Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead
Pity the poor departed. They’ll be everywhere this weekend — as ghosts, zombies, mummies and other unlovable beings. Doesn’t anyone care that the deceased used to be, well, people?
The indigenous inhabitants of Mexico and Central America did. They began Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, a holiday now enjoyed in many Latin communities in the United States.
“The timing is the same, but it has nothing to do with Halloween,” said Shawn Termin, cultural arts manager for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, which will honor the occasion at both its Lower Manhattan and Washington branches this weekend. “It’s a celebration of your ancestors in a very traditional way. It’s a joyous time.”
The joy comes on Saturday in Manhattan, where the free celebration will center on a large ofrenda, or altar, where families place mementos of dead loved ones. The spirits of the deceased are said to rejoin their relatives at this time, and the altar welcomes them with treasured objects, flowers (especially marigolds) and even treats like a special bread. (Apparently, traveling from the afterlife can cause you to work up an appetite.)
Ms. Termin said the museum was encouraging visitors to make their own contributions to the altar. “This year, we have a table with pieces of paper in frames, where people can write notes to those they’ve lost,” she said.Continue reading the main story
But expect dancing, not grieving. The troupe Cetiliztli Nauhcampa Quetzalcoátl in Ixachitlán (the Group of the Four Directions on the East of the Continent) will conduct traditional music and dance processions twice during the festivities. Some of the performers may be decked out as skeletons, but that’s just part of the fun. Bones, in fact, appear everywhere as decorations during the Day of the Dead, but they tend to be comical, and even sweet. (Calaveras, or sugar skulls, are popular.)
Skeletons will be a dominant motif at museum craft workshops, too, where children can paint and embellish plaster versions and create pendants from foil skulls, left. They can also make paper flowers and decorate skull masks.
These come in handy during the processions, when young visitors can bring their masks and join in the dancing. It may be the Day of the Dead, but, Ms. Termin emphasized, it’s “a lively event.”
(Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., George Gustav Heye Center, 1 Bowling Green, 212-514-3700, americanindian.si.edu.)
‘Alice in Wonderland’(Saturday and Sunday) Literally Alive Theater, which adapts books into children’s productions, has followed the White Rabbit to Greenwich Village, where it has revived this musical — using video projections and over 30 instruments — based on Alice’s adventures. Written by Michael Sgouros and Brenda Bell, the show is preceded by a workshop in which young theatergoers learn about Lewis Carroll’s work and make a story-related craft to take home. (Through Nov. 8.) Saturday at 11 a.m..; Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; workshop one hour before the performance. Players Theater, 115 Macdougal Street, at Minetta Lane, 212-352-3101, literallyalive.com.
‘Archaeology Zone: Discovering Treasures From Playgrounds to Palaces’(Continuing) 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 Middle Eastern 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, for ages 3 to 10, also includes a recreated room from the Ottoman period (around 1900) where young archaeologists can dress in costume and portray early-20th-century immigrants to Palestine. 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org.
Ascarium Weekend(Saturday and Sunday) No, that’s not a typographical error. The New York Aquarium is calling itself the Ascarium for this celebration, which focuses on ocean spookiness, often neglected in typical Halloween festivities. Attractions, which will emphasize how scientists solve the puzzles of undersea life, will include the “Marine Mystery and Mischief Magic Show”; the Wildlife Theater’s “Under Sea Mysteries”; and Marine Animal Mystery and Mischief Stations. The fun will also include crafts, trick-or-treat stations and a Halloween theme for the daily sea lion shows. From 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Surf Avenue and West Eighth Street, Coney Island, Brooklyn, 718-265-3474, nyaquarium.com.
Asphalt Screams!(Friday) With its emphasis on candy, Halloween doesn’t qualify as the healthiest of holidays. But Asphalt Green, the sports and fitness nonprofit, tries to celebrate the occasion with energy instead of excess. At both its Upper East Side and Lower Manhattan locations, the organization will host Asphalt Screams!, a free Halloween party with fitness activities like sports games, a spooktacular soccer shootout and a haunted maze. Young guests are encouraged to come in costume, and the first 500 will receive gift bags. From 4 to 6 p.m., 555 East 90th Street, Manhattan, and 212 North End Avenue, at Murray Street, Battery Park City; asphaltgreen.org/screams. An online R.S.V.P. is advised.
