The Puppet Co. is one of many venues presenting family entertainment this spring!
With the new season comes a whole new line-up of live entertainment! There are shows for all ages and interests — plays, puppet theatre, musicals, singalongs, and more — to enjoy at venues all around the area. Here’s what you and the kids can see on local stages this spring, listed in order of opening date.
P.Nokio – A Hip-Hop Musical
Where: Imagination Stage | Bethesda, MD
When: Through March 30
Tickets: Coming soon!
G.Petto is an ingenious computer games designer who one day discovers that his newest game character, P.Nokio, can live outside the computer! G.Petto is thrilled at the prospect of having a “son,” and with the help of the Graffiti Fairy, he teaches P.Nokio how to become a real boy. But, P.Nokio falls in with con artists and finds himself in a web of lies that endangers his father. To save G.Petto, P.Nokio must wise up, keep it real, and learn that words and truth are the mightiest weapons of all. Recommended for age 5-11.
Make Way for Ducklings
Where: Adventure Theatre | Glen Eco Park, MD
When: Through March 27
Tickets: $25
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are exhausted from their search for a starter home when they land in the Boston Public Garden as a potential home. Surprised by a few conditions in the Garden, the Mallards move on to continue their search until their baby ducklings are born. When the ducklings begin to explore the world around them. The challenges of parenthood in the busy Boston environment create a fun bit of family drama. A classic story for all ages, this world premiere musical celebrates family, Boston, children, and the beings who make an unfamiliar place a home. Recommended for all ages.
Riverdance – The 25th Anniversary Show
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Through March 27
Tickets: $39-155 (find discount)
Riverdance, as you’ve never seen it before! This powerful and stirring reinvention of a beloved favorite is celebrated the world over for its Grammy Award-winning score and the thrilling energy and passion of Irish and international dance. Recommended for all ages.
The Adventures of Mr. Toad
Where: Creative Cauldron | Falls Church, VA
When: Through April 3
Tickets: $20/adult, $18/child
Generations of children have roamed the countryside in the company of Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger, the immortal animal friends in The Wind and the Willows. Once again, the Learning Theater ensemble brings this heartwarming and hilarious tales to life in a show that will capture the imaginations of young and old.
Mother Goose
Where: Imagination Stage | Bethesda, MD
When: Through April 10
Tickets: $12
A brand new, music-filled piece by the creators of Wake Up, Brother Bear and Mouse on the Move! Mother Goose leads the audience through some of her most beloved nursery rhymes, using puppets and props to bring to life Humpty Dumpty, Old King Cole, the Eensy Weensy Spider, and more. The magical Mother Goose invites your little ones to join in with each rhyme’s story – teaching them that the very best way to do what needs to be done is to do it together.
Catch Me If You Can
Where: Arena Stage | Southwest DC
When: Through April 17
Tickets: $66-105 (find discount)
Owen and I saw a performance of this show… it’s vibrant and clever and bursting with talent! Needless to say, we both loved it. Here’s the official description: Humor, music and dance drive this rousing musical based on true events and a critically acclaimed film. See how a charming, young con man posed as an airline pilot, a lawyer and then escaped police custody all before he turned 22. Where else, but Washington, D.C., could a musical about con men and being conned be the perfect story we need right now? Recommended for tweens and up. KFDC readers can get a 15% discount with code FANTIX!
Grace
Where: Ford’s Theatre | Downtown DC
When: Through May 14
Tickets: $40-81
Packed with an eclectic mix of styles including jazz, R&B, rousing up-tempos and raise-the-roof ballads, Grace is an electrifying musical celebrating the perseverance of family and the power of traditions. Created by Washington, DC,’s own celebrated composer Nolan Williams, Jr., with a book by Nolan Williams, Jr. and actress and writer Nikkole Salter, Grace examines the little-told history of African-American culinary tradition and the challenges faced by Black-owned businesses. The musical captures a day in the life of the Mintons, a Philadelphia family who gather to mourn the loss of their matriarch and deal with the future of their family restaurant in a changing neighborhood. Heartfelt and hopeful, timely and timeless, Grace is the new American musical where, although family comes first, everyone has a seat at the table. Recommended for ages 10+.
RENT – The 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: March 25-27
Tickets: $50-110
RENT follows a year in the lives of a diverse group of artists and friends struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. This powerfully resonant phenomenon has become more than a musical – it’s a cultural touchstone, a rite of passage and a source of joy and strength for millions. The extraordinary RENT fan community spans every continent and every generation – including many born over a decade after the show opened on Broadway. Read of A KFDC review from the last time it toured here (note that there are changes to the cast).
Tiny Tots: Tree Songs
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo Park, MD
When: March 25, 26, & 30 (More dates coming soon!)
Tickets: $15
The Puppet Co.’s sweet Tony Tots series is back! At these shows especially for little ones (2-4 years old). lights remain on, doors stay open, and running times are short (30 minutes) to accommodate smaller attention spans. In Tree Songs, Jasper and his puppet friends take you on an interactive, musical adventure. Sing and dance to your favorite tree songs, while exploring pre-school science.
