Hot Peas 'N Butter will be in Brooklyn this Sunday!
Can you believe the last weekend in January is upon us? It has been quite a month with awesome events and this weekend, the fun continues. Sweetness! This weekend, “Magic! The Amazing Max and The Box of Interesting Things” is still going strong. Have you seen it yet? Read our review below and book your tickets! You will not be disappointed. Not only will there be a lovely show at Littlefield this Saturday, but there is also a free dance class at Dancewave and other entertaining activities. On Sunday, all roads will lead to Campus Road… Hot Peas ‘N Butter will be performing at The Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn College’s performing arts center. Don’t forget to visit our calendar and Music Listings for more events. Have a great weekend!
ONGOING
Friday, January 27th — March 10: various times
Magic! The Amazing Max and The Box of Interesting Things
Magician Max Darwin makes objects appear out of thin air, as the laws of physics are defied, and miracles are performed inches from spectators’ faces. This isn’t a show that you ask, “How did he do that?” It’s not that Max doesn’t do great tricks, he does. It’s that the show is so focused on the hijinks of Hamlet the mind-reading pig and the silliness of coins appearing out of every bodily orifice, that the audience doesn’t have time to focus on the head-scratching things Max performs. The magic is just the sideshow to a very entertaining and engaging performance. Our full review is here.
Details: The Amazing Max and The Box of Interesting Things, in an open-ended Off-Broadway run. Manhattan Movement & Arts Center 248 W. 60th Street, NYC (between Amsterdam and West End Avenues)
Performances: Saturdays and Sundays at 4:30pm.
Tickets: The Amazing Max is performed at the MMAC Theater located in the Magic Carpet Rides (VIP seating) $49.50, regular general admission tickets $29.50. Tickets are available at www.telecharge.com or by phone at 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250.
Saturday, January 28th — Sunday, January 29th: 2pm and 4pm
The Piccolini Trio in Circus In A Trunk
A trio of clowns arrive Canal Park Playhouse excited to see a circus show… that never happens. Bummer, right? Not quite. The trio then decide to perform the show themselves, pulling together a funny performance out of an antique trunk. The Piccolini Trio combine contemporary and classic European style clowning for a performance replete with music, acrobatics, physical comedy, juggling, pantomine, and poetic whimsy.
Details: Canal Park Playhouse. 508 Canal Street between Greenwich and West Street. Tickets: $20 (a pre or post-show Pre Fixe brunch is available for an additional $8 in advance and $10 at the door). For tickets or more information, call OvationTix at 1-866-811-4111 or visit their website.
Saturday, January 28th — Sunday, January 29th: 11am
The Little Rascals
Head over to the Canal Park Playhouse to see Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals! This was a hit this fall and we’re sure that it’ll be just as good, if not better. Enjoy the exuberant shenanigans of Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Darla, Froggie and the rest of the gang screened in the Canal Park Playhouse theater.
Details: Canal Park Playhouse. 508 Canal Street between Greenwich and West Street. Tickets: $9. (a Pre Fixe brunch is available before or after the screenings for an additional $8 in advance or $10 at the door. For tickets or more information, call OvationTix at 1-866-811-4111 or visit www.canalparkplayhouse.com.
Friday, January 27th – Sunday, February 26th: various times
The Berenstain Bears LIVE!
We are so excited about the “beary” good show that will be held at the Marjorie S. Dean Little Theatre! In The Berenstain Bears LIVE! in Family Matters, our favorite Bear Country citizens come to life on the Off-Broadway stage. In addition to teaching life lessons during the show, there will be a mini dance party and face painting afterwards. It’s going to be “bear”mazing! We have all seen it a couple of times and it’s super cute for the kids.
Details: Marjorie S. Dean Little Theatre. 10 West 64th Street and Central Park West. Tickets start at $34.95. 866.811.4111.
Friday, January 27th – Tuesday, January 31st: various times
Polar Express 4D at Central Park Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, and New York Aquarium
The amazing Polar Express is making stops this Holiday Season at the Central Park Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, and the New York Aquarium. It is sure to be a great time and will play at the Central Park Zoo through January 31, 2012.
Details: 718.220.5100
Friday, January 27th — Tuesday, January 31st: various times
ElectriCity: Powering New York’s Rails Exhibit
Your kids will love this highly interactive exhibit at The New York Transit Museum. Who are we kidding?! You’ll love the exhibit too! Originally designed by the Liberty Science Museum, this exhibit allows kids to touch, feel, and see for themselves how the subways and buses work. Hands-on activities will have the little ones capturing light with a solar panel and operating a model train with a hand-cranked motor.
