That's the essence of Kids' Night on Broadway, a special promotion in which a child, ages 6-18, can see a Broadway show for free _ on either Tuesday Jan. 31, 2006, or Wednesday Feb. 1, 2006 _ with the purchase of a full-price ticket.

Now in its second year, this popular promotion was developed by the League of American Theatres and Producers. Tickets are available for nearly 20 shows, including such hit musicals as "Rent," "Avenue Q," "Chicago," "Hairspray" and "The Phantom of the Opera." Also included are several new shows, including "The Woman in White," "Souvenir" and "The Color Purple," as well as off-Broadway's "Altar Boyz" and "Stomp." Tickets are on sale through Nov. 13 only.

For more information and ticket purchases, visit the Web site, http://www.kidsnightonbroadway.com . Tickets may also be purchased through Telecharge and Ticketmaster, depending on each show's affiliation, or at individual theater box offices.

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Broadway ticket availability and capsule reviews of shows as of Oct. 31. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available at the theaters' box offices for the shows listed. Details about how to obtain tickets appear at the end.

_"A Naked Girl on the Appian Way." Family discord involving parents and children is at center stage in Richard Greenberg's comedy starring Jill Clayburgh and Richard Thomas. American Airlines. 212-719-1300. Closes Dec. 4.

_"Absurd Person Singular." A revival of the Alan Ayckbourn comedy set in Christmas past, present and to come. A Manhattan Theatre Club production at the Biltmore. Telecharge.

_"Avenue Q." Love blossoms among the twentysomething set _ a group that includes puppets _ in this very funny, adult musical comedy that has transferred from off-Broadway. Golden. Telecharge.

_"Beauty and the Beast." For those who want a lavish, literal, live-action version of the delightful Disney animated feature, this is the ticket. Others may be content to rent the film. Lunt-Fontanne. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747.

_"Chicago." An entertaining revival of the 1975 Bob Fosse musical with a sassy Kander and Ebb score. Broadway's longest running musical revival _ and deservedly so. Ambassador. Telecharge.

_"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." The hit London musical about an inventor, a flying car and a heroine named Truly Scrumptious. Based on a children's story by Ian Fleming and the 1968 movie. Hilton. Ticketmaster.

_"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." John Lithgow and Norbert Leo Butz star in a musical about a couple of con men fleecing gullible women on the French Riviera. Based on the 1988 film. Imperial. Telecharge.

_"Doubt." John Patrick Shanley's riveting play about a nun and her suspicions. Cherry Jones stars. Winner of four 2005 Tony Awards, including best play. Walter Kerr. Telecharge.

_"Fiddler on the Roof." A lavish, loving revival of the classic Bock-Harnick and Robbins musical, with Harvey Fierstein as Tevye and Rosie O'Donnell as Tevye's wife, Golde. Minskoff. Ticketmaster. Closes Jan. 8.

_"Hairspray." The cult John Waters movie set in 1960s Baltimore has been turned into a hilarious, tuneful musical. John Pinette plays full-figured Edna Turnblad, mother of young Tracy Turnblad (Shannon Durig) whose life's desire is to appear on a television dance show. Neil Simon. Ticketmaster.

_"In My Life." He's a musician with Tourette's syndrome; she's a journalist with obsessive compulsive disorder. Then they fall in love. A new musical written and directed by Joe Brooks, who wrote the song "You Light Up My Life." Music Box. Telecharge.

_"Jersey Boys." The musical story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. August Wilson. Telecharge.

_"Latinologues." Four performers look at the Latino experience in America in this comedy show written by and starring Rick Najera and directed by Cheech Marin. Helen Hayes. Telecharge.

_"Mamma Mia!" The London musical sensation featuring the pop songs of ABBA makes it to Broadway. Die-hard ABBA fans will like it best; others may be puzzled. Telecharge.

_"Monty Python's Spamalot." A musical inspired by that demented film comedy, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." The cast includes David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry and Alan Tudyk. Winner of three 2005 Tony Awards, including best musical. Shubert. Telecharge. Difficult.

_"Movin' Out." Songs by Billy Joel. Choreography by Twyla Tharp. A dance musical about good friends, taking them from the 1960s and Vietnam onward. The dancing is exuberant; the story less so. Richard Rodgers. Ticketmaster. Closes Dec. 11.

_"Rent." Jonathan Larson's touching and now nostalgic look at struggling artists in New York's East Village. Loosely based on Puccini's opera "La Boheme." Nederlander. Ticketmaster.