The Fantastic Tale of Rumpelstiltskin
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo Park, MD
When: March 31 – May 15
Tickets: $15
In a brand new production, the Puppet Co. gives you the full story of what happens after the gold has been spun and the day has been saved. This hilarious and smart comedy will be a great romp for adults and kids alike. Can you guess Rumpelstiltskin’s new name?! Recommended ages 4+. Run time approximately 50 minutes.
Pippin
Where: Olney Theatre | Olney, MD
When: April 1-3
Tickets: $60
A concert performance of the Broadway favorite. This classic musical about a young man in search of his purpose features some of music-theater’s best-loved songs and most theatrical moments. From the battlefield to the bedroom, from intrigues political to intrigues romantical, Pippin just can’t figure out how to be extraordinary.
Mean Girls
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: April 5-24
Tickets: $45-199 (find discount)
Direct from Broadway, Mean Girls is the hilarious hit musical based on Tina Fey’s movie. Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung. Recommended for age 10+.
Oklahoma!
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: April 5-10
Tickets: $49-159
This is Oklahoma! as you’ve never seen or heard it before — reimagined for the 21st century, and now the Tony winner for Best Revival of a Musical. Funny and sexy, provocative and probing, “this production shocked me and moved me. This is the OKLAHOMA! that was there all along,” raves New York Magazine. Direct from an acclaimed run on Broadway, OKLAHOMA! “lets us experience Rodgers and Hammerstein’s greatness anew” (The New Yorker). Note that the show contains fog, loud gunshot effects, moments of total darkness, and violence. Recommended for ages 12+.
The Servant of Two Masters
Where: Synetic Theatre | Crystal City, VA
When: April 6-24
Tickets: $20-50
Mistaken identities, wily servants, and madcap antics abound in this laugh-a-minute tale of the ultimate trickster. Helmed by Vato Tsikurishvili and the Helen Hayes Award-nominated team from the 2019 hit Cyrano de Bergerac, The Servant of Two Masters is a raucous adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s classic farce.
Beastgirl
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: April 7-22
Tickets: $20
This exciting world premiere for young adults is based on the chapbook Beastgirl and Other Origin Myths by New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo. The collection of folkloric poems is brought to the stage with music as the play explores the mythological and geographic identities of three first generation American sisters. From the border in the Dominican Republic to an apartment rooftop in New York City, Beastgirl considers what it means to walk the world as “beastly” beings and how the myths that make us can be both blessing and birthright.
Recommended for ages 12+
NSO Music for Young Audiences: Super Cello!
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: April 9-11
Tickets: $20
The city is safe with the help of a unique cellist: professional musician by day, superhero by night. SCOTTIE ROWELL of Atlanta’s TELLER PRODUCTIONS and NSO cellist DAVID TEIE unite to tell a fantastic story using puppets, props, and plenty of music to help a very super musician save the day. Recommended for ages 3+. Following select performances, young audience members can ask questions and hear stories in an up-close-and-personal talk with some of the artists.
Brigadoon
Where: Olney Theatre | Olney, MD
When: April 8-10
Tickets: $60 (find discount)
A concert performance of the Broadway classic. New Yorker Tommy Albright unexpectedly arrives at mysterious Scottish Highland village of Brigadoon, which only appears for one day every 100 years. When Tommy meets and falls in love with Fiona, a beautiful villager in this magical hamlet, he must decide whether to return to his old life, or stay in Brigadoon — forever. Featuring such standards as “Almost Life Being in Love”, “Come to Me, Bend to Me”, and “Heather on a Hill.”
Come From Away
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: April 12-17
Tickets: $50-95+ (find discount)
I saw this show a few years ago, and it is incredibly emotional (in the best way possible) and entertaining… Broadway’s Come From Away takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. Recommended for ages 10+.
The Other Side
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: April 21-30
Tickets: $20
Adapted from the book by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Clover’s mom says it isn’t safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But when the two girls strike up a friendship, they’ll find a clever way to get around the grown-up rules together. Recommended for ages 5+.
Poop the Musical
Where: Adventure Theatre | Glen Echo Park, MD
When: April 22 – May 30
Tickets: $25
Taro, a young Asian American boy, faces the ridicule and bullying of his classmates when he accidentally “poops in his pants”. Too ashamed to talk to anyone or return to school, Taro can only confide in his “best friend”—a stuffed toy rabbit named Blackberry, who invites three special friends to visit Taro to help him overcome his shame by taking him on a “magical” journey through space and time. Each of the three visitors—Thomas Crapper, the real-life 19th century British inventor known as the “father of the modern toilet”, Zhi Yan, the beautiful Chinese goddess of the toilet, and Cheddar, a toy mouse with performance issues—helps Taro learn that only by letting go of our societal disgust with poop can we take our first steps to make positive change for the billions of people whose lives are impacted because of this issue. Recommended for all ages.