Details: Boerum Place and Schermerhorn St. Phone: 718.694.1600. Click here to visit the website.
Friday, January 27th – Saturday March 31st from 10am – 5pm
Secrets of Circles Exhibit at Brooklyn Children’s Museum
There’s no doubt about it, circles are everywhere! The “Secrets of Circles” exhibit at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum features 18 different interactive activities that explore the nature of this simple, but amazing shape. From building mechanical contraptions to using a compass to draw awesome glow-in-the-dark circles, this fun exhibit provides a great way for math and science to come to life. This is going to be a crowd-pleaser, for sure, and will definitely give new meaning to “the wheels on the bus go round and round.”
Details: Brooklyn Children’s Museum 45 Brooklyn Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11213 718-735-4400 www.brooklynkids.org
ALL WEEKEND
Friday- Sunday, January 27 – 29
Wuthering Heights
We have all read about the doomed relationship with Heathcliff and Catherine but what you haven’t seen is the Dutch stage production of it. Winner of the Gouden Krekel Award (Golden Cricket Award) for best Dutch theater production for young audiences in 2010, Wuthering Heights was deemed one of the 10 highlights of the 2009-10 theater season by the Dutch Theatre Festival 2010. Performed on a spare set that evokes the tempestuous nature of the moors, this contemporary stage adaptation exposes the timeless nature and inescapable power of the Emily Brontë classic love story. Recommended for ages 13 to adult
Details: January 27 – 29 Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 2pm and 7pm, Sunday at 3pm The New Victory Theater
Tickets: Theater-goers who buy tickets for three or more New Vic shows qualify for free Membership benefits, including up to 35-percent savings with tickets as low as $9. Full-price tickets for individual productions are as low as $14 each. To purchase tickets online, visit NewVictory.org, and to purchase by phone, call 646-223-3010. The New Victory Theater box office (209 West 42nd Street) is open Sunday and Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.
FRIDAY JANUARY 27th
Friday, January 27th at 6:15pm
Family Movie Night at The Moxie Spot
Still stumped on how to enjoy Family Friday Nights after a long week? Head on over to The Moxie Spot, a family-friendly restaurant and play space for a fun Friday night film screening. Kids will eat for free when you purchase an entrée from the dinner special after 5:30pm. Now that what we call “family friendly.”
Details: The short feature begins at 6:15pm. The longer feature begins at 6:45pm. 81-83 Atlantic Avenue (at Hicks Street). 718.923.9710
SATURDAY JANUARY 28TH
Saturday, January 28th: All day
FREE Activities at Your Local YMCA
The YMCA just got better! Why? Because there are bringing us FREE activities for the entire day! They are in the process of running their January membership campaign where they waive the joiners fee at all of the Y’s throughout the five boroughs. This is your chance to visit your local Y, learn about their programs, and see all that they have to offer. For FREE. Pretty awesome, if I don’t say so myself. Click here to download a FREE one-day pass.
Saturday, January 28th from 11am — 12pm
FREE Heroes and Tricksters Class at Dancewave
At Dancewave’s Spring Semester Open House, Blue Man Group member, Peter Musante, will take this class on a full-body exploration of character-driven physicality and play. How? By using fun group exercises inspired by various dance and physical theater approaches, while allowing the students to unleash their creativity.
Details: 45 Fourth Avenue at Dean Street. Ages 7-10. Registration required: RSVP@dancewave.org
Saturday, January 28th at 3pm
Mil’s Trills Winter Bash 2012: Meet the Orchestra at Littlefield
Get ready for an exciting celebration of music for babies, kids, and the entire family! Amelia Robinson and her electric ukulele present a symphony of musical guests in the Mil’s Trills Philharmonic premiere. Here’s your chance to meet the instruments of the orchestra — french horn, flute, sousaphone, upright bass, violin, trumpet and more! Plus… there will be special guest appearances including Puppetry Arts, face painters, circus performers, and a recital by parents/graduates of the Mil’s Trills Fall 2011 Ukulele Workshop.
Details: Littlefield — 622 Degraw Avenue between 3rd and 4th Avenues. (R train to Union Street). Tickets: $10/advance, $15 per adult at the door, kids under 4 years old are FREE. Seating begins at 3pm, show begins at 3:30pm. Bring your blankets, shakes, and ukuleles. Visit the website for more information or to book tickets.
