I usually steer clear of posting about strictly local activities, but New York City gets enough visitors that I though this might be of more general interest.

Let’s hear it for sponteneity. My partner read a review of the new, free, summer theater production of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie in Saturday’s New York Times, and Sunday we found ourselves heading south towards the Big Apple. The show, a musical adaptation of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and seven other children’s stories, seemed like the perfect first show for our three-year-old son. Indeed it was. The music was catchy, the stories both familiar and new, and the energy high. Tickets are first-come, first-served, but well worth it if you don’t mind standing in line for 15-20 minutes. (Distribution begins an hour before each performance.) Best of all, they’re free, a price that belies the excellence of the lyrics, score, and cast. Purists may not like the abbreviated versions of some of the tales, but most will agree they make for a fast-paced, attention-grabbing show. The stories and musical styles are diverse, too, incorporating classic Broadway motifs as well as rap, Mexican folk music, gospel, and more.

The entire performance is just over an hour. It takes place at the Lucille Lortel Theater, 121 Christopher Street, in the heart of New York’s LGBT mecca, Greenwich Village. Further details are at TheaterworksUSA.