Live Entertainment on Local Stages this Spring

With the new season comes a whole new lineup of live entertainment. There are shows for all ages and interests — plays, puppet theatre, musicals, concerts, dance performances, and more to enjoy at venues around the area. Here’s what you and the kids can see on local stages this spring, listed in order of opening date.

Paper Dreams
Where: Imagination Stage
When: Through April 9
Tickets: $14
In a brand-new collaboration with Mons Dansa Dance Company Barcelona, Spain, we bring to life our first DANCE performance based show, perfect for ages 1-5 that explores the many facets of creativity. A fun, interactive production that tells the story of two delightful creatures who live inside a wastepaper basket. Can our greatest mistake actually turn out to be the next greatest innovative idea?

Ragtime
Where: Ford’s Theatre
When: Through May 20
Tickets: $18-64 (look for a discount)
Based on E.L. Doctorow’s celebrated novel, this epic Tony-winning musical depicts three families striving for the American dream at the turn of the 20th century. As the country balances on the cusp of social change, the lives of a wealthy white family, a daring Harlem musician and a determined Jewish immigrant intersect—and their fates are inextricably bound and profoundly changed. With an expansive musical score, striking relevancy and a who’s who of 20th-century historical characters, “Ragtime” confronts both the unbridled optimism and the stark reality of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

The Select (The Sun Also Rises) (KidFree Suggestion!)
Where: Lansburgh Theatre
When: Through April 2
Tickets: $44-113 (look for a discount)
A stage littered with liquor bottles and café chairs seamlessly transforms itself from the bistros of Paris to the banks of the Irati River; a long bar table roars to life and charges a champion matador; an out-of-control dance party takes off during a night of nonstop revelry. As the story winds its way through France and Spain and lands in Pamplona where bullfighting and the fiesta rage in the streets, Hemingway’s narrator carries the heavy burdens of a war injury and his inability to have the woman he loves; a woman whose amorous escapades he follows with bemused but painful fatalism.

Monica Becomes a Big Sister
Where: Discovery Theater
When: March 23
Tickets: $3-8
Monica can’t wait for the newest member of the family to arrive. But a broken leg sends her to the emergency room with her mom. In a musical medical adventure, Monica discovers that a hospital isn’t such a scary place—and that a baby brother might join you on the trip back home. Recommended for ages 3-7

To Sail Around the Sun
Where: Kennedy Center
When: March 25-26
Tickets: $20
Set to the timeless music of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, this imaginative world premiere co-commission between the NSO and Company | E uses dance, film, storytelling, and musicians to weave together stories about the changing of the seasons. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

Pike St. (KidFree Suggestion!)
Where: Woolly Mammoth
When: March 27 – April 23
Tickets: $39-49 (look for a discount)
On the Lower East Side, a mother works hard to keep the electricity flowing for her daughter’s respirator while a hurricane looms nearby. As she prepares for disaster, a vibrant host of characters—a decorated war veteran, her ne’er-do-well father, her octogenarian downstairs neighbor—bring new meaning to the phrase “it takes a village.”

Mother Earth & Me
Where: Discovery Theater
When: March 28-31
Tickets: $3-8
The magic of earth science takes center stage in this fun, interactive Discovery Theater original as we explore the origins of our planet, the water cycle, and our important role in the ecosystem, as well as folklore about the “big blue marble” we call home. Kick off Earth Month by pledging to become an Earth Warrior—and find out some great ways to start right away!

The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Where: The Puppet Co.
When: March 30 – April 30
Tickets: $12
A marionette romp in which three brothers get the goat of a hen-pecked troll, in their attempts to trip-trap-tromp to where the grass is greener. Three variety numbers precede the performance, demonstrating the making of a simple hand puppet, and manipulation of rod puppets and marionettes, as an introduction to the Art of Puppetry.

A Raisin in the Sun
Where: Arena Stage
When: March 31 – May 7
Tickets: $66-111
Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking masterpiece follows the Younger family yearning for a better life far from the cramped confines of their Chicago tenement. Hope arrives in the form of an unexpected financial windfall, but when they realize they have differing definitions of the American dream, which dreams get realized and which deferred? A Raisin in the Sun paints the African-American experience in brilliant and powerful strokes, as vibrant and vital today as they were in 1959.