Mother Goose
Where: Olney Theatre | Olney, MD
When: April 23-24
Tickets: $15
Imagination Stage presents their show on the Olney Theatre stage! Mother Goose leads the audience through some of her most beloved nursery rhymes, using puppets and props to bring to life Humpty Dumpty, Old King Cole, the Eensy Weensy Spider, and more. The magical Mother Goose invites your little ones to join in with each rhyme’s story – teaching them that the very best way to do what needs to be done is to do it together.
NSO Family: Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: April 30
Tickets: $20-55
Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur…and a dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway! That’s just the beginning of this hilarious, fractured, symphonic take on “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” as retold by Mo Willems. This new classic is presented by favorite performers and the National Symphony Orchestra, featuring original music by indie pop icon and NSO Artistic Advisor Ben Folds.
Wu Fei
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: April 30
Tickets: $20
WU FEI is a renowned master of the guzheng, the 21-string Chinese zither. She plays in the guzheng’s language—almost 2,000 years old—by mixing Western classical and Chinese traditions with a contemporary sound. The classically trained composer and vocalist has taken her music around the world to venues such as the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing and New York’s MoMA, and collaborated with renowned artists across disciplines and genres. Recommended for ages 8+.
Into the Woods
Where: Creative Cauldron | Falls Church, VA
When: May 5-29
Tickets: $40/adult, $25/child
With an imaginative book by James Lapine that skillfully intertwines the stories and characters from Grimm fairy tales, and a luscious score by Stephen Sondheim, this Tony Award-winning musical has become a timeless masterpiece. A baker and his wife wish for a child, Cinderella wishes to go to the King’s Festival and Jack wishes to sell his cow, so into the woods they must go in search of their prize. Happily ever after eludes them, however, as they soon learn the tangled consequences of getting exactly what you wished for.
Hairspray
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: May 10-15
Tickets: $50-95+
You Can’t Stop the Beat! HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960’s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Recommended for ages 8+.
Freestyle Love Supreme
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: May 10-15
Tickets: $45-135
Before Hamilton, before In the Heights, there was Freestyle Love Supreme. Now—direct from Broadway—the original hip hop musical phenomenon from Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Anthony Veneziale. The subject of the recently released Hulu documentary We are Freestyle Love Supreme, every performance of this Grammy®-nominated show brings the unexpected, as the crew takes the crowd on a freestyle, hip hop, improvisational comedy ride. The performers take suggestions from the audience and spin them into instantaneous riffs and full-length musical numbers. See it for the first time each time—as no two shows are ever the same. Recommended for ages 14+.
Show Way the Musical
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: May 13 – 29
Tickets: $20
Soonie’s great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She began to stitch a Show Way, a quilt with secret meanings to show enslaved people the way to freedom. As each generation passes, the Show Way shines a light on the past and paves a road to the future, stitching together possibility and promise. Education Artist-in-Residence Jacqueline Woodson’s book of history, love, and resilience becomes a world premiere stage adaptation. This moving, lyrical account based on Woodson’s own family pays tribute to women whose strength and knowledge illuminate their daughters’ lives—from enslavement to freedom, through segregation, freedom marches, and the fight for literacy. Recommended for ages 7+.
Our Town
Where: Sidney Harman Hall | Penn Quarter, DC
When: May 12 – June 11
Tickets: $49-112
Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Our Town continues to leave audiences awestruck with wonder and a shared sense of our humanity. Guided by an amiable stage manager, the theatre becomes turn-of-the-century Grover’s Corners, where the occurrences of everyday life reveal universal truths about community and love, life, and death.
Disney Singalong
Where: Olney Theatre | Olney, MD
When: May 14-15
Tickets: $15
Three of Olney Theatre’s favorite performers, Patricia Hurley Carpenter (Mary Poppins herself!), Ashleigh King (Elf the Musical), and Matt Schleigh (Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors) lead kids of all ages in their favorite Disney songs from stage and screen.
NSO Family Concert: Philharmonia Fantastique
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: May 15
Tickets: $18-20
Dynamic concerto meets animated film! Through a mesmerizing hybrid of animated and live action filming, follow a magical Sprite as it embarks on a musical journey through the inner workings of an orchestra. Violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air, and drum heads resonate like you’ve never seen before—all set to live music from members of the NSO. By the film’s end, the orchestra comes together in a spectacular finale! Recommended for all ages.
2022 Teen Twelfth Night
Where: Synetic Theatre | Crystal City, VA
When: May 20-29
Tickets: $20-60
If music be the food of love, play on! The brilliant young artists of the Teen Company present Synetic’s celebrated 1920s take on Shakespeare’s whirlwind of romance and slapstick.
A Monster Calls
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: May 25 – June 12
Tickets: $45-139
Patrick Ness’s piercing novel A Monster Calls is brought to the stage in a powerful new adaptation by visionary director Sally Cookson. Thirteen-year-old Conor and his mum have managed just fine since his dad moved to America. But now his mum’s very sick and she’s not getting any better. His grandmother won’t stop interfering and the kids at school won’t look him in the eye. Then, one night, at seven minutes past midnight, Conor is woken by something at his window. A monster has come walking. It’s come to tell Conor tales from when it walked before. And when it’s finished, Conor must tell his own story and face his deepest fears. Recommended for ages 10+.
