Byline: By danny hakim section: Section B; Column 0; Metropolitan Desk; Pg. 1 Length

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SUBJECT: ART & ARTISTS (90%); ARTISTS & PERFORMERS (90%); MUSEUMS & GALLERIES (90%); ARTS FESTIVALS & EXHIBITIONS (89%); PAINTING (79%); VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS (79%); EXHIBITIONS (78%); PUBLISHING (50%)
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April 4, 2008 Friday

Late Edition - Final

Optimist Awash in the Tropics
BYLINE: By BEN BRANTLEY
SECTION: Section E; Column 0; Movies, Performing Arts/Weekend Desk; THEATER REVIEW 'SOUTH PACIFIC'; Pg. 1
LENGTH: 1516 words
Love blossoms fast and early in Bartlett Sher's rapturous revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''South Pacific,'' which opened Thursday at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. And while you may think, ''But this is so sudden,'' you don't doubt for a second that it's the real thing.

I'm talking partly about the chemistry between the production's revelatory stars, Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot, in the opening scene of this tale from 1949 of men and women unmoored by war. But I'm also talking about the chemistry between a show and its audience.

For this ''South Pacific'' recreates the unabashed, unquestioning romance that American theatergoers had with the American book musical in the mid-20th century, before the genre got all self-conscious about itself. There's not an ounce of we-know-better-now irony in Mr. Sher's staging. Yet the show feels too vital to be a museum piece, too sensually fluid to be square.

I could feel the people around me leaning in toward the stage, as if it were a source of warmth on a raw, damp day. And that warmth isn't the synthetic fire of can-do cheer and wholesomeness associated (not always correctly) with Rodgers and Hammerstein. It's the fire of daily life, with all its crosscurrents and ambiguities, underscored and clarified by music.

During the past couple of decades directors have often felt the need to approach the Rodgers and Hammerstein classics with either a can of black paint or misted-up rose-colored glasses. (This has been especially true in London, with the National Theater's celebrated darkness-plumbing productions of ''Carousel'' and ''Oklahoma!,'' and the current sugar-glazed cash-cow of a revival of ''The Sound of Music'' in the West End.) Mr. Sher, who heralded the return of full-blown lyricism to musicals with his exquisite production of Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas's ''Light in the Piazza'' several years ago, puts his trust unconditionally in the original material.

It's as if a vintage photograph had been restored not with fuzzy, hand-colored prettiness but with you-are-there clarity. Though Michael Yeargan's perspective-stretching beachscape of a set isn't photo-realist, you somehow accept it as more real than real, just as the score performed by the sumptuously full orchestra (with musical direction by Ted Sperling) feels from the beginning like thought made effortlessly audible.

Of all the Rodgers and Hammerstein hits ''South Pacific'' has in recent years seemed the least fit for revival, despite its glorious score. The show's book, by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan, was inspired by James A. Michener's ''Tales of the South Pacific.'' Set during World War II on two Pacific islands, where American sailors were stationed, it is Rodgers and Hammerstein's most topical work, addressing a war that had ended only four years earlier.

It is also the show in which the creators wear their liberal consciences most visibly. In following two love stories, both between people of different cultures, ''South Pacific'' made an overt plea for racial tolerance. Few things in showbiz date more quickly than progressive politics.

It made sense that theater iconoclasts, including the Wooster Group (with its wry spoof ''North Atlantic'') and Anne Bogart (with a notorious deconstruction set in a mental ward), would see ''South Pacific'' as a natural demolition target. Even Trevor Nunn's generally generic restaging of the show for the National Theater had a gritty, sweaty style that brought out the frightened racism in the show's heroine.

That's Ensign Nellie Forbush, the Navy nurse from Little Rock whose romance with Emile de Becque, a French plantation owner, runs aground when she learns he had children with a Polynesian woman. The part was created by Mary Martin, playing opposite the opera star Ezio Pinza, and her avowed ''cock-eyed optimism'' became an emblem for postwar American hope and resilience.

Ms. O'Hara, who played very different incarnations of American womanhood in ''Piazza'' and the 2006 revival of ''The Pajama Game,'' doesn't stint on Nellie's all-American eagerness. But in a superbly shaded portrait she gives the character a troubled, apprehensive guardedness as well. This self-described hick's Arkansas accent comes from the country club, not the mountains. And it's all too easy to imagine her returning to a world of white gloves and cautious good deeds.