Water on Mars
Where: BlackRock Center for the Arts
When: April 1-2
Tickets: $18-24
Water on Mars is virtuoso juggling gone wild. Take three monstrously skillful young jugglers, six hands and thousands of catches. Add flying chocolate and backflips, 400 rolls of tape and magnetic jump-ropes. Result: better than a roller coaster and as good as the 4th of July. When these three work together on a single project it´s like 3 Jackson Pollock´s sword fighting with paint covered brushes. Designed for spaceships and distant planets, Water on Mars is the future of juggling.

Saturday Family Jazz Sessions
Where: Strathmore
When: Several Saturdays in April, May, & June
Tickets: $10/advance, $12/at door
Junior jazz aficionados can spend Saturday mornings singing, playing, and preparing for a lifetime of music appreciation. Strathmore’s fun, creative, kid-friendly series features music by a different performer each session. These will take place during the spring April 1, April 22, May 6, May 20, June 3, and June 17.

Chicago
Where: Kennedy Center
When: April 4-16
Tickets: $50-159 (look for a discount)
With show-stopping numbers, astonishing dancing, and a healthy dose of razzle dazzle, Chicago is a heart-pounding spectacle of everything that makes Broadway great. Foxy Roxie Hart (portrayed by Grammy winner Brandy Norwood) and Velma Kelly bring down the house in this six-time Tony winner! Recommended for ages 13 and up.

Tot Rock: Alphabet Rockers – Hip Hop for Kids
Where: Discovery Theater
When: April 6-7
Tickets: $3-8
Alphabet Rockers is the “modern day De La Soul for the 21st century (all-natural) juice box crowd” (Cooper & Kid). This is an intergenerational dance party where the performers’ infectious energy and hip hop grooves get kids jumping and head nodders rocking out – all set to educational lyrics about complex cultural topics and learning goals. Alphabet Rockers make learning come alive through the beats, rhymes, moves and community of hip hop – and you will have confidence this is adding value to your community and life.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
Where: Adventure Theatre
When: April 7 – May 21
Tickets: $19.50
This is Aladdin as you’ve never seen it before. Aladdin and his love, the princess Adora, must outsmart an evil Magician who wants to use the genie in Aladdin’s lamp for his nefarious schemes! Will he get away with it? Get ready for love, magic, and mystery in this production for all ages.

Cuisine & Confessions
Where: Hylton Performing Arts Center at George Mason
When: April 8-9
Tickets: $30-50, half-price available for ages 12 and under
Dance, acrobatics, and a pinch of theatrics are the essential ingredients in this remarkable show that explores life in the family kitchen where lessons are learned, bonds are forged, and secrets are exchanged. Montreal-based group The 7 Fingers of the Hand interprets relationships and storytelling as they prepare a meal in a unique and playful way, getting right into the heart of the home, using circus acts and acrobatics to depict scenes of family meals and intimate moments. This acclaimed ensemble’s name is a twist on a French idiom, “the five fingers of the hand,” which describes distinct parts moving in coordination toward a common goal. In this case, there are seven artistic collaborators who achieve a common goal in creating an amazing production. The highly skilled artists, with their precisely timed stunts, provide the perfect recipe for an unforgettable theatrical event.

Smart People
Where: Arena Stage
When: April 14 – May 22
Tickets:
Do our belief systems stem from our environment, or are some prejudices hard-wired into us? With barbed wit, Lydia R. Diamond (Stick Fly) explores the unavoidable nature of cultural bias and other sticky subjects in the controversial and fiercely funny new play Smart People. Four intellectuals — a doctor, an actress, a psychologist, and a neurobiologist studying the human brain’s response to race — search for love, acceptance and identity in a complex world where political correctness comes face-to-face with cold hard data.