Boo at the Zoos(Saturday and Sunday) The Queens Zoo is now joining the Bronx Zoo in helping visitors celebrate the wilder side of Halloween. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., this zoo in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will offer spooky crafts; treat-filled Halloween pumpkins for the pumas (1 p.m.) and the Andean bears (2:30 p.m.); a haunted habitat; spooky animal presentations involving snakes and other creatures; and trick-or-treat stations, among other attractions. (Costumed children 12 and under get free admission.) In the Bronx, where the theme is “Mystery and Mischief,” the schedule, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes animal-theme magic shows; a hay maze; creature mystery stations; an Extinct Animal Graveyard; the Jack-O’-Lantern Illumination, a walk filled with creatures carved from pumpkins; and a twice-daily costume parade. Queens Zoo, 53-51 111th Street, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, 718-271-1500, queenszoo.com. Bronx Zoo, Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Road, Fordham, 718-367-1010, bronxzoo.com.
‘Brooklyn Sewers: What’s Up Down There?’(Through May 29) When it comes to subterranean infrastructure projects, New York City’s subway system seems to get all the attention. But a group of teenage curators at the Brooklyn Historical Society would like to introduce you to another underground marvel: Brooklyn’s sewer system, one of the city’s oldest and most extensive infrastructure projects. This exhibition explores engineering conundrums and courtroom battles and tells the story of the sewer system through photographs, drawings and maps. 128 Pierrepont Street, near Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights, 718-222-4111, brooklynhistory.org.
‘Connected Worlds’(continuing) Human choices and actions have an impact on the world’s ecosystems, but people usually can’t see the effects as they happen. That isn’t true in this new permanent exhibition in the renovated Great Hall of the New York Hall of Science. Consisting of huge screens (one is 38 feet tall), the show depicts six interconnected environments with a shared water supply. With the help of technology that responds to gestures, “Connected Worlds” allows children to use simple motions to plant, harvest, cut trees, create clouds and make other changes in the projected landscapes — and see how the native flora and fauna fare. 47-01 111th Street, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, 718-699-0005, nysci.org.
‘Cooking With Frida’(Saturday and Sunday) The New York Botanical Garden is honoring the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) in its exhibition “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life,” which closes this weekend, and it offers programs to introduce its youngest visitors to this famous Latina. In this one, at the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, children can explore the raw ingredients of Mexican cuisine and enjoy cooking demonstrations inspired by Kahlo’s entertaining. This weekend, the Howell garden will also offer “Dig! Plant! Grow!: Goodnight, Garden!,” a program from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. that will focus on getting the place ready for winter. Children will rake leaves, bury bulbs and learn how to save seeds. It is Día de los Muertos Weekend on the grounds, too, celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead. Highlights include a huge procession with skeletons and puppets (noon to 4 p.m.) and a giant pumpkin display. “Cooking With Frida” workshops are on Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m., Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road, the Bronx, 718-817-8700, nybg.org.
‘Fashion Academy, the Musical’(Saturday) Vital Theater Company’s latest show for children over 7, closing on Saturday, focuses on a middle-schooler, MacKenzie Williams, known as Mickey. When her colorful and completely original style doesn’t go over well at her new school, Fashion Academy of Brooklyn, she decides to make over not only her wardrobe, but also herself. Based on the book “Fashion Academy,” by the mother-daughter team of Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk, this adaptation, by the elder Ms. Berk and Sabrina Chap, asks whether Mickey’s new persona, Kenzie, is really worth the sacrifice. At 3:30 p.m., Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, 10 West 64th Street, Manhattan, 212-579-0528, vitaltheatre.org.