Yet Nellie is receptive not just to the serious charms of Emile (the seriously charming Mr. Szot) but to those of the lush landscape in which she finds herself. Ms. O'Hara, whose lovely soprano is never merely lovely here, creates a study in ambivalence that is both subtly layered and popping with energy.

Even when she's singing that she's in love with a wonderful guy, she seems to be wrestling with complicated feelings that have surprised her. The same rich sincerity pervades the deep-reaching baritone of Mr. Szot, best known here for his work with the New York City Opera. When he delivers ''Some Enchanted Evening'' or ''This Nearly Was Mine,'' it's not as a swoon-making blockbuster (though of course it is), but as a measured and honest consideration of love.

This reflective aspect infuses every number; nothing is performed as a clap-for-me showstopper. Mr. Sher and Christopher Gattelli, who did the musical staging, have reinvigorated the concept of the organic musical, in which song feels as natural as breathing.

Even crowd-rousers like ''Nothin' Like a Dame,'' sung by the chorus of Seabees (led by Danny Burstein, exuberant and infectious as the wily Luther Billis), are made to feel ordinary, as if part of a daily routine. When the entrepreneurial islander Bloody Mary (the Hawaiian actress Loretta Ables Sayre in a terrific New York debut), sings the familiar ''Bali Ha'i'' and ''Happy Talk,'' they feel new because they're rendered as systematic acts of seduction.

You're always conscious of the calculation in Bloody Mary's eyes as she tries to secure Lieutenant Cable (Matthew Morrison) as a husband for her daughter, Liat (Li Jun Li, heartbreakingly fragile). Like Ms. O'Hara, Mr. Morrison (who played opposite her in ''Piazza'') keeps us aware of just where his Ivy League marine comes from and how disoriented he is in a land of new and shifting rules.

The alluring and divisive shadows and light of the islands are beautifully accented by Mr. Yeargan's adroit use of slatted screens to define interior spaces that can never entirely shut out the bright world beyond. (The impeccable lighting is by Donald Holder.)

I know we're not supposed to expect perfection in this imperfect world, but I'm darned if I can find one serious flaw in this production. (Yes, the second act remains weaker than the first, but Mr. Sher almost makes you forget that.) All of the supporting performances, including those of the ensemble, feel precisely individualized, right down to how they wear Catherine Zuber's carefully researched period costumes.

Notice, by the way, how Mr. Sher implicitly underscores the theme of racism by quietly having the few African-American sailors in the company keep apart from the others. And the production never strains to evoke parallels between the then and now of the United States at war in an alien land.

Above all, though, what impresses about this ''South Pacific'' is how deeply, fallibly and poignantly human every character seems. Nearly 60 years ago Brooks Atkinson, writing in The New York Times, described the show as ''a tenderly beautiful idyll of genuine people inexplicably tossed together in a strange corner of the world.''

I think a lot of us had forgotten that's what ''South Pacific'' is really about. In making the past feel unconditionally present, this production restores a glorious gallery of genuine people who were only waiting to be resurrected.

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S SOUTH PACIFIC

Music by Richard Rodgers; lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II; book by Mr. Hammerstein and Joshua Logan, adapted from ''Tales of the South Pacific'' by James A. Michener; directed by Bartlett Sher; musical staging by Christopher Gattelli; music director, Ted Sperling; sets by Michael Yeargan; costumes by Catherine Zuber; lighting by Donald Holder; sound by Scott Lehrer; orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett; dance and incidental music arrangements by Trude Rittmann; production stage manager, Michael Brunner; associate producer, Ira Weitzman; general manager, Adam Siegel; production manager, Jeff Hamlin. Presented by Lincoln Center Theater under the direction of Andre Bishop and Bernard Gersten in association with Bob Boyett. At the Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center; [phone]. Through June 22. Running time: 2 hours 50 minutes.

WITH: Kelli O'Hara (Ensign Nellie Forbush), Paulo Szot (Emile de Becque), Matthew Morrison (Lt. Joseph Cable), Danny Burstein (Luther Billis), Loretta Ables Sayre (Bloody Mary), Sean Cullen (Cmdr. William Harbison), Victor Hawks (Stewpot), Luka Kain (Jerome), Li Jun Li (Liat), Laurissa Romain (Ngana), Skipp Sudduth (Capt. George Brackett) and Noah Weisberg (Professor).