Fun Home (KidFree Suggestion!)
Where: National Theatre
When: April 18 – May 13
Tickets: $48-98 (look for a discount)
Every once in a while a Broadway musical comes along that surprises, moves and excites audiences in ways only a truly landmark musical can. The groundbreaking, life-affirming and exquisite new musical FUN HOME was the event of the Broadway season, receiving raves from critics and audiences alike, winning five 2015 Tony Awards including BEST MUSICAL and making history along the way. Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir, FUN HOME introduces us to Alison at three different ages as she explores and unravels the many mysteries of her childhood. A refreshingly honest musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes, FUN HOME is extraordinary, a rare beauty that pumps fresh air into Broadway. (New York Times)

Ecosystems Alive
Where: Discovery Theater
When: April 20-21
Tickets: $3-8
From tropical forests to tundras, deserts to wetlands, our planet’s ecosystems display a rich diversity. Be introduced to live reptiles from a variety of habitats and discover why healthy ecosystems are so important to all life. You might get to meet a boa constrictor, box turtle, bearded dragon, or other creatures from around the world. Recommended for ages 6-11.

In the Heights – En Español!
Where: Gala Hispanic Theatre
When: April 20 – May 21
Tickets: $40-60
New York’s Washington Heights is a vibrant community on the brink of change, where the biggest struggle can be which traditions you take with you and which you leave behind. With its gripping tale of hopes and dreams, this groundbreaking musical is the next chapter in the multicultural American story. Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Where: Strathmore
When: April 21
Tickets: $20-60
The world-renowned all-singing, all-plucking superstars return with their toe-tapping music, hilarious banter, and sheer superlative entertainment. Last year they celebrated “30 Plucking Years” of ukulele action, this year they will have been active for “One Billion Seconds.” See for yourself why the Ukes of GB (the original Ukulele Orchestra, the oldest and the best) and their entertaining, witty, shopping trolley dash through all genres of music has led to sold-out shows all over the world. Critics, trying to encapsulate the group’s indefinable magic and joy, have heralded the group as “the best musical entertainment.”

The Jungle Book
Where: Imagination Stage
When: April 22 – May 28
Tickets: $15-30
Mowgli is a human child brought up in the jungles of India by a family of wolves. The embittered tiger Shere Kahn may be stalking him, but Mowgli is a quick learner. His friends, Baloo the goofy bear, and Bagheera, the savvy Jaguar, teach him how to gain the trust of the four-footed hunters, the birds, and the snakes so that he will never be friendless. He falls into a bad crowd of silly monkeys who lead him astray and play a mean trick on him. How will Mowgli escape from the deep, dark well? And, how will he save himself when Shere Kahn turns the wolf pack against him? Kipling’s timeless classic deals with very timely issues in this lively new version. Mowgli learns to respect his environment and the wisdom of the animals. And he realizes that, as a grown man, it’s his responsibility to protect them. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

TreeHouse Shakers: Hatched
Where: BlackRock Center for the Arts
When: April 23, 2pm & 4pm
Tickets: $18
After an extraordinarily popular performance at BlackRock in 2014, the TreeHouse Shaker’s Hatched returns to BlackRock. With movement, music, handcrafted puppets, and very little human dialogue, this show is set on a family farm, a newborn chick emerges from her shell at sunrise to a strange and busy world. Audience members interact and play with the characters on stage; they give the chicks their feed, milk bottles to the lamb and are licked by the cow. A beautiful introduction to theater, Hatched will charm and engage babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Macbeth (KidFree Suggestion!)
Where: Sidney Harman Hall
When: April 25 – May 8
Tickets: $44-102 (look for a discount)
In a world beset by civil war and invasion, Macbeth and his artful lady begin a series of murders, plunging us into the darkest night of the soul. Storms rage, fires burn and night blankets the earth in this tale of sound and fury, accompanied by Shakespeare’s richest poetry.

Paper Dreams
Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center
When: April 27-30
Tickets: $6-10
Imagination Stage partners with Mons Dansa from Barcelona, Spain for a delightful movement performance. A fun, interactive production that tells the story of two delightful creatures who live inside a wastepaper basket. Can our greatest mistake actually turn out to be the next greatest innovative idea? Recommended for ages 1-5.

