At Merkin Concert Hall, children are invited to explore their musical passions and strengthen their experience of theatre. Ann Brasco  

Theatre matters. 

Theatre expands our experiences. In a current kiddy culture riddled with on-demand cartoon movies, competitive extracurricular sports, and weekend trips to converted warehouse jumpy places, theatre offers something beyond the perimeters of our padded cultural bumper lanes. 

Theatre offers connection. It is in the packed but still theaters that rows and rows of folks of all ages, from different families, of varying places, and from a range of life experiences can sit together in one space for a common experience.

Theatre carves out space. In an era where we most often find ourselves talking on a smartphone while starring down into a laptop connected to our wifi tuned into to our iTunes, the theatre is where we unplug. It is one of the last sacred places. The pressures of the outside world is momentarily not allowed to permeate through its electronic membrane. 

Theatre gifts us perspective. For a moment in time, we step inside someone else’s thoughts. We pause to enter into the space of another’s feelings. We see through their eyes. This is empathy in the raw, concentrated, unprocessed version. Often, it is like watching two sides of an argument set to poetry. At the intersection of passion and perspective, the magical space of theatre lies. It is life set to song. This is the power of perspective.

The gifts theatre has to offer can be claimed at an early age. At Merkin Concert Hall in the Kaufman Music Center in New York, children are invited to explore their musical passions and strengthen their experience of theatre.

The experience is aptly entitled the Broadway Playhouse. It is their go-to series for NYC’s youngest theater fans, introducing children age 4-11 to classic Broadway musicals. These performances center upon the work of a composer and include songs, stories, sing-alongs and mini-musicals. Children learn about what a musical is and are offered information about the composers and their work. Some children are invited to join the cast in sing-alongs. Fun abounds for the entire family.

The Broadway Playhouse is hosted by Sean Hartley, Broadway Playhouse features music director Scott Ethier and stars Jason Gobahis Robinson, Martin Landry, Kathryn Markey and Gabrielle Stravelli.

Here are their next two events:

Sun, Feb 12, 11 am
Broadway Playhouse: Harold Arlen
The Wizard of Oz composer Harold Arlen wrote some of the greatest hits from the 1930s and 40s, including “Over the Rainbow,” “Get Happy” and “Stormy Weather,” during a long career that spanned both Hollywood and Broadway. Together with lyricists like Johnny Mercer, Yip Harburg and Ira Gershwin, Arlen wrote some of the classics of the American Songbook, teaching generations how to “Accentuate the Positive” and sing the “Blues in the Night.” Some kids will be invited on stage to play games and join the performance as Munchkins.

Sun, Mar 5, 11 am
Broadway Playhouse: Alan Menken
A whole generation of children has grown up singing Alan Menken’s songs from beloved musicals and films including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pocahontas. His music has captured the imagination of millions and won him eight Academy Awards, eleven Grammys and a Tony Award. Families are invited to “Be Our Guest” at Merkin Concert Hall, where kids will discover a “Whole New World” with beloved characters. Some children will be invited on stage to join the cast and play characters from Beauty and the Beast.

Performances center upon the work of a composer and include songs, stories, sing-alongs and mini-musicals.Ann Brasco  

Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center is conveniently located at 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023.

A 2-concert flex subscription is offered at $35 per ticket. A single ticket is $20 per ticket.

Tickets to this family-friendly, interactive musical experience are conveniently available both by phone and online. To obtain more information or to purchase tickets for the Broadway Playhouse, call 212 501 3330 or visit their website at kaufmanMusicCenter.org/MCH. 

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