Saturday, January 28th at 12:30pm and 2:30pm
Puss in Boots at Puppetworks, Inc
If your child is a fan of the movie, then they will love this too! Now is the chance for them to find out what happens to this little kitten when he is given a pair of boots that turns out to be… wait for it… magical! This adorable tale will leave your child feeling enchanted, to asy the least.
Details: 338 6th Aevnue at 4th Street. Tickets: $7/child, $8/adult. Registration is suggested. Call 718.965.3391 or email puppetworks@verizon.net to reserve your tickets!
Saturday, January 28th at 1:00pm
The Wiyos Concert at The Brooklyn Central Library
What better way to get your entire family up and moving and grooving than with The Wiyos? Grab your most stylish fedora and let this band take you back to the 1920’s and 30’s during the FREE, interactive CanergieKids concert at The Brooklyn Central Library. The children will be in 45-minutes of glory, falling in love with the guitar, banjo, kazoo, and harmonica.
Details: 10 Grand Army Plaza. FREE and open to all. Visit the website for more information.
Saturday, January 28th from 12- 3 pm
Camp Fair Tour
New York Family Magazine and the American Camp Association, New York & New Jersey are teaming up for their winter Camp Fair Tour. This free resource allows parents and campers to meet dozens of different camp directors from local day camps and sleepaway camps from across the region. Great for children ages 3 to 17.
Details: Register and attend the fair to win Theatre Tickets, NJ Nets Tickets or a Raleigh Bike! Please visit www.newyorkfamilycamps.com for pre-registration and more information. Fair takes place at Grace Church School 86 4th Ave. between 10th and 11th Sts.
Saturday, January 28th at 11am
Chinese New Year Fun at Apple Seeds
If you have yet to celebrate The Year of the Dragon, then this FREE event is totally for you. Michele Wong McSween, author of the “Gordon and Lili” book series will do an engaging book reading and guests from Mandarin Tree House will entertain children with fun theme-related activities.
Details: 10 West 25th Street, NYC. FREE for all. Ages 5 and under. For more information, contact hello@appleseedsnyc.com or visit the website.
Saturday, January 28th at 11am
Kids Story Time at Greenlight Bookstore
Grab the kiddies and head to Saturday Story Time, which typically features authors and illustrators of picture books and/or neighborhood performers reading stories. At times, there may even be crafts! A totally entertaining Saturday morning? We think so!
Details: Geared towards kids ages 3 – 8 years. Open to the public, but on a first come, first served basis. 686 Fulton Street (at South Portland). Phone: 718. 246. 0200. Website: http://greenlightbookstore.com/storytime
Saturday, January 28th at 2:30pm
Art Works at The Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Visit the Totally Tots area with your little ones to see what’s in store for that budding Picasso!
Details: 145 Brooklyn Avenue. 718. 735.4400. Ages 5 and under.
Saturday, January 28 from 1-4 pm
Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration at the Winter Gardens
Celebrate the most popular Chinese holiday with gravity-defying acrobatics, festive musical ensembles, costumed folk dancers, and of course the lion dance! Young audiences learn traditional techniques of paper cutting, dough figurines, face painting, and calligraphy.
Arts & Crafts: 1–2:30pm (balcony)
Performances: 2:30–4pm (stage)
Details: World Financial Center’s Winter Garden. See Map.
Saturday, January 28th from 10:30am — 11:30am
Story Time with Carol and Friends
Carroll Garden folks, weekly story time has never been so good! The Friends of Carroll Garden Library present, “Story Time with Carol and Friends” so head on over to join in on the educational fun. PLEASE NOTE: This week, Story Time will feature a special guest — Edgar, the piglet! He loves meeting new kids, weighs 11 pounds, and his favorite food is pig chow. Kids will love meeting and petting him!
Details: All ages welcomed. FREE for all. 396 Clinton Street. For more information, contact:friendscglibrary@gmail.com or visit their website.
Saturday, January 28th from 11am — 12pm
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Brooklyn is absolutely wonderful, but sometimes there is a reason to leave the borough. This is one of those reasons. Head over to St. Luke’s Theatre to become mesmerized by “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” the first in C.S. Lewis’s classic series, The Chronicles of Narnia. In this creative adaptation, two actors play eight characters, both human and animals, and they take the audience along as they travel to Narnia and bring mythical creatures to life.
Details: Ages 6 and up. 308 West 46th Street. Tickets: $35.00. For more information, visit the website.
