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Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with Kids – What you Need to Know

I’ve wanted to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child since it opened in London. My brother-in-law and his family got lucky with their timing, not only having already planned a trip when it was opening, but getting a great lottery number. They came back with rave reviews (though wouldn’t tell us anything because… #keepthesecrets). While I was excited for the New York premiere, my family had no interest. Yes, we all read the books – the whole series. We saw a few of the movies. And I even read the Cursed Child play when it came out (I was high on the library list, though it was so long ago I forgot the plot details).

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Ink Broadway Review: Is Ink Appropriate for Kids?

It seemed appropriate that when going into New York City for a journalism conference that the Broadway show my fellow journalists and I chose to see was Ink on Broadway. This show, brought over from London’s East End, tells the story of how Rupert Murdoch built the Sun from a failing paper, to a well-read staple. Is Ink appropriate for kids? I’ll fill you in later.

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Review: Is the Prom Appropriate for Kids?

It seems every weekend, more people I know are posting that they just went to The Prom. This fun musical has some moral messages to share, and it does so with pizzazz. Is the Prom appropriate for kids? Read on.

The plot

Four Broadway actors are getting a little stale and outdated, and decided they need a cause to put themselves back in the limelight. They choose as their cause celebre a prom in Indiana (hello Mike Pence!) that is cancelled instead of allowing a high school girl to bring her girlfriend. The Broadway actors drop everything and conveniently hop on a traveling Broadway show bus to that very town, to convince everyone there that they should have an inclusive prom. Hilarity ensues.

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Review: Is Beautiful on Broadway Appropriate for Kids?

My husband likens Beautiful on Broadway to School of Rock for adults. Beautiful is the Carole King story, if that story includes her having one husband and two kids, instead of four husbands and four kids. There’s not enough stage time to feature her 118 pop hits or take her story much beyond that first marriage and her time in New York (and a short stint in the Jersey burbs). But is Beautiful on Broadway appropriate for kids?

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Review of Vitaly off Broadway – is it Vitaly Appropriate for Kids?

Last weekend my teen daughter and I went to do a review of Vitaly off Broadway. I hadn’t heard of the illusionist Vitaly Beckman before, and was intrigued seeing some videos online. He’s been lauded by Penn and Teller, who got their start in New York at the same theater as this show is playing.

Before the show: review of Vitaly off Broadway. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

Vitaly is a Russian-born Israeli who now lives in Canada (easier immigration rules than the US, he told me after the show).

The Vitaly an Evening of Wonders show is interactive, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit in the first row to participate. He bounded up and down stairs during the show, going to the top aisles on both sides to get volunteers, in addition to using volunteers down lower. For the last illusion, which uses drivers’ licenses, everyone can pony up and yours might be chosen when he’s on stage. Continue reading “Review of Vitaly off Broadway – is it Vitaly Appropriate for Kids?”

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Review: Is Phantom of the Opera Appropriate for Kids?

is phantom of the opera appropriate for kids?

Is Phantom of the Opera appropriate for kids?

It’s a little crazy that this was the first time seeing Phantom of the Opera after living in New Jersey for nine years, and seeing multiple Broadway shows per year. I figured that since it has been on Broadway for 30 years, it would be here for a while longer (we’d get around to seeing it), and other shows are coming and going. Plus, after 30 years, wouldn’t it be dated? But my kids have been asking me to go for a few years, and the stars finally aligned between our schedule and ticket prices (thank you TDF membership).

is phantom of the opera appropriate for kids?
Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

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Review: Is Come From Away Appropriate for Kids?

Is Come From Away appropriate for kids?

When my parents come in town, they ask me to find a Broadway show appropriate for the whole family. That includes two teens and my parents, who are in the senior age range. Just with my parents alone it’s hard to find a show they’ll both like. Disney shows aren’t going to cut it. Last year we saw Oh, Hello! That was great for everyone except my youngest child, who was an early teen and didn’t get a lot of the jokes.

 

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Review: Is War Paint Appropriate for Kids?

How can you not want to see a musical featuring Patty LuPone and Christine Ebersole, two giants of the Broadway stage? I was shocked to see these tickets discounted, relatively early in the run (admittedly this review is from late July). War Paint is closing on November 5, earlier than expected as Patti LuPone is getting hip replacement surgery. So get your tickets now!

War Paint. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

Plot

The show is about two smart business women who changed the world, through beauty, Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden. Continue reading “Review: Is War Paint Appropriate for Kids?”

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Review: Is The Play That Goes Wrong Appropriate for Kids?

If you find yourself looking for a play that both you and the kids will enjoy – that is not a Disney-type show aimed at kids – The Play That Goes Wrong is a great option. I took my teen daughter and realized that my younger nieces would have loved it as well.

Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel, courtesy of The Play That Goes Wrong

The show starts even before the curtain time. Continue reading “Review: Is The Play That Goes Wrong Appropriate for Kids?”

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Waitress Broadway Review: Is Waitress Appropriate for Kids?

Waitress the musical was not high on my list to see in terms of Broadway shows. But I went for my annual writer’s group show night during a conference, and that was the show selected. My goal was not only to hopefully enjoy the show but answer this question for the blog: is Waitress appropriate for kids? I did no reading about the show beforehand, though I knew Sara Bareilles was playing the lead and that she had written the lyrics. I knew it had something to do with pie. That’s it.

That pie smell wafted by the second we walked into the show. What a cute set-up. It smelled good, and we passed by a dessert stand. Inside the theater, the women selling snacks and drinks were wearing diner uniforms. The screen looked like a lattice cherry pie. It had the possibility of being too cutesy. But it wasn’t. Continue reading “Waitress Broadway Review: Is Waitress Appropriate for Kids?”