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SHARED By: Hilarie Zimbicki, Yoga and Movement Director at Gymtime and York Avenue Preschool

How many of your children turn their socks into puppets, spend hours playing  in the enormous puppet section at FAO Schwartz or adore Sesame Street? Kids of all ages enjoy puppet shows, and New York City kids are fortunate enough to live in a place FULL of puppetry theatre options.

One of the top puppet theatres, in my opinion, is Puppetworks in Brooklyn. Yes, getting to their small theatre in Park Slope can be quite a trek from the Upper East Side, but it was worth the hour-long train ride. The cozy theatre, located on 6th Ave, is made for children and welcoming to adults. (Bonus: The theater located near numerous highly-rated restaurants!)

When I arrived, a nice gentleman welcomed us and showed us where to enter. The children inside were all seated together on a large mat in front of the stage, while the grown-ups gathered together on the bleachers towards the back. The walls were lined with hand-carved wooden marionettes, many of which were recognizable characters including Alice, Cinderella and Aladdin.

Before the show began we were greeted by a friendly puppeteer who gave us a brief history on puppets (“We call these marionettes!”), and a lesson on theatre etiquette (“Clap when you see something you like! No grabbing the puppets.”). It was obvious that several kids were returning customers as they shouted out all the answers excitedly.

The current show is The Prince and the Magic Flute based on Mozart’s classic opera. The story takes place in Eqypt, where a Prince and a Bird Catcher join together to save a Princess…with a magic flute, of course. The puppets were all beautiful and expertly manipulated, on a stage that seamlessly transformed from a desert, to an oasis, to a castle.

The children were entertained for most of the show (a few toddlers began to lose interest towards the end, but no one seemed to mind the little ones’ voices). They were especially excited when the chubby castle servant danced to the tune of the magic flute. When the show was over, the puppeteer from the beginning came out with one of the puppets for all the children to fawn over. She was happy to answer any questions and was great with all the curious children excited to ask her questions.

The show is an hour long and appropriate for children ages 3-10. Tickets are very reasonable at $9 for adults and $8 for kids. Once the show is over you can take the whole family to one of the many restaurants in the neighborhood. It’s an outing your kids will surely remember. Enjoy the show!

Puppetworks, Inc.
Neighborhood: Park Slope / Prospect Heights
338 6th Ave (At 4th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 965-3391