Improv shows for NYC kids

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Any performer who can spin G-rated comedy gold out of suggestions like "the Incredible Hulk meets Professor Dumbledore at a taco stand!" is a hero in our book. Attend the following kid-friendly shows to see some of these fast-thinking comic wonders in action.

ComedySportz
Teams of comedians compete to see who can act out the funniest bits using audience suggestions. Spectators shout out Nickelodeon and Twilight references and cheer on their favorite team. It's also a popular party spot—the birthday child makes a cameo in the show. There's a two-drink minimum, but you can easily fill that with soda and pizza. Saturdays at 6pm. The Broadway Comedy Club, 318 W 53rd St near Eighth Ave (212-868-4444, comedysportznewyork.com). Advance tickets $10, at the door $20. Ages 6 and up.

Create-a-Show
Praised by Jon Stewart (not to mention hordes of city kids), the Story Pirates have been adapting children's creative-writing projects into plays since 2003. Earlier this year, the troupe added another skill—improv—to its résumé. In its monthly Create-a-Show, a seven-person cast conceives of and performs a new musical, basing the setting, characters and story on suggestions from the young audience. While most improv groups lean on pop-culture references, the Story Pirates steer kids away from the screen and toward their own imaginations. If a child calls out "Superman," the actors will respond with "We love Superman, but he's already been created. Let's make up our own superhero." Before the show, kids join games of pretend and role-playing; after the curtain call, everyone enjoys gratis cookies and ice cream. Sun Sept 12 at 2pm, preshow workshop at 1:15pm. Downtown Community Center, 120 Warren St at West St (347-878-6798, storypirates.org). Workshop and show $30, show only $18. Ages 4 to 12.

Improv 4 Kids
Following the short-form style made popular on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, troupe Eight is Never Enough moves quickly from one skit to the next. Families are treated to movie parodies, made-up rap songs (the lyrics feature the names of kids in the audience) and wacky scenes performed at frantic speeds. Children participate not just by shouting out ideas, but also by making sounds and adopting silly poses onstage. Saturdays at 3pm. Times Square Arts Center, 669 Eighth Ave at 42nd St (212-568-6560, improv4kids.com). $20, children under 5 free. Ages 5 to 10.

LMAO
LMAO is the slightly more sophisticated version of Improv 4 Kids. The audience is eclectic—a mix of tourists and grade-schoolers—and as a result, the comedy is too. Expect the troupe to poke fun at child-centric topics like Harry Potter as well as more adult points of interest, such as LeBron James and Jersey Boys. If the humor starts to veer toward a PG-13 rating, viewers can toss a beach ball at the naughty actor. Mon, Thu–Sun at 8pm. Times Square Arts Center, 669 Eighth Ave at 42nd St (212-568-6560, lmao-nyc.com). $20. Ages 6 and up.

National Comedy Theatre
Sophisticated tweens and teens in-the-know about current events will fit right in with the hipster crowd that frequents the National Comedy Theater's weekly improv night. Founded by vets of ComedySportz, the NCT pits two teams against each other in improv games, taking on whatever is in the zeitgeist at the moment (celebs in prison, sports news, political faux pas) and trying to find a unique new comic spin. Though his show leans toward adult humor, artistic director Gary Kramer promises that all jokes will remain "above the belt." Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, 347 W 36th St between Eighth and Ninth Aves (212-629-5202, manhattancomedy.com). Adults $15, children $12. Ages 12 and up.

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