?SQUIRM BURPEE CIRCUS?The New Victory Theater?s latest production works hard to recreate the era of top-hatted gents and flapper girls, but it made me think of the 1960s, and not just because the villain quotes Timothy Leary. The actors playing the heroes can outjuggle, outdance and outbalance any of the energetic acts that used to drive ?The Ed Sullivan Show? in its heyday. If Sullivan were still on the air, these guys would probably have a permanent home.Right now they inhabit Times Square, where their troupe, the Handsome Little Devils, is presenting ?Squirm Burpee Circus: A Vaudevillian Melodrama.? Striving for the disabled of old-time entertainments in which mustache-twirling evil men tied damsels to railroad tracks, the show, directed by Armitage Shanks, unfolds at a circus featuring the brothers Mike the Handsome (Michael Huling) and Dashing Dave (Dave Clay). They don?t realize that their new assistant, the Lovely Little Lolo (Cole Schneider), is really the girl who once abandoned Mike at the altar (actually the swing set).The story?s narrator and the brothers? nemesis, the Baron Vegan von Hamburger (Jason Knauf, above), also traces his torment to playground days. Enlisting the audience?s help ? children can do their best crazed ?Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha,? and one young theatergoer even gets to go onstage as, yes, Hamburger Helper ? he invents ways to annihilate the circus. While he plots, the brothers keep a lot of balls, not to mention clubs, plates and hats, in the air.In one scene Dashing Dave plucks a woman from the audience to help him with Dave?s Ladder of Love. (It only sounds pornographic.) Arms extended, she holds a ladder before her while Dave, his back to her, climbs it. Inevitably he reaches a point where his posterior is directly above her nose. Be warned: this is the height to which the show?s humor usually rises. Children may find that level hilarious, but anyone over 12 will be far more impressed with the feats than with the flatulence jokes.The Baron doesn?t execute any tricks, but makes up for it with wild-eyed enthusiasms and steampunk stratagems. He may not destroy the circus, but he comes close to stealing the show.(Through Nov. 28, 209 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, 646-223-3010, newvictory.org; $14 to $38; $9 to $25 for members. Fridays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m.; Sundays at noon and 5 p.m.; this Wednesday at 2 p.m. The cast will also give a 10:45 a.m. workshop on Wednesday at the Children?s Museum of Manhattan; details at cmom.org.) LAUREL GRAEBERFor Children?Angelina Ballerina the Musical? (Friday through Sunday) That winsome white mouse who does all her scurrying in toeshoes is pirouetting onto the stage in this musical adaptation from Vital Theater Company. Based on the books by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig and the PBS series ?Angelina Ballerina the Next Steps,? the show features Angelina and her fellow students doing modern dance, the Irish jig and hip-hop, as well as ballet. (Through Jan. 2; tickets this weekend are very limited.) Friday at 4:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m.; Vital Theater Company, 2162 Broadway, at 76th Street, fourth floor , (212) 579-0528, angelinathemusical.com; $29.50; $49.50 for premium tickets (the first three rows).20101118?Archaeology Zone: Discovering Treasures From Playgrounds to Palaces? (Friday and Sunday through Tuesday) Children will step into the shoes of an explorer like Indiana Jones in this permanent 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 room from the Ottoman period (about 1900), where young archaeologists can dress in costume. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., except for Thursdays, open until 8 p.m., and Fridays, open until 4 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving. 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 and members.20101118Baby Got Bach: Classical Kids at LPR (Sunday) The pianist Orli Shaham is also a mother of 3-year-old twins. She will draw on both her musical and her maternal talents as the host and artistic director of this new concert series at Le Poisson Rouge, intended to introduce children 3 to 6 to live chamber performances. One big draw: little ones won?t just hear instruments played; they will also play with them during a preshow exploration. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village , (212) 505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com; $15; $10 for children; $35 for a family (two adults and up to two children).20101118?Betsy Is Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored!? (Saturday and Sunday) Yes, that?s five times bored. But in this new play by Judy Sheehan, for ages 3 to 10, the solution can be troubling too. After her parents urge her to use her imagination on a rainy day, Betsy finds one of her imaginary creations taking on flesh-and-blood form. Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m.; Looking Glass Theater, 422 West 57th Street, Clinton , (212) 307-9467, lookingglasstheatrenyc.com; $15; $12 for 12 and under.20101118?La Cucarachita Martina? (?Martina, the Little Roach?) (Saturday and Sunday) Cockroaches are people too. Well, at least they are in this production, presented in an easy-to-understand mix of Spanish and English by Teatro SEA, which specializes in Latino theater for children. Its heroine, Martina, is a tiny cutie who is nonetheless much bigger than anything scurrying around your basement. But not to worry: she?s a bunraku-disabled puppet, seeking true love. At 3 p.m., Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, 304 West 47th Street, Clinton , (212) 529-1545, sea-online.info; $15; $12.50 for 2 to 12; free for under 2.20101118?Galli?s Cinderella? (Saturday and Sunday) Was any fairy tale heroine more bullied than Cinderella? This adaptation for ages 3 and older, by Johannes Galli, the founder of Galli?s Fairytale Theater, emphasizes the connection between the title character?s misfortunes and the experiences of many children who are bullied at school. The show is followed by a one-hour theater workshop in which children dress in costume and put together a short play with the help of the theater?s staff. (Through Nov. 28.) This weekend the company is also presenting its versions of ?The Frog Prince? at the National Comedy Theater in Manhattan and ?Snow White? at the Bruckner Restaurant in the Bronx; details are on the Web site. Show at 3 p.m.; workshop at 4 p.m.; 38 West 38th Street, third floor, Manhattan , (212) 352-3101, gallitheaterny.com; $20; $15 for ages 2 through 17; $15 for the postshow workshop; $10 when more than one child from a family attends the workshop.20101118?Gustafer Yellowgold?s Show? (Saturday) The friendliest of space aliens is back in town. Hailing from the Sun and looking like an animated drop of butter, Gustafer Yellowgold is the creation of the illustrator and award-winning composer Morgan Taylor, who has returned for a multimedia show about his hero. This celebration will include a sneak peak of his latest project, ?Gustafer Yellowgold?s Infinity Sock,? to be released in the spring. At 11 a.m., Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street , (212) 864-5400, symphonyspace.org; $25, and $15 for children, if bought in advance; $27 and $17 on the day of show; $21 and $13 for members.20101118?Harold and the Purple Crayon? (Saturday) Harold never has any trouble visiting the amazing places in his imagination: his ticket is his crayon, which brings them to life as soon as he draws them. Enchantment Theater Company of Philadelphia has adapted Crockett Johnson?s picture books about Harold into a musical for ages 4 and older, using life-size puppets and masks. At 1:30 p.m., TriBeCa Performing Arts Center, Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street , (212) 220-1460, tribecapac.org; $25.20101118IckyFest Weekend (Saturday and Sunday) What child could resist? But for all the delightful messiness of this celebration, running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, it?s also a learning experience, giving young visitors to the Brooklyn Children?s Museum a chance to create slime, examine owl pellets (the regurgitated remains of the birds? meals, to be dissected on Sunday only) and observe and handle ?creepy crawly creatures? and ?slithery serpents? from the museum?s collection. Sid the Science Kid, the star of the PBS animated show of the same title, will also appear. 145 Brooklyn Avenue, at St. Marks Avenue, Crown Heights , (718) 735-4400, brooklynkids.org; free with museum admission: $7.50; free for members and under 1.20101118Jazz for Young People: ?What Is Jazz?? (Saturday) Lincoln Center?s Jazz for Young People series, intended for children 6 and older, always asks a question, and at this season?s inaugural concert, it?s the most basic one: just how do you define this distinctly American music? Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will answer with works by Charles Mingus, Count Basie and others. At 1 and 3 p.m.; Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, 165 West 65th Street, Manhattan , (212) 721-6500, jalc.org/jfyp; $12 to $28.20101118?John Tartaglia?s Imaginocean? (Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday) John Tartaglia, who starred in the original cast of ?Avenue Q,? conceived this musical production, which uses black light and fluorescent creatures from the Puppet Kitchen to tell the story of three fish on an underwater adventure. William Wade wrote the music and lyrics. In substance, the show is more reminiscent of ?Barney and Friends? than of ?Sesame Street,? but children under 8 shouldn?t mind. The new holiday version of the show, now playing, concludes with a snowfall, a holiday singalong and the appearance of a new character. Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 and 4:30 p.m.; Sunday at noon and 3 p.m.; Wednesday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, Clinton , (212) 239-6200, telecharge.com, imaginoceanthemusical.com; Saturday and Sunday, $55 to $75; Wednesday, $39 to $75. A limit of two rush tickets, at $26.50 each, may be available at the box office only on the day of the performance.20101118?Kids ?n Comedy? (Sunday) The class clown gets applause, not detention, at this series, in which comics 12 to 18 perform stand-up. It?s recommended for children 9 and older, but there?s no need to worry about appropriateness (profanity is banned) or knock-knock jokes (these dudes are sophisticated). As with all these shows, some audience members will have a chance to tell a joke too. Reservations are required. At 1 p.m., Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd Street, Chelsea , (212) 877-6115, kidsncomedy.com; $15, with a two-item (soda and food) minimum.20101118?Light and Darrrrrk? (Saturday) Light may be harder to find as winter approaches, but the Rubin Museum of Art will offer it in abundance at its family workshop, for ages 6 and older, every Saturday in November. The museum, which focuses on the culture of the Himalayas, will show the way different societies celebrate light, like Diwali, the Hindu festival. The program will involve making art, using the galleries as inspiration. From 2 to 3 p.m., 150 West 17th Street, Chelsea , (212) 620-5000, Ext. 344, rmanyc.org/family; $10 for each child and accompanying adult pair; $5 for members and their children; $5 for each additional child; free for 1 and under and Cool Culture members (includes museum admission). Reservations advised.20101118?Little Shop of Horrors? (Friday and Saturday) Audrey II, that chewing ? and singing ? carnivorous plant is at it again. The Blue Hill Troupe has revived Howard Ashman and Alan Menken?s musical about Audrey and the unassuming floral assistant who is almost, well, devoured by her grandiose plans. Proceeds benefit the Carter Burden Center for the Aging. Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Theater at St. Clement?s, 423 West 46th Street, Clinton , (866) 811-4111, bht.org; $37.50 and $47.50.20101118?Lula Bell in Search of Santa? (Saturday and Sunday) Many children hope Santa Claus will find them, but the title character of this new play from Manhattan Children?s Theater hopes to find Santa. He?s gone mysteriously missing in this show, written by the theater?s managing director, Chris Alonzo. The search goes to places like the Amazon jungle and outer space, whose environments are partly drawn and painted by the actors at each performance. (Through Jan. 2.) At noon and 2 p.m., Manhattan Children?s Theater, 52 White Street, near Church Street, TriBeCa , (212) 352-3101, theatermania.com; $20; $50 for priority tickets, which include front-row seats and a preshow meeting with the cast.20101118?Mimi & Gustav in Love and Pirates!? (Saturday and Sunday) The world of the arts is filled with odd couples, but this one qualifies among the most unusual: Mimi is a hippopotamus, and Gustav is a mouse. Characters invented by Denis Woychuk in his picture books ?Mimi & Gustav in the Other Side of the Wall? and ?Mimi & Gustav in Pirates!,? they have now arrived onstage in an hourlong musical adaptation by Mr. Woychuk (book and lyrics) and Caitlin Rodgers (score). (Through Dec. 19.) Saturdays at 1 p.m.; Sundays at noon; Kraine Theater, 85 East Fourth Street, East Village , (212) 868-4444, horsetrade.info; $20; $15 for children, students and 65+.20101118?Pinkalicious, the Musical? (Saturday and Sunday) It?s time to think pink again. This show for ages 4 to 12, from Vital Theater Company, is having yet another revival, so if you missed it, you can catch it now. Elizabeth and Victoria Kann have 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 Jan. 30.) At 1 p.m.; Theater at St. Peter?s Lutheran Church, Lexington Avenue at 54th Street , (212) 579-0528, pinkaliciousthemusical.com; $29.50; $25 for groups of 10 or more; $49.50 for premium tickets.20101118?Point of View? (Friday, and Monday through Wednesday) See the world of New York through a young artist?s lens. This exhibition features more than 30 photographs, as well as documentary videos and animations, by students from elementary through high school. Working with the nonprofit Magic Box Productions, which brings arts programs to schools, the young creators have dealt with both portraiture and the urban landscape. (Through June.) From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; group tours available; the Gallery at 180 Maiden Lane, between Front and South Streets, Lower Manhattan , (914) 630-0256, magicboxproductions.org; free.20101118The Shuk (Sunday) Shuk (pronounced shook) means marketplace in Hebrew, and in this case it?s a musical one. The Shuk, a band from Israel, will offer a variety of songs and activities relating to Jewish culture in this concert, a benefit for Yaldaynu Preschool. At 11 a.m., Ansche Chesed Synagogue, 251 West 100th Street, Manhattan , (212) 866-4993, or via e-mail to office@yaldaynu.org; $10 in advance; $15 at the door; $100 for a family sponsorship.20101118?The Sneak Peek: A Musical Revue? (Friday and Saturday) Choosing shows would be much easier if a theatergoer could sample an entire season?s offerings in one performance. That?s just what Tada!, the youth theater troupe, does in this showcase, which presents highlights from its forthcoming season of musicals, including ?Rabbit Sense? and ?Odd Day Rain.? The program also includes a reception and a discussion with the directors and cast. Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m.; Tada! Theater, 15 West 28th Street, Manhattan , (212) 252-1619, Ext. 128, tadatheater.com; $35; $25 for ages 16 and under; $75 for premium seating, which includes a tax-deductible donation to the company.20101118?Summer Wars? (Saturday) This animated film, receiving its English-language premiere from the New York International Children?s Film Festival, is all about Oz, but not the place Dorothy visited. Here Oz is a virtual universe controlling everything from traffic signals to nuclear missile codes. Its hacking by the Love Machine, a rogue artificial intelligence, forms the plot of the movie, whose lead characters are a teenage boy and girl. By the Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda, the film, recommended for ages 9 and older, will be presented at Asia Society and Museum, where audiences can also enjoy free admission to the art show ?Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody?s Fool.? At 1 p.m., 725 Park Avenue, at 70th Street , (212) 528-0500, gkids.com; $11; $9 for children20101118?There?s No Place Like Home? Festival (Tuesday and Wednesday) And there?s no place like Oz. The Yorinks Theater Group will celebrate both sentimental locations in this festival, which honors the 110th anniversary of L. Frank Baum?s novel ?The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.? The troupe?s new multimedia adaptation of the book will be the centerpiece, playing at Merkin Concert Hall through Nov. 28. (A portion of ticket sales will go to the Coalition for the Homeless.) A Toto look-alike contest for dogs is also running through Sunday, with details on the Yorinks? Facebook page. Performances this week are Tuesday at 8 p.m.; Wednesday at noon and 8 p.m.; Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan , (212) 501-3330, yorinkstheatergroup.org; $30; $20 for 65+; $15 for 12 and under.20101118?Tigers the Exhibition: Tracking a Legend? (Friday through Wednesday) The most common way of getting inside a tiger isn?t much fun ? just ask the deer in Asia. But now children in New York can inhabit a Bengal tiger through means that are risk-free and entertaining. That experience lies in ?Tigers the Exhibition: Tracking a Legend,? a multimedia show at the South Street Seaport built around the work of the filmmaker and photographer Carol Amore. The interactive displays include a look through night-vision goggles to imitate a tiger?s acute vision; ?Talk Like a Tiger,? an exercise in imitating recorded tiger sounds; scans of tiger anatomy; and a digital climbing wall for young jungle explorers. (Through Jan. 15.) Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; last entry is an hour before closing. Closed on Thanksgiving. Third-floor atrium, Pier 17, Fulton and South Streets, Lower Manhattan , (800) 745-3000, tigersnyc.com; ticketmaster.com; $11.50 to $17; family packages (two adults and two children) are $46, and $48 on weekends.20101118?Tough Turkey in the Big City? (Sunday) Most people would prefer a turkey not to be tough, particularly around Thanksgiving. But this bird, Tom, the title character of a chamber piece composed by Bruce Adolphe, needs all the toughness he can muster, since the big city is New York. Opening the season of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center?s Meet the Music! concert series for ages 6 and older, the tale, with a script by Louise Gikow, follows Tom (bass trombone) from the farm to Manhattan. There he falls in love with a pigeon (violin), has a confrontation with a hawk (trumpet) and ends up as the unexpected hero of the Macy?s Thanksgiving Day Parade (clarinet and other instruments). At 1 and 3 p.m., Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan , (212) 875-5788, chambermusicsociety.org; $25 and $15.20101118Whitney Opening for Children (Friday) A museum can be intimidating to a child, especially when the subtitle of one of its exhibitions is ?workworkworkworkwork.? But the Whitney Museum of American Art promises a purely playful atmosphere at this opening for visitors ages 6 to 12 and their parents. The event will include interactive family tours of the new shows ?Modern Life: Edward Hopper and His Time? and ?Charles LeDray: workworkworkworkwork.? And no looking at art on an empty stomach: snacks will be provided. From 4 to 6 p.m., (212) 570-3600, whitney.org; free with museum admission: $18; $12 for ages 19 to 25 and 62+ and students; free for 18 and under and members.20101118?The Wizard of Oz? 101011 ?The Wizard of Oz? (Friday through Sunday, and Tuesday and Wednesday) The latest tornado to hit New York poses no danger, as the Children?s Museum of Manhattan celebrates ?The Wizard of Oz? with this new interactive exhibition. In addition to recreating scenes from the 1939 movie, the show teaches about science (including how a tornado forms and experiments with light) and offers challenges like capturing the witch?s broom from the winged monkeys. (Through Jan. 9.) From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on Saturdays); closed on Thanksgiving. Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street , (212) 721-1223, cmom.org; free with museum admission: $10; $7 for 65+; free for under 1 and members. LAUREL GRAEBER 20101118
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