Communications from a Cockroach: Archy and the Underside – Morningside Heights
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Bishop’s Green, enter at 111th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
Friday, September 14-Sunday, September 16 at 7:30pm
$12 for adults, $6 for children
Ages 6 and up
Every fall, the Mettawee River Theatre Company mounts a unique outdoor puppet production on the grounds of the Cathedral, usually based on an old folk tale. This year the troupe has adapted the story of Archy and Mehitabel, a poem-writing cockroach and his alley cat pal, who were invented by New York Evening Sun columnist Don Marquis in the early 20th century. While Mettawee's shows are appropriate for families, they're not your usual little-kid fluff. But even if your younger children don't quite get it, they'll be awed by the cool masks, massive figures and other striking visual elements.

Circus Amok Presents Moo – Citywide
Saturdays, September 15 and 22 at 2pm, Sundays, September 16 and 23 at 1 and 4pm. Locations vary.
FREE
Ages 3 and up
Jennifer Miller, a real-life bearded lady, knife juggler and emcee, founded this one-of-a-kind performance troupe. While Circus Amok shows include acrobats, stilt walkers, clowns, puppets and other fun acts, they're also overtly political. The theme of this year's show is the global financial crisis, and families can catch it for free in public parks throughout the five boroughs.

Fancy Nancy the Musical – Upper West Side
September 29-November 12: Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 1pm, plus a handful of special school holiday performances.
2162 Broadway at 76th Street, fourth floor
$29.50
Ages 3 and up
Vital Children's Theatre has enjoyed great success musicalizing popular kids' books (see Pinkalicious and Angelina Ballerina) so why change what works? Fancy Nancy is the troupe's latest tuner, and we're sure young fans of the pint-size fashionista will fall head over heels for it. (Little brothers, probably not so much.)

Hansel and Gretel’s Halloween Adventure – Upper West Side
October 3-November 3. Schedule varies.
Central Park, enter at 79th Street and Central Park West
All ages
$8 for adults, $5 for children under 12
The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre premieres a brand-new puppet show, which is a twist on the old Brothers Grimm fairy tale. This version picks up after the siblings have offed the witch, with their pet swan flying them home where they have crazy dreams filled with mermaids, monsters, pirates and vampires set against the backdrop of Central Park. If you're looking for a more familiar version of the tail, Puppetworks in Park Slope is performing the traditional Hansel and Gretel through December 16.

Take Two: Bad Gigs Gone Good – Tribeca
October 6-29: Saturday and Sundays at 1 and 4pm
Canal Park Playhouse, 508 Canal Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets
$20
Ages 4 and up
In this new solo show, Mark Hayward, an award-winning yo-yo champion and juggler, relives his worst onstage blunders (smashing himself in the face with a yo-yo in front of 800 peers, throwing flaming torches into a crowd, etc.) and attempts to redeem himself. It should be a hit with kids (and adults) who love slapstick—let's just hope nothing actually hits you.

Urban – Midtown West
October 12-21: Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 2 and 7pm, Sundays at noon and 5pm.
New Victory Theater, 209 West 42nd Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue
$14-$38
Ages 8 and up
NYC's premier family theater kicks off its new season with a show that's hard to describe (so often the case at the New Vic!) Originally created for an international circus festival, Circolombia's Urban doesn't have clowns or kooky costumes. Instead, it's 70 minutes of adrenaline-pumping acrobatic feats, including trapeze, tightrope and triple Dutch acts, set to pulsating Reggaeton music. Good luck getting the kids to stay seated.

Exit, Stage Left! – Upper West Side
Saturday, October 13 at 11am
Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street
$20 for adults, $13 for children
Ages 3 and up
Parallel Exit is a physical theater/dance troupe that manages to be funny without saying a word. In this slapstick-filled show, everything goes wrong much to the amusement of the audience. If your kids love Chaplin, Keaton or even the Three Stooges, this should be right up their alley.

Cinderella and The Tinderbox – Upper West Side
October 13-November 4: Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30am and 12:30pm
West End Theater, 263 West 86th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue
In advance: $10; at the door $12
All ages
One of the best offering for young theatergoers, these two classic fairy tales come to life with big soft puppets, sing-alongs and interactive fun. Produced by the Frog and Peach Theatre Company (which usually mounts Shakespeare plays for adults), the shows are playing in repertory, with Cinderella on Saturdays at 11:30am and Sundays at 12:30pm, and Hans Christian Andersen's Tinderbox on Saturdays at 12:30pm and Sundays at 11:30am. All performances are followed by brief puppet-making workshops for kids.

Mojo – Midtown West
October 26-November 4: Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 2 and 7pm, Sundays at noon and 5pm.
New Victory Theater, 209 West 42nd Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue
$14-$38
Ages 5 and up
Another hard to write about show at the New Victory. Theatre-Rites' playful production fuses puppetry, dance, live music, actors and illusions to create a fantastical world full of stunning visuals. What's it about? I watched the teaser video and still have no idea. But from what I saw, I definitely want to go!

Treasured Stories by Eric Carle – Upper West Side
Saturday, November 10 at 11am and 2pm
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street
$25 for adults, $15 for children
Ages 3 and up
The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia has brought its beautiful, black-light puppet spectacles to the city before. I’ve never seen them personally (maybe this year), but the photos are amazing, and we all know how much preschoolers love Carle’s simple and sweet stories. This triple bill includes the troupe’s signature show, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, along with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.

A Little Princess – Tribeca
Sunday, November 11 at 3pm
Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street near West Street
$25
Ages 5-9
TPAC kicks off its new season of family theater with an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel about a little rich girl who loses her father and money, and ends up in an orphanage run by an evil headmistress. It's definitely more of a bummer than Annie! But ArtsPower National Touring Theatre's production has been very popular with elementary-schoolers.

The Velveteen Rabbit – Union Square
November 16-January 27, 2013. Schedule varies.
DR2 Theatre, 103 East15th Street between Union Square East and Irving Place
$39
Ages 4-8
Out of all of these shows, I am most excited for this adaptation of Margery Williams' tearjerker of a children's book. This production has nothing to do with the one that played at the New York Children's Theater Festival earlier this year, or the musical coming up at the Brooklyn Center in November. This The Velveteen Rabbit is the brainchild of multi-talented Kevin Del Aguila, who wrote the lyrics for TheatreWorksUSA's hilarious Skippyjon Jones and is currently cracking audiences up as Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher on Broadway. With just three actors, simple props and lots of audience participation, this version sounds like a real winner.

The Ugly Duckling & The Tortoise and the Hare – Greenwich Village
Friday, November 23 at 2pm, Saturday, November 24-Sunday, November 25 at 11am
Jack. H Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 Laguardia Place at Washington Square South
$28
Ages 3 and up
Another pair of classic tales are brought to life, and wow do they pop. Lightwire Theater is behind this high-tech production, which features glow-in-the-dark 3D puppets and props that seem to float across the stage without assistance. If you're an America's Got Talent fan, you probably watched the company compete on the show this season. The eye-popping troupe made it all the way to the semi-finals!

And if you're a Broadway baby (and can afford tickets), there are three musicals of note opening for families this fall: The aforementioned revival of Annie, which begins previews on October 3; the return of Elf the Musical on November 9 (yes, based on the Will Ferrell flick, but much more wholesome), and the Broadway premier of A Christmas Story the Musical, which starts on November 5, just in case you don't get enough of the movie when it plays nonstop on cable over the holidays. If any of these Broadway shows sound appealing, be sure to check out our post on how to snag discounted tickets to shows. Not all productions participate, but it's worth a try!