URL: http://www.nytimes.com
SUBJECT: MUSICAL THEATER (90%); THEATER & DRAMA (89%); VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS (77%); LITERATURE GENRES (74%); THEATER (57%)
GEOGRAPHIC: LONDON, ENGLAND (79%) ENGLAND (79%); UNITED KINGDOM (79%)
TITLE: South Pacific (Play)>; South Pacific (Play)>
LOAD-DATE: April 4, 2008
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
GRAPHIC: PHOTOS: From left, Paulo Szot, Laurissa Romain, Luka Kain and Kelli O'Hara at the Vivian Beaumont

Danny Burstein as Luther Billis, center, with Kelli O'Hara and the cast of ''South Pacific.'' (PHOTOGRAPHS BY SARA KRULWICH/THE NEW YORK TIMES) (pg. E16)

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S SOUTH PACIFIC, with Kelli O'Hara, above center, in the revival at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Below left, Paulo Szot and Ms. O'Hara

right, Matthew Morrison and Li Jun Li. (PHOTOGRAPHS BY SARA KRULWICH/THE NEW YORK TIMES) (pg. E1)

DOCUMENT-TYPE: Review
PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

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April 4, 2008 Friday

Late Edition - Final

Cafe Capitalism, San Francisco Style
BYLINE: By KATIE HAFNER
SECTION: Section C; Column 0; Business/Financial Desk; STREET SCENE; Pg. 4
LENGTH: 1121 words
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO
At Ritual Coffee Roasters, a cafe in San Francisco's Mission District, the aesthetic is early socialist but the clientele are latter-day capitalist.

Beneath the huge modified hammer and sickle painted on the wall behind the counter, body piercings are outnumbered only by the laptops open throughout the room. As latte sippers pore over the latest draft of a business plan, bang out a little code or post to a blog, it is not hard to overhear snippets of dialogue with a decidedly capitalist bent: ''We could make money off that,'' and ''Have you talked to them about a deal?''

For the Web 2.0 crowd creating businesses, as well as the post-Web 2.0 crowd looking for businesses to build, Ritual is the place to be. While it has not yet risen to the mythic proportions of Buck's, the hangout in Woodside, Calif., for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, it is becoming the place to generate ideas, find staff members and troll for companies to finance.

''When you go into a Starbucks and you see people on their laptops it seems they could be sending e-mails to their moms or looking up an address on Google maps,'' said Rich Moran, a partner with VenRock, a major venture capital firm in Menlo Park, Calif.

''And when you go into Ritual, it seems they're either writing code or writing a blog or creating something with a widget that will make money for them this week, and that's really different from a lot of the other places.''

Mr. Moran said that at other cafes, people are often sitting by themselves. ''At Ritual, there tend to be little clusters of people there, working together on something,'' he said.

There are also certain times of the day when Ritual is librarylike in its silence. ''Usually at around 11 a.m. there are times when you can hear a pin drop,'' said Eileen Hassi, Ritual's owner. But more often than not, the place is buzzing.

Mr. Moran said he has been to Ritual to meet with entrepreneurs whose start-up he was thinking of investing in. Although no deal was made, he said, ''hope springs eternal.''

''I think Sand Hill has a little bit of a belief that all the deals don't necessarily come to us, we have to go get them,'' said Mr. Moran, referring to the road in Menlo Park where many venture capital firms have their offices. Mr. Moran said that while he and his partners do not hang around in the coffee shops, the entire firm networks through former classmates, colleagues, soccer field sideline chats and other ways that deals might lead of a coffee shop meeting. ''And sometimes the deals that are the hot ones are in the coffee shops because the valuations on those coffee shop companies are not sky high,'' he said.

Indeed, San Francisco cafes have emerged as the new office of choice for many small start-ups. Atlas Cafe, also in the eclectic Mission District, is one, and Coffee to the People in the Haight is another. But Ritual, located between a heating repair shop and a video store, is perhaps the most popular. And Ritual is a bastion of capitalist fervor.

Flickr, the popular photo sharing site, held weekly meetings there before it was bought by Yahoo. And Rubyred Labs, a Web design shop, had its debut party there.

Yet Ms. Hassi, 30, demurs at the suggestion that her cafe espouses Marxist principles. Ms. Hassi said her choice of logos was purely aesthetic.

And the fact that some of the coffee mugs are red, as well as some of the walls? Again, strictly a design decision, she said.

In fact, Ms. Hassi, 30, who majored in religious studies at Brown, has not read a single word of Marx or Lenin.

''I'm a capitalist, I'll admit that,'' said Ms. Hassi, who has a second, smaller outlet in San Francisco and soon plans to open a third cafe in Napa, in the heart of the wine country.