Saturday, January 28th from 1-5 pm
Lunar New Year Festival
In celebration of the Lunar New Year, The Childrens Museum of the Arts will explore the arts and culture of New York’s Chinese community. The festival will include a variety of visual art experiences to teach families and children about traditional and contemporary arts in China. The Chinese Theater Works will perform “Tiger Tales”, a shadow puppet show at 1 pm and the day will be capped off by a special performance of the Chinese Lion Dancers of PS124! Just announced: CMA is proud to welcome guest folk artists from the Asian American Art Center to demonstrate their crafts throughout the day. Activities include calligraphy, paper cutting, Mehandi art and grass animal making.
Details: The Childrens Museum of the Arts 103 Charlton Street, NYC 10014
SUNDAY JANUARY 29TH
Sunday, January 29th: 11:30 am- 4 pm
Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival
The Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & New Year’s Day Firecracker Ceremony was founded in 1999 to provide New york’s Chinese American community with a large scale celebration on par with those in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In recent years it has suppressed it, the event has grown into a New York City-wide affair and New York’s biggest winter tourist attraction, luring thousands of visitors from all over the United States and the world. With the dog parade 5 years ago and 4 years ago the Pig race, 2- colorful float, 20 antique cars, 200 cultural performers & 3000 marchers participating making the parade more exciting. Last year, a record 500,000 spectators flooded the streets of Chinatown to welcome the year of the Rabbit. A truly pan-Asian spectacle, the Parade features cultural performers and organizations from all across Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, Vietman, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Hispanic & American dancer, bands and cultural floats.
Details: The parade starts at 1 pm. The parade starts at Little Italy and goes through the main streets of Lower Manhattan/Chinatown (Mott, Canal, Bowery, Chatham Square, East Broadway, Eldridge, Hester, Forsyth & Grand St.) and ends at the Lower East Side on Grand St by Sara Roosevelt Park. Cultural Festival & Booth: Sara Roosevelt Park (Canal & Forsyth St) One block from major subway system, next to Manhattan Bridge, close by Brooklyn Bridge & Holland Tunnel and nearby all out of town buses, and surrounded by major market place.
Sunday, January 29th at 2:00pm
Hot Peas ‘N Butter at Brooklyn College’s Performance Arts Center
Things are about to get HOT! The children’s musical group Hot Peas ‘N Butter, combines an interactive and invigorating approach to performance with multicultural music, blending jazz, R&B, folk, rock, and Afro-Carribean tunes that’ll have the little ones dancing in the aisles. Oh, and you may want to dance as well. Fun, right?
Details: 2900 Campus Road. All ages welcomed. Tickets: $7.00. Contact 718.951.4500 or visit the website for more information.
Sunday, January 29th from 12- 3 pm
Camp Fair Tour
New York Family Magazine and the American Camp Association, New York & New Jersey are teaming up for their winter Camp Fair Tour. This free resource allows parents and campers to meet dozens of different camp directors from local day camps and sleepaway camps from across the region. Great for children ages 3 to 17.
Details: Register and attend the fair to win Theatre Tickets, NJ Nets Tickets or a Raleigh Bike! Please visit www.newyorkfamilycamps.com for pre-registration and more information. Fair takes place at Brooklyn Union Temple 17 Eastern Pkwy between Plaza St. E. and Underhill Ave.
Sunday, January 29th beginning at 12pm
Brooklyn Lunar New Year Parade
Head to Sunset Park and celebrate all that is awesome about Chinese New Year. Sponsored by the Brooklyn-Chinese American Association, this parade will be an unforgettable one filled with appearances from community luminaries and cultural performances. The possession will end at 61st Street and Eight Avenue.
Details: Begins at 8th Avenue and 50th Street. FREE for all.
Sunday, January 29th from 6:00pm — 9:00pm
Family Bingo Night at The Moxie Spot
What a lovely way to end the weekend! Eat, drink, play, and win big! (Well, hopefully.) There will be little prizes for the little kids, who, by the way, can eat for FREE with the purchase of any dinner entree or dinner special. Yum!
Details: 81 Atlantic Avenue. Ages 4 and up. Contact 718.923.9710 or visit the website for more information.
Sunday, January 29th at 11am
Baby Stories and Singalongs at Greenlight Bookstore
Babies and toddlers under 3 years old will be highly entertained with stories, songs, and interactive play as the children’s performers Miss Nina, Jon Samson, and Vered take turns keeping them busy.
Details: Geared toward ages 3 years and under. Open to public, but on a first come, first served basis. 686 Fulton Street (at South Portland). http://greenlightbookstore.com/storytime