Saturday Morning at the National
Where: National Theatre
When: Most Saturdays
Tickets: FREE!
The free theatre program runs on select Saturdays with performances at 9:30am and 11:30am. Musicals, plays, storytelling, and comedy shows are all part of the live entertainment line-up. See the complete schedule of performances here. Tickets are distributed day of performances on a first-come, first-served basis. Everyone must be in line to receive a ticket.

Tot Rock
Where: Jammin’ Java
When: Ongoing
Tickets: $5/weekdays, $10/weekends
Tot Rock is Jammin’ Java’s super-popular kids music concert series, providing wholesome family entertainment at one of the DC Metro area’s finest music clubs. Local acts perform every Thursday and Friday, and touring performers drop by on many weekends. Check the calendar often to see when your favorite act is performing, and for other calendar updates.

Boogie Babes
Where: Eastern Market
When: Thursdays, 10:30am
Tickets: $5/child, free for sibling 6 months and under
Little ones can boogie along with their favorite local musicians at Eastern Market’s North Hall every Thursday morning. Go for the show, then grab lunch in the market or at one of many nearby eateries after.

Tiny Tots
Where: The Puppet Co.
When: Most Wednesdays, Saturdays, & Sundays at 10am
Tickets: $5
The series presents puppet shows designed for the youngest theater patrons (ages 0-4). They are shorter, the lights stay on, and the doors stay open. They have an arsenal of shows that they switch up every performance, so be sure to check the schedule to see what’s playing when you go.

Millennium Stage
Where: Kennedy Center
When: Ongoing daily, 6pm
Tickets: Free
The Kennedy Center presents these free, no-tickets-required performances every day at 6pm, and the public is welcome to enjoy them. The acts span the genres — you can see everything from contemporary dance to folk music to puppetry to comedy shows to opera scenes. Millennium Stage showcases everyone from local youth choirs to internationally known bands (They Might Be Giants performed there a few years ago). This is a great series to keep in mind for whenever you’re looking for some free, easy entertainment.

Shear Madness
Where: Kennedy Center
When: Ongoing
Tickets: $50-54 (look for a discount)
Set today in the Shear Madness hairstyling salon, this record-breaking comedy is Washington’s hilarious whodunit. After more than 13,000 performances, the show has stayed in great shape. Recommended for kids middle school ages and up.

Peppa Pig Live!
Where: Strathmore
When: May 3
Tickets: $29-59
Peppa Pig’s Big Splash is an action-packed live show featuring your favorite characters as life size puppets and costume characters! Come join Peppa, George, Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig and more in an all singing, all-dancing adventure full of songs, games and muddy puddles!

Cinderella
Where: The Puppet Co.
When: May 4 – June 11
Tickets: $12
The elegance of 17th-century France, combining elaborate costumes of the Comédie-Française and Offenbach’s “Gaiety Parisian” to adorn the tale of the cinder girl who captures the heart of the handsome prince. The production was acclaimed at the 1997 National Puppet Festival, and performed by invitation at the Center for Puppetry Arts, in Atlanta.

Jojo’s Puppy Adventure
Where: Discovery Theater
When: May 4-5
Tickets: $3-8
Jojo has always wanted a pet of his own. But when he discovers an injured puppy, he knows he must reunite it with its owner. Join Jojo on an interactive musical search to find the puppy’s home—and a happy ending for both of them. Recommended for ages 3-7.

Snow White
Where: Hylton Performing Arts Center
When: May 5
Tickets: $17-35
Virginia National Ballet’s Snow White is a charming, family friendly neo-classical ballet with hilarious appearances by the Seven Dwarfs, thrilling, bravura dancing from the Evil Queen, and gorgeous dancing by Snow White and the Prince, supported by students of Gainesville Ballet School as the adorable forest animals. Managing Director Elysabeth Muscat Hegab says that this will be Virginia National Ballet’s first “Fairy Tale” ballet with slapstick comedy, and the first time the company is including younger dancers in a performance. This production is perfect for all age groups, as the story is very easy to follow, the dancing and choreography are brilliant, and the gorgeous sets and costumes include four different scenic backdrops, original sets, and colorful costumes, on stage at the Hylton Performing Arts Cente

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Where: Synetic Theater
When: May 10 – June 11
Tickets: $20-60
Synetic’s visionary Founding Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili brings his mind-bending, cinematic style to Victor Hugo’s gothic, heartbreaking epic of inner beauty and undying loyalty. When the beguiling dancer Esmerelda captures the heart of the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo, his adoptive father, the priest Frollo, decides he wants her for himself – plunging all of Paris into a spiral of riots, revolution, and murder. This production will not have dialogue. Recommended for ages 13+ for violence.