_"Seascape." A husband and wife meet a pair of strange creatures on the beach. George Grizzard, Frances Sternhagen, Frederick Weller and Elizabeth Marvel star in a revival of the Edward Albee play. Now in previews. Opens Nov. 21. Booth. Telecharge.

_"Souvenir." Judy Kaye stars as tone-deaf diva Florence Foster Jenkins in Stephen Temperley's play with music. Now in previews. Opens Nov. 10. Lyceum. Telecharge.

_"Sweeney Todd." An intimate revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical starring Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris. Eugene O'Neill. Telecharge.

_"Sweet Charity." Christina Applegate stars as the taxi dancer with a heart of gold in a revival of the Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields-Neil Simon musical. Al Hirschfeld. Telecharge.

_"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." A sweet-tempered, often hilarious new musical by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin about youngsters competing in a local spelling bee. Circle in the Square. Telecharge.

"The Color Purple." LaChanze stars in a musical version of Alice Walker's novel about one woman's triumph over adversity. Now in previews. Opens Dec. 1. Broadway. Telecharge.

_"The Light in the Piazza." A young American woman finds romance in Italy, much to the consternation of her mother. An affecting new musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas. Vivian Beaumont. Winner of six 2005 Tony Awards, including score and a prize for its star, Victoria Clark. Telecharge.

_"The Lion King." Director Julie Taymor is a modern-day Merlin, creating a stage version of the Disney animated hit that makes you truly believe in the magic of theater. New Amsterdam. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747. Difficult on weekends.

_"The Odd Couple." Oscar and Felix return to the stage in this revival of the Neil Simon comedy classic that later became a movie and a hit television series. Nathan Lane is Oscar and Matthew Broderick plays Felix. Brooks Atkinson. Ticketmaster. Difficult.

_"The Phantom of the Opera." The one with the chandelier. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House is the prime, Grade A example of big Brit musical excess. But all the lavishness does have a purpose in Harold Prince's intelligent production. Majestic. Telecharge.

_"The Producers." A riotous stage version of the Mel Brooks movie. The musical, now starring Brad Oscar and Hunter Foster, is even better than the film, which is saying something. St. James. A special "Producers" Telecharge number 212-239-5800.

_"The Woman in White." Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical. Based on the Victorian mystery by Wilkie Collins. Now in previews. Opens Nov. 17. Marquis. Ticketmaster.

_"Wicked." An ambitious if problematic musical about the witches in "The Wizard of Oz." Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Gershwin. Ticketmaster. Difficult.

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The Telecharge number is 212-239-6200 unless otherwise indicated. There is a $6 service charge per ticket, plus a $2.50 handling fee per order.

Ticketmaster is 212-307-4100. There is a $6 service charge per ticket, plus a $3 handling fee per order.

All theaters owned by Jujamcyn _ the St. James, Martin Beck, Virginia, Eugene O'Neill and the Walter Kerr _ have a $1 surcharge per ticket for theater restoration. Shows that opened in Shubert theaters after Jan. 1, 2001, have a "facilities" surcharge for theater restoration: $1.25 per ticket.

Both Telecharge and Ticketmaster will provide information on specific seat locations. They also have toll-free numbers for theater ticket calls outside New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. For Telecharge call 800-432-7250; for Ticketmaster call 800-755-4000.

The League of American Theaters and Producers has a special telephone line called the Broadway Line for information on most Broadway shows (except "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast") and how to purchase tickets. Calls must be made on a touch-tone phone. The number is 1-888-BROADWAY. The line also will provide information on Broadway touring productions. Consumers in the New York tri-state area may call 212-302-4111.

The TKTS booth in Times Square at Broadway and 47th Street sells same-day discount tickets to Broadway, off-Broadway, music and dance productions. There is a $3 service charge per ticket. Cash or travelers checks only. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday evening performances, 3 p.m.-8 p.m.; matinees Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

The downtown TKTS booth is in the South Street Seaport at the corner of Front and John Streets. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Matinee tickets must be purchased at South Street Seaport the day before, meaning Wednesday matinee tickets are available Tuesday, Saturday matinee tickets are available Friday and Sunday matinee tickets are available Saturday.

Full-price tickets and information on Broadway and off-Broadway shows are available at the Broadway Ticket Center, located on the east side of Broadway between 46th Street and 47th Street. There is a $4.50 service charge per ticket.

For 24-hour information on theater, dance and music performances in New York's five boroughs, call the Theater Development Fund's New York City-On Stage, 212-768-1818.