Press

An expectant crowd waits in the lobby, ready to stream in and take their places before the rock concert starts. There are no seats at this gig — it’s standing/sitting-room only. “OK, WHO KNOWS THEIR ABCs?” someone shouts. Hardly the usual question asked of concertgoers, but then, this group is composed of toddlers and their parents and caretakers. Sure, they’re ready to rock — but first, shoes off, juice boxes out and a snack. They know their ABCs, and aren’t afraid to let it all hang out, shouting the letters in a highpitched din of young, excited voices.

Welcome to “Frolic!,” a rock-themed play space on the bottom floor of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan that’s designed to introduce little ones to the world of music. With a slide modeled after the iconic Rolling Stones red tongue logo, an electric blue and yellow VW van (much like the one my best friend’s parents used to drive in the early ’80s), brightly colored bongo drums, a fake ticket booth, a faux sound mixer and more, the play space is aimed at the 5-and-younger set — an overlooked demographic in children’s museums, where exhibitions are usually for older kids.

My 2-year-old son falls into that age range, so I took him to test it out. He wasted no time in grabbing a maraca and a pair of star-shaped sunglasses before moving onto the drums. He went down the Rolling Stones slide repeatedly — for, as any parent of a toddler knows, what’s fun once is fun 95 times. He ignored the sound-mixing area, but that space is meant mostly for babies and, as he likes to remind me, he’s a “big boy” now. He capped off his Frolic! experience with a real, completely out-of-the-blue tantrum in the VW van, angrily tossing his tambourine out the door, not unlike a rock star trashing a hotel room.

There’ll be two minirock performances every Saturday in the Frolic! space. Kicking off the series June 6 was Jon Samson (whose press material promises that “his stage banter is on par with that of a seasoned stand-up comedian”); upcoming musicians include popular performers like Vanessa Trien and Suzi Shelton.

And while there aren’t any lighters or matches held aloft at the end of these concerts, a rockin’ good time is promised for all.

Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 W. 83rd St.; 212-721-1223. Admission $11; free for children under 12 months.

Are you ready to rock? Frolic! is now open at CMOM!
#cmomfrolic
@cmomNYC

They’re several decades too young to remember the original trippy Volkswagen vans, but this blue one is still a big hit with the toddlers. Photo: Helayne Seidman

By MACKENZIE DAWSON