Nearly Lear
Where: Kennedy Center
When: May 12-14
Tickets: $20
What if King Lear was told by his closest companion? In this one-woman tour-de-force, Susanna Hamnett plays the Fool–and every other character–to tell a very personal and poignant story borrowing from Shakespeare’s words. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Shakespeare for the Young: Midsummer Magic
Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center
When: May 17-21
Tickets: $6-10
Shakespeare’s delightful story of tricks and magic spells comes to life for the very young through puppets, movement and music. Recommended for ages 2-7.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: E.T. The Extraterrestrial In Concert
Where: Strathmore
When: May 18
Tickets: $35-92
Soar through the stars with Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece as you’ve never seen or heard it before! Jack Everly conducts John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score live as the classic film is projected on a giant HD screen. Bring the whole family to experience the magic of Elliott and his friend from far, far away.

Titus
Where: Kennedy Center
When: May 20-21
Tickets: $20
Young Titus is in a situation that seems hopeless… he can either give up or fight. This exciting and challenging journey examines the obstacles faced by young people in our modern world and how we learn to find courage within ourselves as we confront those obstacles. Recommended for ages 13 and up.

Mouth Open, Story Jump Out
Where: Kennedy Center
When: May 20-28
Tickets: $20
Don’t miss a one-man show from Polarbear, one of the UK’s most exciting spoken-word artists. International assassins, secret codes, dog-eating boa constrictors, and more come to life when a boy tries to make sense of his father’s disappearance. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

NSO Family Concert: Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood
Where: Kennedy Center
When: May 21
Tickets: $20
Critically acclaimed Brooklyn-based production company Giants Are Small offers an invigorating new perspective on Prokofiev’s classic, with a narrator and the musicians of the NSO creating all of the sound effects on stage. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

Under the Baobab Tree with Iya
Where: Discovery Theater
When: May 4-5
Tickets: $3-8
Gather beneath the iconic tree of life as master educator Iya Bashea Imana shares captivating folktales. Music and movement, puppets, and eco-friendly crafts combine with timeless stories that offer an introduction to African traditions and wisdom. Recommended for ages 3-7

The Secret Garden
Where: Fauquier Community Theatre
When: May 5-21
Tickets: $18/adults, $16/ages 3-18
This enchanting classic of children’s literature is reimagined in brilliant musical style by composer Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of ‘Night Mother. Orphaned in India, 11 year-old Mary Lennox returns to Yorkshire to live with her embittered, reclusive uncle Archibald and his invalid son Colin. The estate’s many wonders include a magic garden which beckons the children with haunting melodies and the “Dreamers”, spirits from Mary’s past who guide her through her new life, dramatizing The Secret Garden‘s compelling tale of forgiveness and renewal.

Hip Hop Culture: /peh-LO-tah/
Where: Kennedy Center
When: June 9-11
Tickets: $20
Marc Bamuthi Joseph explores soccer by layering poetry, movement, visuals, and music into a fresh theatrical form based on Hip Hop aesthetics. This world premiere co-commission features verbally and physically energetic performances.

Strathmore Children’s Chorus: Celtic Sounds
Where: Strathmore
When: June 11
Tickets: $20-25
The Strathmore Children’s Chorus focuses their 5th anniversary spring concert on all things Celtic. Celtic Sounds celebrates the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, bringing to life classics such as “Loch Lomond,” “Danny Boy,” and more. Celtic Sounds also includes a world premiere from composer Mandy Miller, plus guest artists from the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance and the A. Mario Loiderman Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts Choirs.

*Know of a great upcoming production not listed here? Let me know in the comments below!