The Princess, the Emperor and the Duck

City-Kid Review:

I liked it. I liked the pea story. And the duck-swan.

This little theatre, in the middle of Central Park is always, such a treat. It is perfectly kid-sized and user-friendly. The shows are just long enough for younger kids, and perfect for our City Kid.

This is the most diverse marionette show I have seen at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre. The Princess part of the story is a version of The Princess and the Pea, set in Ethiopia. The Emperor is the Emperor’s New Clothes, set in China. The very delightful Duck story is a version of The Ugly Duckling, set in our very own Central Park. The slant is the ‘duck’ doesn’t quite know where she fits in. She tries being all sorts of other animals until she learns that she is a swan. Very New York.

Need to Knows:

This is a wonderful thing to do with your City Kid.
Adults: $12, children $8.
Closed on Mondays.
They have different show times and some days have two shows a day.

Location: Inside the park, near to 81st or 79th street entrance. Walk east until you hit the roadway inside the park, and it is on the other side of that. Here are walking directions provided by the theatre.

They do not have any cafeteria or food provision.  There are plenty of places to eat on the Upper West or East sides of the park. The theatre is closest to the Upper West Side.

Kids sit in the front rows and adults sit at the sides and at the back. Beware parents who try to get their kids onto the already-full front bench! There is usually plenty of room and it is pretty easy to see, as long as smaller kids are not behind bigger kids. You can usually switch around, so everyone can see.

The Princess, the Empress and the Duck will run until mid-September. They have a coloring competition which runs until June 30th. You can find out more, here.

Top-Tip

Get there early, so you can get a seat at the front. You can purchase tickets here.

Have you been to the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre? How was your experience? Any tips you can share? Please post in the comments below.

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