‘Flight School, the Musical’(Saturday) If you want to fly, and you’re a bird, you should be all set, right? Well, not if you happen to be a penguin. That’s the challenge confronting the little hero of this new musical from Vital Theater Company, adapted from “Flight School,” a picture book by Lita Judge. With a script by Cara Lustik, lyrics by Joshua H. Cohen and a score by David Mallamud, the show, closing on Saturday and recommended for ages 2 through 7, chronicles Penguin’s determination to remove the technical obstacles between him and the sky. At 1 p.m., Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, 10 West 64th Street, Manhattan, 212-579-0528, vitaltheatre.org.
‘Frolic!’ at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan(Through Dec. 31) You’re never too young to rock — and this space proves it. A new pop-up installation at the museum, “Frolic!” uses rock music and a themed décor to stimulate sensory play and learning in visitors ages 5 and under. In addition to a stage, a pretend ticket booth and ’70s-style props — including a Volkswagen mini-van to climb into — the 1,500-square-foot area has programs of workshops and live performances to help little ones get into the groove. The Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, 212-721-1223, cmom.org.
‘The Gazillion Bubble Show: The Next Generation’(Friday through Sunday) Children love bubbles, and this interactive show promises not just a gazillion but also some of the largest ever blown, along with light effects and lasers. The stars are the members of the Yang family: Fan and Ana Yang and their son Deni and others, who rotate as M.C.s for the production. Audience members may even find themselves in bubbles of their own. (The run is open-ended.) Fridays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 and 4:30 p.m.; Sundays at noon and 3 p.m.; 340 West 50th Street, Clinton, 212-239-6200, gazillionbubbleshow.com.
‘Goodnight Moon’ and ‘The Runaway Bunny’(Sunday) You could say that the Big Red Chair is meeting the great green room: The Big Red Chair, the family series at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University, is presenting theatrical adaptations of two classic children’s books by Margaret Wise Brown, one of which is set in a great green room. That’s “Goodnight Moon,” Brown’s sweet, low-key bedtime story that gathers all surrounding objects in its embrace. The other, ”The Runaway Bunny,” deals playfully with the mother-child bond. Recommended for ages 2 through 5, the show, from the Mermaid Theater of Nova Scotia, features the company’s signature huge puppets. At 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., 566 La Guardia Place, at Washington Square South, Greenwich Village, 212-992-8484, nyuskirball.org.
Halloween Celebration at the American Museum of Natural History(Saturday) This is a real “night at the museum” — or at least an afternoon. The American Museum of Natural History will open its halls to young trick-or-treaters for Halloween crafts; live performances (including the Big Nazo Intergalactic Creature Band, Louie Miranda and his band, and David Grover and his Grover’s Gang); costumed characters like Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog; and, of course, goodies. From 2 to 5 p.m., Central Park West and 79th Street, 212-769-5200, amnh.org.
‘Halloween: Spooky City’ and ‘Halloween Grab Bag’ (Friday and Saturday) New York can be scary even when it’s not Halloween, and these celebrations will highlight its more ghostly aspects at a place that knows them well: the Museum of the City of New York. During “Spooky City,” on Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m., children will be invited on a scavenger hunt in which they’ll hear Halloween stories throughout the museum and take home treats that originated in New York. They can also make masks (or come in costume) and decorate pumpkins using the museum shows as inspiration. (Registration is encouraged but not required.) On Saturday, from noon to 2 p.m., “Halloween Grab Bag” will include the scavenger hunt, as well as an opportunity to design personalized tote bags for trick or treating. Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, 212-534-1672, mcny.org/families.
‘Hansel and Gretel’s Halloween Adventure’(Friday and Saturday) This pair already know how to deal with a witch, and they have encounters with many more fantastical creatures in this puppet musical at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater. Geared to ages 3 through 9 (and appropriately tame), the show is a sequel to the theater’s original “Hansel and Gretel,” introducing characters like mermaids, cute monsters, charming vampires and valiant pirates. Friday at 10:30 a.m. and noon; Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 and 2:30 p.m. At 79th Street and the West Drive, Central Park, 212-988-9093, cityparksfoundation.org/arts. Reservations required. (The noon show on Friday is sold out.)