In fact, Ritual is a place where many people go not to proclaim for the workers, but to procure them.

Brett Levine, 32, who is now running his second start-up, was holding a meeting in Ritual one day several months ago with his small staff. One agenda item was the company's need for programmers versed in ActionScript, a programming language commonly used for Flash, a type of Web animation software.

As Mr. Levine looked around, he realized that there might be several candidates sitting within a few feet of him. ''There were a lot of people in that room who know that technology,'' he said. ''I was in the right spot.''

So Mr. Levine stood on a chair, and shouted out, ''Is anyone here an ActionScript programmer? We'd like to hire you!''

''I got some nasty looks from the baristas,'' Mr. Levine recalled, ''but that didn't stop three or four people from coming up to our table and inquiring.''

Marcelo Rodriguez, a San Francisco entrepreneur, was in Ritual one day recently for a meeting with a senior manager from Cisco who had driven up from Milpitas, 50 miles to the south, to discuss Mr. Rodriguez's start-up, RF.com, which makes an application that enables the AppleiPhone to make free phone calls using the Internet rather than over AT&T wireless network.

Mr. Rodriguez, who goes to Ritual nearly every day, said he had heard about Mr. Levine's stunt on the chair. And he, too, often looks around the room and sees people he could probably hire.

''I've thought about doing that, but I wouldn't stand on a chair,'' he said.

Ms. Hassi said she was at a party recently when someone came up to her and offered a profusion of thanks. ''He said, 'thank you, thank you, thank you for opening your cafe.' ''

It turned out he had sold his company, because of a connection he had made at Ritual.

And, of course, like other cafes that buck the Starbucks practice of charging for Wi-Fi access, Ritual's signal is free.

Yet, Ms. Hassi still needs to make money, which means generating customer turnover. She stirred some discontent recently when she covered the electrical outlets, first just on weekends, then permanently, with blank switch plates. When people tried prying off the plates, she cut the electricity to the outlets off completely.

Still, people have found ways to stay planted at Ritual, by bringing extra batteries or an extra computer.

As Ms. Hassi told the story of the covered outlets, she looked around and noticed that a standing lamp in the back of the cafe was not turned on. ''Looks like someone unplugged it and has their computer plugged in there,'' she said with a slight shrug of resignation.

Ms. Hassi said she found it gratifying to know that her cafe was the center of a trend, giving start-ups a place to be by paying for good coffee instead of office space.

''To me, this is what's happening in San Francisco,'' she said. ''And I like that what's happening in San Francisco is happening right here.''
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PERSON: MICHAEL MCMAHON (54%)
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GRAPHIC: PHOTO: Some of the regulars at Ritual Coffee Roasters working on their laptops. (PHOTOGRAPH BY JESSICA BRANDI LIFLAND FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)
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April 4, 2008 Friday

The New York Times on the Web

Spare Times: For Children
BYLINE: By LAUREL GRAEBER
SECTION: Section ; Column 0; Movies, Performing Arts/Weekend Desk; Pg.
LENGTH: 3507 words
FOR CHILDREN

'PIGS, BEARS AND BILLY GOATS GRUFF' To children a kitchen is much more than a place for cooking and eating. Forks and spoons double as percussion instruments; pans serve as warriors' helmets; a tabletop is a cottage roof. Where grown-ups see only mealtime, the young see playtime.

But the adults of the Patch Theater Company have no such limited vision. Now presenting ''Pigs, Bears and Billy Goats Gruff,'' an adaptation of four traditional tales at the New Victory Theater, this Australian troupe performs on a set that is essentially a kitchen, with a plain table and chairs, French doors and a big metal pot on the shelf. But it doesn't stay a kitchen for long. The chairs stand in as houses in ''The Three Little Pigs''; the table becomes the planks of an old bridge in ''The Three Billy Goats Gruff''; the gleaming pot is transformed into a queen's crown in ''The Three Feathers.'' (Conveniently, these objects also play themselves in ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears.'') The show may not have the production values of its neighbor ''The Lion King,'' but it too creates a world of animals, some good, some not, whose fortunes unfold across savannas created only in the imagination.

The script by Dave Brown, who also directs, is as straightforward as the props. Although writing for ages 4 to 7, he has not softened the stories' rough edges. Two little pigs end up as soup (that pot comes in handy), and the least familiar narrative, ''The Three Feathers,'' shows that not all fairy-tale frogs turn into beauteous humans. But because the show has no real costumes or special effects, nothing is scary. (One exception: The bridge-owning troll, whose disembodied, mechanically distorted voice -- the only use of technology -- may remind parents of ''The Exorcist.'')

