pop the little dumpling in a sling or (if you prefer) nurse that child into placid acquiescence while it’s dark.

–It’s too expensive. Umm, do you go to the movies?  Well, do you? Many of these theaters have special deals if you purchase bundles of tickets or gather up a group to go with you.  And if you don’t even go to the movies. . . well, I’m sorry: that sucks.  I will tell you what’s free whenever I can.

So, here’s what’s showing in the next few weeks around here:

Steamer 10 Theater’s showing Charlotte’s Web from January 16th to the 31st.  There are shows at 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, & 3 pm.

There’s a schooltime performance of Strega Nona at The Egg on Thursday, January 21, at 10:15 am.  It talks about arranging for school groups, but I just called the Egg Box Office and asked if it had to be a school group, or if it could be any group.  Any group, she says, but it’s geared toward children.  Well, duh.  It’s Strega Nona! Is there a minimum group number?  No, she says.  Woo, hoo!

Dan Zanes & Friends will be performing at The Egg on Saturday, January 23rd at 3 pm.

Not to be outdone by Hairspray in the category of spunky musical high school kids, Proctor’s Theatre will be showing Grease from January 26-31.

When Elmo Grows Up will be playing at The Glens Falls Civic Center on the 26th & 27th, and at The Palace Theatre from 1/29-1/31.  As if to accommodate every possible nap permutation, there are shows at 10:30 am, 1 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm, and 7 pm.  If you’re willing to go to “the late show” on opening night, there are cheaper tickets.

On Friday, February 5th at 10:30 am, a schooltime performance of The STEP Show will be playing at The Palace Theatre.  Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for only $8 each.

So, go see something fun!  And then let us know how it was.

Just came home from Steamer 10.  Our original plan had been to take Grandma & Grandpa to Snow Queen later this week, but then they changed their plane tickets and that wouldn’t work.  I let the girls choose something else, since everyone still wanted to do some theater.  Let me just say, magic isn’t my cup of tea, anyway.  And my sweet husband had taken the girls to Steamer 10 before, but I’d never been there.

So. . . love Steamer 10.  An interesting building, friendly staff, popcorn for $1, and it’s so small that there’s not a bad seat in the house.

The magic. . .  not so much.  Bless her heart, she was trying, and the children enjoyed it for sure.  She came out with a microphone strapped directly in front of her face and immediately began to weakly warble a song that was about 3 minutes too long.  Have you ever watched tv or a movie, (maybe an afterschool special, or the Little House episode where Laura decides to stuff her shirt with apples so that it will look like she will have large, knobby breasts?) and it’s so awkward and embarrassing to watch that it’s almost physically painful?  It felt like that.  I mean, she was trying, and she wasn’t terrible, but I’m one of those people who can never pay enough attention to “get” the tricks, and even I could get them this time.

Then she was asking for helpers from the audience, and of course that always causes anxiety because my big girl always wants to help and she never gets picked.  That makes me nutty.  And then, one kid who came onstage as a helper was so obnoxious that it was really stressful to watch.  I mean, seriously, the kid was yelling, picking up random props, and tickling the magician when he was supposed to hold her hand.  It was out of control and the magic lady was losing her cool.  Meanwhile, the obnoxious kid’s grandmother–I kid you not–was feebly calling his name from the back of the audience in a vain attempt to remind him to behave.  We went directly to intermission as soon as she managed to push him off the stage.  And, I mean, he didn’t get off the stage when she asked him to, so she almost did have to push him.  So any rhythm that the magic lady might have obtained was utterly lost.

Watching the show just made me tense, but it was even worse because I’d said that I was going on this blog.  So it felt like I’d made a tacit endorsement, like I was recommending the show.  Therefore,  I’m throwing out an official disclaimer, I guess.  Sometimes I’ll be able to tell you:  I’ve done this and we had fun.  Sometimes I’m just listing things and I don’t know how it will be.  In fact, in these cases I would love comments to help me–and us–find out more about activities.  I really do think it will be so much more effective if people contribute.   But the worst part is that when we do something that’s not fun for us, argh. . . I guess that I have to be honest about that, too.  Although it’s painful, and I’m not naming the poor lady in case she likes to Google herself.

Just quickly–

We’re going to see Magic at Steamer 10 — they’re already in the car!  Apparently many of these vacation shows are still available.

Jennifer Silverman, one of the editors of My Baby Rides the Short Bus: The Unabashedly Human Experience of Raising Kids with Disabilities, will be signing books at 2 pm at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza today.