‘The Hunger Games: The Exhibition’(Through Jan. 3) What enterprising 12- or 13-year-old wouldn’t like to foment a little rebellion? Such a visitor can do so vicariously at this attraction at Discovery Times Square, stepping into the role of Katniss Everdeen, the teenage heroine of “The Hunger Games” and the ultimate leader of the resistance against her nation’s totalitarian government. Based on the Lionsgate film adaptations of Suzanne Collins’s novels, the show includes costumes and artifacts from the movies, as well as re-creations of Katniss’s journey and interactive, role-playing elements like a gamesmaker’s table and a chance to learn and practice stunt choreography. 226 West 44th Street, Manhattan, 866-987-9692, discoverytsx.com, thehungergamesexhibition.com.
‘If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home’(Through Jan. 17) Maps present facts, but they can also engage the imagination. This new exhibition at the Children’s Museum of the Arts explores the intersection of cartography and art, showing work that expands upon, redefines or simply refers to maps. Among the eight artists represented are Matthew Cusik, who makes collages from map fragments; Joyce Kosloff, who layers images and textured paint onto maps; Loren Munk, who adds plaques of color and information to street maps; and Nikki Rosato, who subtracts from maps, cutting away all but roads and rivers. In the museum’s Cynthia C. Wainwright Gallery, 103 Charlton Street, between Hudson and Greenwich Streets, South Village, 212-274-0986, cmany.org.
An Irish Halloween/Oiche Shamhna: ‘The Banshee’s Sound Garden’(Saturday) Forget about moaning and rattling chains. No supernatural being makes a scarier noise than the Irish banshee, a howling wraith whose wails foretell death. The connotations promise to be much more pleasant, however, at this event at the Irish Arts Center, where the banshee will inspire a children’s celebration of sound. Young visitors can enjoy an instrument-making workshop, a concert with the music educators Stomp and Shout, an interactive sound installation and Banshee face painting and dress-up. It’s all part of “Oiche Shamhna” (pronounced EE-huh HOW-nuh) — “Happy Halloween” in Irish. From noon to 4 p.m., 553 West 51st Street, Clinton, 866-811-4111, irishartscenter.org/kids.htm.
Jazz for Kids(Sunday) Every Sunday during most of the school year, Jazz Standard presents not just jazz for kids, but also jazz by kids: The featured players at its Sunday brunches are the members of the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra, a group of talented young people ages 11 to 18. In this free series (donations are requested for the Jazz Standard Discovery Program, an initiative that brings musical performances to city schools), beginning its 14th season this weekend, the musicians play new arrangements of big-band classics while listeners enjoy barbecue offerings purchased from a menu that includes children’s fare. (Through mid-May.) Doors open at 1 p.m.; shows are from 2 to 3 p.m.; 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, 212-576-2232, discoverjazz.org/upcoming.
‘Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean’(Friday through Thursday) Ever encounter a goby or a blenny? How about a Christmas tree worm? These small marine species, often unnoticed and uncelebrated, are among the stars of this new Imax movie at the American Museum of Natural History. Filmed by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, and Holly Lohuis, a marine biologist, the film captures 30 species that are among the tiniest to inhabit the seas. (Through Jan. 10.) Hourly from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with 2-D screenings at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; all other screenings are 3-D. Central Park West and 79th Street, 212-769-5200, amnh.org.
‘LARD: Life’s a Real Dream’(Saturday) This show about LARD, the concept, has nothing to do with lard, the substance. An acronym for “Life’s a Real Dream,” “LARD” is the title of a rollicking musical production starring Lard Dog, who also happens not to be a dog. The alter ego of the multimedia artist Steven Erdman, Lard is a gregarious out-of-this-world character who has flown in from the planet Belopio on a giant pretzel. He and his Band of Shy perform this hourlong entertainment, which includes cartoon graphics and a pretzel toss. (Through Jan. 2.) Saturdays at 11 a.m., 13th Street Repertory Theater, 50 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village, houseoflard.com.