Songs played onstage by Stuart Day (and by cast members who sing too) enhance the stories, vibrantly enacted by (above, from left): Stephen Sheehan, Jacqy Phillips, Eileen Darley and Mr. Day. These actors are like the uninhibited relatives who are childhood hits because they get down on the floor and play; you wish they'd never leave.(Friday at 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; 209 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, 646-223-3010, newvictory.org; $12.50, $25 and $35.) LAUREL GRAEBER

'AESOP'S FOIBLES' (Saturday and Sunday) As the title indicates, this new musical by Aaron Michael Zook takes a somewhat irreverent approach to the ancient tales known as Aesop's fables. Presented by Tuckaberry Productions, the show features Fox and Donkey, who wander the land in search of a happy ending -- not always easy to come by in these stories. Along the way Aesop's teachings meet big-band swing. Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m., Impact Theater, 190 Underhill Avenue, near St. Johns Place, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, [phone], tuckaberry.com.

'ARCHAEOLOGY ZONE: DISCOVERING TREASURES FROM PLAYGROUNDS TO PALACES' (Saturday through Thursday) Children will step into the shoes of an explorer like Indiana Jones in this exhibition at the Jewish Museum, but the adventures will be purely scholarly. Still, there is plenty of excitement in analyzing artifacts like a jar handle, a clay jug and a bangle, and figuring out the purpose behind ancient pieces like a Greek helmet and a bull-shaped vessel. This interactive show also includes a recreated home from the Ottoman period (about 1900), where young archaeologists can dress in costume. (Through June 15, 2009.) Saturday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., and Thursday to 8 p.m., 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, [phone], thejewishmuseum.org. Free with admission: $12; $10 for 65+; $7.50 for students; free for under 12, members and for all on Saturdays.

'THE BAD BOY OF AMERICAN MUSIC' (Sunday) If that title doesn't pique interest, nothing will. This concert, the last of the season in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Meet the Music! series for ages 6 and older, will focus on George Antheil (1900-1950), who liked to emulate machines in his works and loved to rebel against his elders. Sympathetic souls are expected to attend. At 1 and 3 p.m., Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, [phone], chambermusicsociety.org; $15.

BEST OF NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL (Saturday and Sunday) Where can young cinephiles see independent film that's refreshing and creative but still age-appropriate? This festival has always been a reliable source, and this weekend it will begin another series of monthly screenings of past highlights at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and -- for the first time -- at the Bronxville Cinema in Westchester and the Red Bank Art Cinema in New Jersey. The film is ''Nocturna,'' a feature from Spain and France (but presented in English) that sold out its showings at the 2008 festival. For ages 4 through 10, it presents a lushly animated universe of mystical creatures (including a guardian fleet of cats) discovered by a boy named Tim as he explores the night. At 11 a.m., 323 Avenue of the Americas, at Third Street, Greenwich Village, [phone], gkids.com; $11; $8 for members; $7.50 for children.

BIG MOVIES FOR LITTLE KIDS (Monday) This series is intended to introduce children 2 to 7 (though all ages are welcome) to classic films. And this 75-minute animated program will also acquaint them with some classic books: the movies are adaptations of the works of Maurice Sendak (''Where the Wild Things Are,'' ''In the Night Kitchen'' and others) and Ezra Jack Keats. At 4 p.m., Cobble Hill Cinemas, 265 Court Street, at Butler Street, Brooklyn, [phone], bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com; $6.50.

'BRAIN TEASERS' (Saturday through Thursday) Intellects need exercise too, and this exhibition is intended to be push-ups for gray matter. Devised by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, it consists of 20 challenges, including number games, visual puzzles and, in one case, handcuffs made of rope. It even includes an enigma, called the Five-Room House, that has never been solved. (Through May 4.) At the Staten Island Children's Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Livingston, [phone], statenislandkids.org. Hours: Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free with admission: $5; free for members.

'THE BUTTONHOLE BANDIT: AN INTERGALACTIC MUSICAL FANTASY' (Saturday and Sunday) You never know what you might find buried in a child's messy closet. In Phoebe's case it's an entire galaxy. This new show by Mary Fengar Gail, produced by the Looking Glass Theater, follows the adventures of Phoebe as she helps save the galaxy in the company of an alien called Melf the Gelf. Saturdays at noon and 2 p.m., Sundays at 2 and 4 p.m., 422 West 57th Street, Clinton, [phone], lookingglasstheatrenyc.com; $15; $12 for 12 and under.

