What's on tap?

Photo by Hubert Pantel

Play time Theaterworks USA brings beloved characters Max and Ruby to the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Photo by Hubert Pantel

To catch all the new children’s theater opening in the next few months, families would have to spend every Saturday afternoon in the mezzanine.

Play time Theaterworks USA brings beloved characters Max and Ruby to the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Photo by Hubert Pantel

To catch all the new children’s theater opening in the next few months, families would have to spend every Saturday afternoon in the mezzanine. A better bet: Stick to offerings tailor-made for your tot or tween; from Disney blockbusters to comic book–inspired scary tales, this season offers something for everyone.

Previews of the much-anticipated Broadway debut of Disney’s The Little Mermaid start in October. Swimming into the title role is Denver native-—and redhead, natch—Sierra Boggess. As Ariel sets about winning over Prince Eric with her vocal prowess, audiences will be treated to 12 new tunes (penned by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater) in addition to the original score (don’t worry, you’ll still hear “Part of Your World”). Under-the-sea scenic design by sculptor-architect George Tsypin, best known for his abstract, large-scale opera sets, promises to give mermaid wanna-bes their money’s worth.

Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W 46th St (212-575-9200, ticketmaster.com). Opens Nov 3. $41.50–$111.50.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical will be back on Broadway for another run, now at the St. James Theatre (slightly more intimate than its previous home, the Hilton Theatre). With Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien directing again and Patrick Page returning to the starring role, last year’s holiday hit is likely to deliver the same magic this time around.

St. James Theatre, 246 W 44th St (212-239-6200, thegrinchmusical.com). Nov 1–Jan 6, 2008. $25–$111.50.

For multiculti fare, the New Victory Theater’s 12th season features a variety of shows including Jersey-based hip-hop bards Mayhem Poets (Oct 26–Nov 4), China’s amazing Golden Dragon Acrobats (Nov 30–Jan 6) and, in Tapeire, James Devine, the fastest Irish step dancer in the world (Nov 9–25). Kicking things off is the preschool-friendly puppet-show version of a Finnish children’s-book series, Comet in Moominland (Fri 28–Oct 14), in which puppeteers from the Manitoba Theatre for Young People bring the book’s characters to life on four tabletop stages set up under an intimate tent. The production is followed by the eerie (and better-for-bigger-kids) adaptation of the Neil Gaiman–Dave McKean book The Wolves in the Walls (Oct 5–21).

New Victory Theater, 209 W 42nd St (646-223-3010, newvictory.org). Season begins Fri 28. $8.75–$50.

Book-obsessed tykes ready to be introduced to live drama should check out Theatreworks USA—a company known for transforming kid-lit into high-energy musicals (last year’s Sarah, Plain and Tall was a smash hit). The troupe is set to make beloved Rosemary Wells characters Max and Ruby its newest stars in a 60-minute show suitable for kids as young as three.

Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St (212-279-4200, twusa.org). Dec 7–Jan 8, 2008. $25.

Vital Children’s Theatre has a knack for sneaking life lessons into otherwise upbeat entertainment. Tolerance is tackled in Extraordinary!, the story of a nine-year-old boy and his deaf cousin (Sat 15–Oct 21), and the transplanted-Brooklyn-kid tale Welcome to New Jersey (Nov 3–Dec 2) addresses being true to oneself.

Vital Theatre Company, 2162 Broadway, fourth floor (212-352-3101, vitaltheatre.org). Saturdays and Sundays at 11am, 1pm. $18.

Another musical with a message, A Dolphin Up a Tree! illustrates the value of cooperation as four toy-animal characters enact the human personality types spelled out by the Myers-Briggs assessment formula. Agendas aside, kids will most likely find the storyline amusing.

DR2 Theatre, 105 E 15th St (212-239-6200, dolphinupatree.com). Begins Sat 29. $20.

Bringing you live, in-the-fur animal behavior, the Tribeca Performing Arts Center hosts a reprise of the Moscow Cats Theatre. After your family has seen 30 felines (plus a dog and five clowns) managing circusy bits like acrobatics and dancing, you may have to rescue Fluffy from a few misguided attempts at “stunt training,” but the spectacle will, we trust, be worth it.

Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St (212-220-1460, tribecapac.org). Sat 1–Dec 30. $59.90–$64.90.