LC Trick-or-Treat: ‘Monsters and Music’(Saturday) You can always count on Lincoln Center for music, and this weekend it will welcome monsters, too, as children are invited to trick-or-treat around the campus and take part in Halloween activities. The free events, part of the newly expanded LC Kids program, will include a noon costume parade around the Revson Fountain. At 1 p.m., in the David Rubenstein Atrium, Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets, visitors ages 3 to 6 can enjoy a reading of the new picture book “The Little Shop of Monsters,” by R.L. Stine and Marc Brown, who will discuss and sign their work. (Seating is limited; tickets, first come first served, can be picked up at the atrium’s Broadway entrance, starting at 11 a.m.) Also at 1 p.m., older children can experience the thrills of the 1931 classic “Frankenstein,” at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater, 144 West 65th Street. What do you mean, who’s Boris Karloff? (Tickets will be available starting at noon, first come first served.) Festivities start at 11 a.m., kids.lincolncenter.org.
‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’(Saturday) If the children of the Pevensie family could travel to the magical land of Narnia through something as simple as a wardrobe, why shouldn’t two hard-working actors be able to play them and all the characters found there? That’s what Chris Boerner and Erin Layton are attempting in the Off Broadway Family Theater’s first production, le Clanché du Rand’s adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s classic novel. (The run is open-ended and continues on Saturdays.) At 11 a.m., St. Luke’s Theater, 308 West 46th Street, Clinton, 212-239-6200, narniaoffbroadway.com.
‘Monster Gras’ With Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards(Saturday) Mardi Gras has a certain Halloween-like spirit, so why not combine the two? That’s what Ashli Christoval, a.k.a. Jazzy Ash, has planned for this concert, part of the Just Kidding series at Symphony Space. Ms. Christoval and her New Orleans-style band, the Leaping Lizards, will celebrate their new album, “Bon Voyage,” with an hourlong set of jazzed-up Halloween-theme songs. They invite young listeners to arrive in costume. At 11 a.m., Lenoard Nimoy Thalia Theater, Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street, 212-864-5400, symphonyspace.org.
Music in Motion(Saturday) That motion is the gentle rocking of a boat for this series of family neighborhood concerts presented by Bargemusic, the floating barge at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. As always, the material — announced just before the performance — is chamber music, but these programs differ in important ways from the regular Bargemusic fare: With unreserved seating, they last only an hour, include a post-show question-and-answer session with the musicians and are free. (Through Nov. 28.) At 4 p.m. (doors open at 3:45), Fulton Ferry Landing, next to the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, 800-838-3006, bargemusic.org.
‘NYC & Me: A Little Bite of the Big Apple’(Through Jan. 18) There’s one place where little citizens can safely run loose on the streets of New York: the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. This new interactive 3,000-square-foot gallery is a city microcosm for small visitors, allowing them to pretend to be taxi drivers, bus drivers, construction workers, street performers and, most impressively, the mayor. Activities include directing traffic, erecting a skyscraper, “ice skating” in their socks and investigating urban tales on the steps of the New York Public Library. The Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, 212-721-1223, cmom.org.
Obake Family Day: ‘Experience Japan’s Ghosts and Goblins’(Sunday) Imagine a lost umbrella that becomes vengeful and goes after its careless owner. Or a monster called the bathtub licker, which you’d rather not have cleaning your bathroom. These are just some of the weird characters to be found among Japanese obake (pronounced oh-BAH-kay), or shape-shifters, and yokai (yoke-EYE), or spirits and monsters. Japan Society will celebrate them all in this second annual festival, whose centerpiece is a haunted circus tent, where Charan-Po-Rantan, a Japanese pop sister act, will perform two concerts, and where children can explore a creature-infested maze, hear Japanese ghost stories and play spooky games. Other activities include making monster masks and going on an obake scavenger hunt. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 333 East 47th Street, Manhattan, 212-715-1258, japansociety.org.
‘Rock or Treat’(Saturday) You’re heard of rocking around the clock — this Halloween show is all about rocking around the world. Developed by Funikijam, an organization devoted to early-childhood entertainment and education, “Rock or Treat” offers high-energy tunes and movement that are globally inspired for ages 3 through 10. The interactive 45-minute musical, closing this weekend, is not frightening, despite its location — Times Scare — and encourages children to come dressed for the holiday and to participate in a costume parade. (Through Oct. 31.) Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Cabaret Theater, Times Scare, 669 Eighth Avenue, near 43rd Street, funikijam.com.