'THE CAT WHO WENT TO HEAVEN' (Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday) At least one of the cats involved with the jazz in this production is the kind that meows instead of scats. Nancy Harrow, the creator of the jazz-and-puppet show ''Maya the Bee,'' has returned to Culture Project with a new piece based on the Newbery Medal-winning book by Elizabeth Coatsworth. It's all about a struggling Japanese artist and the mysterious cat that seems to change his fortunes. (Through June.) Saturday at 10 a.m.; Sunday and Tuesday at 7 p.m.; 55 Mercer Street, SoHo, [phone], cultureproject.org; $20.

CHILDREN'S READING SERIES (Saturday) The 92nd Street Y will conclude its first season of children's readings with a writer whose name would seem to promise kinship with the young: Andrew Motion. Kids may not be familiar with Mr. Motion -- he's the British poet laureate -- but they are sure to enjoy his performance, which will include his favorite children's poems by authors like Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling and Lewis Carroll. At 1 p.m., 1395 Lexington Avenue, [phone], 92y.org; $10.

'CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA ADVENTURES' (Friday through Sunday) This is the kind of exploring anyone can do: a discovery of the wonderful plants that give us chocolate and vanilla at the New York Botanical Garden. Children will examine vanilla beans and vanilla orchids and chocolate seeds and spices, and keep a field journal. And yes, tasting is involved. Friday, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the botanical garden's Everett Children's Adventure Garden, Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road, Bedford Park, the Bronx, [phone], nybg.org. Admission, which includes the Orchid Show and all displays, is $20; $18 for students and 62+; $7 for ages 2 to 12 and free for under 2.

'A DOLPHIN UP A TREE!' (Sunday) The only dolphins around New York can be found in the water, typically in the aquarium on Coney Island. But these days at least one member of the species occupies a far more unusual position: up a tree in Manhattan. In this show for ages 2 to 8 by Kimberly Foster (book and lyrics) and John Fleming (music and lyrics), the title character is actually a little girl named Tina, and she has far more to worry about than just being beached in some branches. (Through April 13.) At 10:30 a.m. and noon, DR2 Theater, 103 East 15th Street, Manhattan, [phone]; $20.

FAMILY ART DAY (Sunday) Having an autistic spectrum disorder does not preclude artistic talent; some with these conditions show extraordinary gifts. In honor of National Autism Awareness Month (April) the JCC in Manhattan is presenting ''The Artistic Spectrum: Artwork by Young People on the Autistic Spectrum,'' a show of work by artists ages 10 to 21 (through April 24). On Sunday it is inviting children of all abilities to make art projects, tour the exhibition and enjoy refreshments. All will receive an ''Artistic Spectrum'' backpack. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 334 Amsterdam Avenue, at 76th Street, [phone], jccmanhattan.org; free.

'GUSTAFER YELLOWGOLD'S MELLOW SENSATION' (Saturday) Ready for a new kind of mellow yellow? Hailing from the Sun and looking like an animated drop of butter, Gustafer Yellowgold is the creation of the illustrator and composer Morgan Taylor, now presenting Gustafer in his Off Broadway debut. Like Gustafer's other appearances, this run includes live music, slides and narration. (Through May 17.) At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., DR2 Theater, 103 East 15th Street, Manhattan, [phone]; $20.

HAGGADAH COVER FAMILY WORKSHOP (Sunday) Passover is almost here, and the haggadah -- the book each participant reads from during the seder -- is easily battered from seasons of use. This workshop at the Yeshiva University Museum will enable children 6 and older to make an embossed aluminum cover for the book, using metal tooling techniques and artificial jewels. (Each child must bring a haggadah for measuring.) (Also on April 13.) From 2 to 4 p.m., Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, Flatiron district, [phone]; yumuseum.org. Free with museum admission: $8; $6 for students, 65+ and ages 5 through 16.

'HANNAH AND THE HOLLOW CHALLAH' (Saturday and Sunday) Alice travels down a rabbit hole, Dorothy journeys in a tornado-propelled house, and Hannah -- well, Hannah goes to another world in a hollowed-out loaf of challah. In this new comedy for ages 4 to 12 by Alice Eve Cohen, with puppets by Emily DeCola, Hannah's trip takes her to Bread Land, where everyone is made of bread. At 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., the 78th Street Theater Lab, 236 West 78th Street, Manhattan, [phone]; $12 to $18.

'IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE' (Saturday and Sunday) Manhattan Children's Theater has revived Jody Davidson's witty adaptation of Laura Joffe Numeroff's picture book, which suggests that if you give a mouse a cookie, it's going to want a glass of milk, and if you give it the milk, it's going to want a napkin, and if you give it the napkin, it will request a mirror, and so on. And if you give this show your time, it will reward you greatly. (Through May 18.) At noon and 2 p.m., 52 White Street, near Church Street, TriBeCa, [phone], mctny.org; $20, $15 for children and 65+.

'THE JUMPIN' JUNIPER SHOW' (Sunday) The New York arts scene has a new M.C.: Jumpin' Juniper, who runs the series that bears her name at Brooklyn Arts Exchange. Said to be a 100-year-old forest sprite, Juniper has a youthful outlook, as demonstrated in this program with Tony Corsano and the Family Jam. He and his band will offer music, stories and comedy. At 2 p.m., 421 Fifth Avenue, at Eighth Street, Park Slope, [phone], bax.org. Suggested donation: $10; $8 for under 12 and low-income families.

KIDSCREATE (Sunday) There are precocious children, and then there are really precocious children. Those featured in this monthly workshop series for ages 5 and older at the Children's Museum of Manhattan definitely fall into the ''really'' category: they are authors, inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists. This installment features the young environmentalist Hunter Gross, 12, who started the Kool Company, which sells natural canvas products as replacements for many paper and plastic goods. Children who sign up for the program will join him in an activity. At 3 and 4 p.m., the Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, [phone], cmom.org. Free with museum admission: $9; $6 for 65+; free for members.

LITTLE LEAGUE PARADE (Saturday) The opening of the season for the Major Leagues also means preparing for Little League. Prospect Park in Brooklyn will celebrate the occasion with its annual parade, culminating in an Opening Day ceremony at the park's band shell. And baseball isn't all that's starting: the day also signifies the beginning of carousel rides, electric boat tours and other spring treats in the park. Parade at 10 a.m., starting at Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street, Park Slope, [phone], prospectpark.org; free.

PERCUSSION PEOPLE (Sunday) Instrument building is on the menu at the monthly concerts presented by this group, which explores the range of percussion instruments across cultures. Drumming enthusiasts (and what child isn't one?) are encouraged to arrive at 10:30 a.m. and make their own instruments for the concert, which starts at 11. At the Players Theater, 115 Macdougal Street, near West Third Street, Greenwich Village, [phone], theplayerstheatre.com; $25.

'THE PIEMAKER' (Friday through Sunday) This show may make you hungry. With a book by Ryan Gilliam, executive director of the youth theater company Downtown Art, and music and lyrics by Mike Hickey, it is set in 1978 in a country diner in Iowa, where the pies are famous. But the subject is also the 60s, reflected in the rock score of the production, aimed at ages 7 and older. (Through April 27.) Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., Downtown Art, 61 East Fourth Street, East Village, [phone], downtownart.org; $10; $5 for children.

'PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL' (Friday through Sunday) It's time to think pink again. This show from Vital Children's Theater has been revived, so if you missed it last year, you can now catch it at New World Stages. Elizabeth and Victoria Kann adapted their children's book, in which the pink-obsessed title character finds out that sometimes being in the pink can be too much of a good thing. (John Gregor wrote the score and some of the lyrics.) (Through May 25.) Saturday at 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon and 3 p.m.; 340 West 50th Street, Clinton, [phone], vitaltheatre.org; $29.50.

'REALLY ROSIE' (Saturday and Sunday) Every neighborhood seems to have its diva, and in the Brooklyn streets of Maurice Sendak's childhood, it was Rosie, a little Italian girl. Mr. Sendak wrote about Rosie, and now she is starring in the latest musical production from Atlantic for Kids. Mr. Sendak wrote the book and lyrics, and Carole King composed the music. Those credits are enough to make anyone act like a diva. At 10:30 a.m., the Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street, Chelsea, [phone]; $15; $5 for under 12 and Atlantic Theater Company members.

BEN RUDNICK AND FRIENDS (Sunday) Whether it's Beatles' tunes or ''Over the Rainbow,'' Ben Rudnick and his band seem to play it. In this family concert they'll offer plenty of original tunes -- bluegrass, rock, calypso -- as well as twists on old favorites. At noon, Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, near Bleecker Street, East Village, [phone], bowerypoetry.com; $10.

