Best Off Broadway shows for kids and families

Designer-director Hamid Rahmanian's dazzlingly cinematic multimedia epic, set in ancient Persia, uses hundreds of handmade shadow puppets to cast the tale of a brave young woman who must escue the man she loves and prevent an imminent war between the kingdoms of Iran and Turan. The story is adapted by Rahmanian and Melissa Hibbard from a section of Ferdowsi's seminal 10th-century poem Shahnameh. Having made its U.S. debut with three performances at BAM for Kids in 2023, it now reveals its treasures again in a brief encore run at the New Vic. Ages 7 and up.

Role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons are inherently theatrical: The players are all playing roles, after all. But the idea of building an actual stage show around the game—an entirely improvised one, guided by audience suggestions and decisions—seems, well, a little dicey. But an element of the unexpected is one of the things that makes this goofy fantasy show such fun. Whether or not you know much about D&D going in, it’s an adventuring party you won't want to miss. Ages 5 and up.—Shaye Weaver

Mischief Theatre’s long-running slapstick farce finds six amateur British actors (and two crew members who get pressed into service onstage) trying to perform a hackneyed whodunnit amid challenges that escalate from minor mishaps to bona fide medical emergencies and massive structural calamities. Kids with a taste for zany comedy will be rolling in the aisles. Ages 10 and up. 

Husband and wife duo Fan and Ana Yang have traveled world-wide to dazzle their audiences with their self-titled masterpiece, "bubble artistry." As lights flicker and music plays, prepare to catch some of the wonkiest looking bubbles you've ever encountered. Kids and parents alike will love how these soapy spectacles create a can't-miss experience. Ages 5 and up.

Michael Sgouros and Brenda Bell's child-oriented musical adaptation of the classic folktale— as rendered in books by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont and Madame De Villeneuve—celebrates a bookish girl's ability to see past the hirsute appearance or her kidnapper. Pierce Cassedy directs this 70-minute production; the first performance of each two-show day is preceded by an hour-long arts workshop at which kids can meet members of the company and create a mask to take home. Ages 3 and up.

For more than two decades, this proudly old-school series is heir to the vaudeville tradition. Many of the acts incorporate comedic elements, and audience participation is common; kids make especially adorable assistants. You get a lot of value and variety for your magic dollar, and in contrast to some fancier magic shows, this one feels like comfort food: an all-you-can-eat buffet to which you’re encouraged to return until you’re as stuffed as a hat full of rabbits. Ages 6 and up.

On select weekend afternoons in the theater district, veteran magic men Jim Vines and Carl Mercurio perform a comedic set of tricks and illusions that is especially tailored to delight young audiences—though the rest of the family is likely to enjoy it, too. And at just $25 a ticket, this is a surprisingly affordable Times Square outing for a larger group. Ages 6 and up.