‘Skeletons … A Day of the Dead Bedtime Story’(Saturday and Sunday) According to Mexican tradition, the spirits of deceased loved ones are revived on the Day of the Dead, a holiday that is joyous rather than ghoulish. In this production from Teatro SEA, the Latino children’s theater, Jimmy is in mourning for his grandfather, who actually comes back to life for one night. Written by Richard Marino, the company’s managing director, “Skeletons,” which closes this weekend, portrays the comical adventures that result when Grandpa and other departed relatives try to help Jimmy get on with his life. At 3 p.m., Los Kabayitos Puppet and Children’s Theater, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk Street, at Rivington Street, Lower East Side, 212-529-1545, teatrosea.org.
‘Sleepy Hollow’(Friday and Sunday) Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman are off and riding again in this musical revival from Be Bold! Productions. Inspired by Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and recommended for theatergoers older than 9, this show, by Michael Sgouros and Brenda Bell, focuses on the love triangle and the mystery inherent in Irving’s tale. It also explores a darkness beyond the story’s fearsome woods: that of the human heart. Friday at 7 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.; Players Theater, 115 Macdougal Street, at Minetta Lane, Greenwich Village, 866-811-4111, hollowthemusical.com.
Superheroes/Supernatural Halloween Bash(Friday) The New York Historical Society is renaming itself the New York Haunted Society for this evening of Halloween revelry, which centers on the museum’s new exhibition, “Superheroes in Gotham.” Children will be able to make their own scary superheroes, have their superhero fortunes told and test their knowledge of supervillains. Other activities include creating a “graveyard goop” dessert and making silhouette trick-or-treat bags. A bonus: This day the society is also opening its annual show “Holiday Express: Trains and Toys From the Jerni Collection,” an interactive display of antique playthings that recreates the golden era of toy trains. From 5 to 7 p.m., 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.
Tinkerbell Theater(Saturday and Sunday) Despite the title, don’t expect to see Peter Pan. This double bill at the Workshop Theater consists of “Cinderella” and “The Tinderbox,” presented in repertory by Frog and Peach Theater Company. Both adaptations are written and directed by Lynnea Benson, who has reimagined these classic tales: Cinderella plays Crazy Eights and discusses ornithology with the Prince, and “The Tinderbox,” about a soldier who wins a princess’s heart with the help of the object of the title, has as much humor as drama. Soft puppets play the villains in both pieces, which include songs by Ted Zurkowski and are followed by a puppet-making workshop; each theatergoer should bring an old sock, or parents can buy an optional puppet kit for $10. (Through Nov. 15.) “Cinderella” at noon; “The Tinderbox” at 1 p.m.; 312 West 36th Street, fourth floor, Manhattan, 212-868-4444, frogandpeachtheatre.org.
‘The Velveteen Rabbit’(Saturday and Sunday) There’s a long fictional tradition of toys wanting, or trying, to become real, but few such tales are more poignant than Margery Williams Bianco’s story “The Velveteen Rabbit,” in which a beloved stuffed animal undergoes a magical transformation. Atlantic for Kids, the children’s theater division of the Atlantic Theater Company, has produced this imaginative musical version, by Cormac Bluestone and Anya Saffir. Closing this weekend, the beautifully played work underscores that love can indeed hurt, but that to deny love is to be less than fully alive. At 10:30 a.m., Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street, Chelsea, 866-811-4111, atlantictheater.org.
‘A Voyage Through Jewish History’(Continuing) This journey involves not just miles, but years. In this permanent interactive exhibition at the Jewish Children’s Museum, young visitors can travel from Abraham and Sarah’s tent to the Western Wall in contemporary Jerusalem and beyond. Activities along the way include giving water to Rebecca’s camels, playing the strings on David’s harp (a high-tech version with beams of light that emit sounds when struck) and taking part in the exodus from Egypt. 792 Eastern Parkway, at Kingston Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, 718-907-8833, jcm.museum.Continue reading the main story