'SHEL-EBRATION' (Saturday) That's Shel as in Shel Silverstein, the author of many books of poetry beloved by children (and not a few adults). The New York Public Library honors his life and work in this program, which will include readings, a concert by the Brooklyn band Astrograss and a drawing for a door prize: his first book of poetry, ''Don't Bump the Glump!: And Other Fantasies.'' At 2:30 p.m., Donnell Library Center, second floor, 20 West 53rd Street, Manhattan, [phone], nypl.org; free.

'THE SILLY JELLY FISH' (Saturday) Forget about Cupid. Under the sea, at least, the uniter of lonely hearts appears to be a silly jellyfish. In this production, based on a Japanese folk tale, the jellyfish sets out to help a lovesick sea dragon. Performed by the Hudson Vagabond Puppets, the show will include the troupe's signature giant creations, like a 40-foot-long whale. At 2 p.m., Kingsborough Community College Performing Arts Center, 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, [phone], www.kbcc.cuny.edu/kcc--arts/children.html ; $10.

'A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE' (Saturday and Sunday) In the film ''Bruce Almighty,'' Bruce changed places with God; in this musical from Vital Children's Theater, written by Rick Hip-Flores and Ben H. Winter, the exchange is a bit more humble but equally complicated. Oliver, tired of being a kid, trades positions with the Tooth Fairy, who's sick of retrieving teeth and delivering change under pillows. (Through May 25.) Saturday and Sunday at noon, SoHo Playhouse, 15 Van Dam Street, South Village, [phone], sohoplayhouse.com; $25.

'THE TOP JOB' (Saturday and Sunday) Children don't need many excuses to feel embarrassed over their parents, and Jenna is dreading her turn in Career Day at school, when her father is revealed to be a light bulb changer. But in this musical from Vital Children's Theater, adapted from the book by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, Jenna discovers that some of her father's duties are highly unusual. (Through April 27.) At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., McGinn Cazale Theater, 2162 Broadway, at 76th Street, fourth floor, [phone], vitaltheatre.org; $18.

'THE TOY CASTLE' (Saturday and Sunday) In the PBS television series of the same title, toys like a ballerina, a rag doll and a goblin come to life when everyone else is asleep. Now they're frolicking in a new location: the stage. This one-hour adaptation for ages 2 to 6, presented by New York Theater Ballet, will include a preshow movement class for the audience and the distribution of small bags of props; here everyone's a dancer. (Through April 13.) At 11 a.m. and 1 and 3:30 p.m., Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, Manhattan, [phone], nytb.org; $30; $25 for 12 and under.

UNIVERSOUL CIRCUS (Friday through Thursday) Don't expect hurdy-gurdy tunes at this big-top event. Billed as featuring the only African-American ringmasters in the country, the Universoul Circus performs its acts to hip-hop, R&B, soul and gospel. This year's show, ''Jabulani: Joy, Happiness & Laughter,'' presents acts from around the world, including China and Russia. Friday, and Tuesday through Thursday, at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1, 4:30 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 12:30, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Through April 13 in the Wollman Rink Lot, near the Parkside and Ocean Avenue entrance, Prospect Park, [phone], ticketmaster.com; $17 to $28.50; $15 to $26.50 for 10 and under; all 10:30 a.m. shows, $11.

'THE VELVETEEN RABBIT' (Saturday and Sunday) Literally Alive Children's Theater, which dramatizes literary works, offers a musical ''Velveteen Rabbit'' that manages no easy feat: it is both upbeat and faithful to its source, Margery Williams's poignant 1922 children's classic. Before the show, which has a book and lyrics by Brenda Bell and music by Mark McGee, young audience members can join a workshop to help decorate the stage and make themselves rabbit ears. (Through May 11.) Workshop ($5) at 11 a.m., show at noon, Players Theater, 115 Macdougal Street, near West Third Street, Greenwich Village, [phone], literallyalive.com; $25; $20 for children.

DAVID WEINSTONE AND THE MUSIC FOR AARDVARKS BAND (Sunday) Music for aardvarks is also music for children, as Mr. Weinstone, a former punk rocker, will demonstrate in two concerts for ages 2 to 5 at the Jewish Museum. His group specializes in tunes for urban kids, as you can tell from titles like ''Subway'' and ''Staten Island Ferry.'' At 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, [phone], the jewishmuseum.org; $15; $10 for children; $12 and $8 for family-level members. LAUREL GRAEBER