Small-bany is back...

Inspiration has struck...or should I say, the winter blues have definitely set in...thereby strengthening my resolve to find some fabulous things to do besides hibernate after 3pm (after extensive study, I've found that naps that start in daylight and end in darkness aren't so great for morale).

So thank you for being so patient. I'm ready to Small-bany-ize all over again. Two hyphens...oh yeah, I'm back.

So our first event is a winner in several categories:

1. It is free.
2. It exposes young minds to the literary conventions of the fairy tale from the old GrimmBro's themselves.
3. It does not include a Disney Princess.
4. It gives you another excuse to go back to Hudson, which for some reason has captured my imagination due to the Winter Walk. (Come to think of it, I've never seen it in the daylight, but I am sure it is just as cheery without the benefit of Saxaphone Santa and holiday lights).
5. A dedicated reader suggested it.

So, without further ado...

Lille Kartofler Figuren Theatre, Germany presents

RUMPELSTILTSKIN

Thursday, February 4, 2010, 6:00 p.m. at the Hudson Opera House

Storyteller and puppeteer, Matthias Kuchta adapts this classis Grimm fairytale. Adults and kids alike will be enchanted as the large-scale handmade puppets tell the story of a greedy king, a sad girl and the man who offers her an odd bargain in exchange for his help. Performance is sponsored by the John L. Edwards PTA and Carol Gans and takes place at the John L. Edwards Primary School, Hudson. Free.

I realize that it is a school night, but why not go to Mexican Radio and make a night of it. It's your family. Don't you deserve this?

If you don't think you can make it, may I humbly suggest the following adaptation for your home reading pleasure. I first saw this on Reading Rainbow, and Zelinsky's Rumplestiltskin still creeps me out. But you don't have to take my word for it. Badum-ba! (reference for you Reading Rainbow geeks out there... I know you exist).