Leave the iPads at home. Playtime at The Palace, the hit series of live performances geared toward children and families, returns to The Palace Theatre in Stamford on Sunday, January 26! The fun-filled season of puppeteers, bubble-makers, magicians and musicians features seven shows to entertain and delight even the youngest theatergoers.
Playtime at The Palace runs select Sundays at 3:00 p.m. through April 5!
Here’s the line up!
Sunday, January 26 – Amazing Max at 12:30 p.m. & 3 p.m.
Max Darwin earned the moniker “The Amazing Max“ for his extraordinary skills as a magician and also for his ability to entertain adult audiences while keeping the little ones spellbound.
Max combines magic and comedy, making objects appear and disappear and generally defying the laws of physics inches from theatergoer’s faces. This high-energy, interactive and all-around silly show is appropriate for audiences of all ages (recommended 3 & up).
The Amazing Max, is a perfect way to spend time with the entire family!
Sunday, February 9 – Flip Flop Circus at 3 p.m.
Comedy merges with imagination in the innovative new show featuring Liz Bolick and Therese Schorn. Brining slapstick, physical comedy, stunning visuals, wild costumes, original puppets, and comic antics all together.
With classic vaudeville style and the worldwide language of clowns, Liz and Therese create hilarious family entertainment. Perfect for festivals, theaters, corporate or family events, this show also plays beautifully to special needs audiences.
Sunday, February 16 – Mr. Fish at 3 p.m.
Gravity, the center of gravity, centripetal and centrifugal force, sound waves, air pressure and flight are demonstrated and explained in this fast paced and funny show. Lots of audience participation.
Sunday, March 1 – Bossy Frog at 3 p.m.
The Bossy Frog Band thrill young audiences with their 100% interactive, over-the-top, banjo-driven, costume-character-dancing musical performance. Their show has been enjoyed by over 100,000 children and families and their latest recording, “15 Songs Every Kid Should Know (and will LOVE!),” is a Parents’ Choice Award winning album!
Led by certified music therapist and NY State licensed creative arts therapist, Jeffrey Friedberg MT-BC, LCAT, The Bossy Frog Band is guaranteed to get all the kids (and adults) moving to & singing along with their music. Jeffrey developed the “Bossy Frog” concept in order to inspire children to learn as they learn best – through experiential activities and movement.
The Bossy Frog Band includes Jeffrey on lead vocals, banjo and guitar, Alice the hula hooping fiddler, Joe on bass and costume characters Bossy Frog, Monkey and Crabby. The Bossy Frog Band is based out of Nyack, NY.
The Bossy Frog Band started in 1999 with the release of the album, “The Bossy Frog”, winner of “Best Album for Young Children” by the Children’s Music Web. Since then they have recorded 7 albums of music for children. In addition, Jeffrey has recorded “Be A Friend: 16 songs to for building social skills”, co-written with Jed Baker Ph.D. They perform over 150 shows per year and have performed for over 100,000 children and families.
Sunday, March 15 – Magic & Beyond at 3 p.m.
Highlights from the “Magic & Beyond” performance may include hilarious stunts of apparent mindreading, an incredible illusion where a table mysteriously floats around the stage and out into the audience, “dangerous” stunts, a beautiful and artistic illusion involving ordinary Hula Hoops that perform extraordinary magic and a hilarious Houdini-style “Escape Challenge.” David Garrity uses visual magic and illusions combined with music, pantomime, situation comedy and audience participation to entertain audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
David performs over 400 shows annually around the U.S.A. and internationally. David’s show has been seen at theaters, theme parks, colleges, fairs, corporate functions and countless other events. Recently, David’s show “Magic & Beyond” has been seen at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, NJ; the National Theater in Washington, DC; Silja Cruise Lines in Sweden; and a tour of exclusive all-inclusive resorts along the Yucatan Peninsula on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico.
Sunday, March 29 – Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers at 3 p.m.
Little Chucky heads to the Wild West to outwit outlaws in this cowboy adventure! With a fistful of bananas, Chucky rides into town on his trusty goat for a showdown with Big Bad Bart and his gang of bandits. (*please note that there are no guns in the show).
“The Legend of the Banana Kid” features 20 of our hand-crafted glove, mouth and rod puppets, and a slew of flying and twirling styrofoam bananas.
Sunday, April 5 – Tanglewood Marionettes at 3 p.m.
Set in the eighteenth century and featuring a dozen lavishly costumed 30” marionettes, this production of Cinderella is a Tanglewood Marionettes showpiece. The story unfolds as the pages of a giant book open to reveal each beautifully painted setting – the village square, the rustic kitchen, the magnificent ballroom, plus many more. All your favorite characters are here, from gentle Cinderella to the bumptious stepsisters and the charming Prince, and each marionette is manipulated with precision and grace by our talented puppeteers.
Our telling is based on the original beloved tale, but we do offer a few new surprises: Cinderella’s method of conveyance to the ball is NOT the traditional horse-drawn coach, and, when all hope seems lost, a clever little bluebird saves the day for Cinderella. A classic fairy tale told with wit and style, Tanglewood Marionettes’ production of Cinderella is sure to please audiences of all ages.
Individual tickets for Playtime at the Palace are $12.50 plus a $2.50 facilities and handling fee.
The Palace Theatre is located at 61 Atlantic Street in Stamford, CT. Tickets for all performances may be purchased on palacestamford.org or by calling the box office at (203) 325-4466. For the latest news and updates, follow @ThePalaceTheatreStamford on Facebook and @PalaceStamford on Twitter.
This post is sponsored by The Palace Theatre