Attention parents with Ariel-obsessed daughters (or sons! No judgments here). The big-budget (and badly reviewed) Broadway musical The Little Mermaid will sail off into the sunset come August 30. I have to admit, while most critics lambasted the show, I saw it twice, and although it was no Lion King, both in terms of theatrical creativity and staying power, I enjoyed myself. Once I even went without my mermaid-obsessed four-year-old, and I still had fun. It’s got a good balance of sweetness and camp, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s glorious tunes and costumes that would be the envy of any drag queen.
If you’ve never seen it and want to, or have an apopleptic adolescent begging to go, you can buy discounted tickets on Broadwaybox.com. (Warning: these special offers will likely dry up as the closing date approaches).
Reminders of the tanking economy are everywhere in NYC, from slashed prices to must-close signs to the dreaded pink slips that have found their way into many locals’ hands. One such reality check came this week in the form of a note on the the door of City Cricket, a great children’s shop on Hudson Street that carried handmade blankets, sleek old-fashioned leather rockers and sweet ensembles for babes. The note said that the shop would close its doors March 1, but when we called, the message stated that it had already shuttered. This is happening to businesses all over the city, like the Midtown outpost of Zeyna and Philippe, which Time Out Kids had planned to feature as our February “Recently Opened” pick until it went belly-up just weeks after debuting. It’s so sad to part with stores both new and old, especially once you’ve grown attached to the items and the owners. Please share your stories of your favorite NYC kids’ haunts that have closed. We don’t want them to go out quietly!
