Tag: Broadway

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Review: Annie on Broadway – good for kids?

Annie seems like a rite of passage for kids. I know all the lyrics from the soundtrack, and I know I’m not alone. I remember seeing Annie in middle school in a San Francisco theater, while visiting there as part of a performing arts summer camp. No, I had no illusions I would be a performer, but it was fun anyway. We had dinner in Chinatown and then saw Annie.

annie

So it was exciting to take my kids to see Annie on Broadway, with Jane Lynch (through July 14, 2013) in the role of Miss Hannigan. I told my kids I’d be singing through the whole show, which I sort of was – I lip synced.

After seeing Matilda (review coming soon) and Billy Elliot, it never ceases to amaze me how Continue reading “Review: Annie on Broadway – good for kids?”

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Review: Pippin – appropriate for kids?

pippin poster

With 10 Tony nominations and a positive New York Times review, I was glad I had tickets to see the Pippin revival the day after its official opening. I’ve not seen Pippin before so I can’t compare how this revival is different, though the circus theme is new, and the lead player is a woman instead of a man. And her arms are so buff that Michelle Obama’s look downright flabby in comparison.

pippin leading player

Let’s start with the million dollar question for my family-friendly theater-goers:

Is Pippin appropriate for kids? Continue reading “Review: Pippin – appropriate for kids?”

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Kids’ Night on Broadway 2013 – NYC

 

Kids’ Night on Broadway is coming up soon, February 25- March 3, 2013. That means you can take the kids (ages 6-18) to a Broadway show for free, when you buy a ticket at full price. In addition to discounted shows, you can get discounted meals (kids eat free) and cheaper parking – plus some pre-theater events. Lots of great shows to choose from, including Annie, the Lion King, Wicked, Mary Poppins, Newsies and Mamma Mia.

HOW IT WORKS

You buy a ticket for one of the participating shows (see the list here) and your kid gets in free. Fine print – you buy tickets in pairs of two – one adult, one kid. If you have an extra kid (1 adult 2 kids, or 2 adults 5 kids, etc.) you pay full price for the extra kid’s ticket. All the tickets (in pairs) will print out at 50% off, and you have to pay the fees (ticketmaster, etc.) for each ticket. Make sure to use the link on the Kids’ Night Out website or use the discount code they provide. That’s it!

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, January 9 at 10 a.m. at the KNOB site. If you’re serious about which show you want, get online that second. The tickets go very quickly for the top shows. Know that some shows are only available Monday through Friday night, maybe with a Wednesday matinee – tough if you live further away and you don’t want your child staying up late on a school night. And the weekend shows are the first to sell out. I tried going online for a presale on Friday (if you sign up for the email list, you’ll get on the presale list). I decided not to skip my exercise class and went online an hour after the presale opened. All the tickets I wanted were gone (don’t worry, they open up a new set of tickets for the regular KNOB sale).

The participating shows are not all appropriate for all ages. Avenue Q, for example, I LOVE. But I would not take my kids to see it (they’re 9 and 11). I have no desire to explain drunken hook-ups and puppet sex to them. But you should get a babysitter and go on your own, outside of Kids’ Night on Broadway. Jersey Boys is the same thing. Not appropriate for my kids (I saw it in Vegas) but a fabulous show. They’ll have to wait until they’re older. While my kids have heard the soundtrack for Chicago (over and over and over) – do I want them watching the show? Uh, probably not. So use your own judgment!

 

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Review: Bring it On – the Musical

When we had friends in town who wanted to see a Broadway show, I looked through the list that would be family-friendly (and shows we haven’t already seen). We settled on Bring it On the musical, a Broadway adaption of a movie. I was a little wary about the subject matter, having never been a cheerleader myself, nor having cheerleader aspirations. The show was a lot of fun, though, and taught some good lessons about being true to yourself and being nice to other people.

the countdown before the show was similar to what you’d find in a sports arena

Continue reading “Review: Bring it On – the Musical”

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Review: Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall

I took my 11 year old daughter to see Cirque du Soleil’s Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall this past weekend. The show closes on September 2, so if you’re looking for a show to see soon, go see it. We loved it. (Zarkana heads to Las Vegas next, so you can catch it there. I saw Ka in Las Vegas and loved it. Completely different show and concept).

Zarkana is self-described as an acrobatic rock opera blending circus arts with the surreal. I think that’s a decent description. There are some spoilers in here, so don’t read the review if you want everything to be new and surprising.

They also describe the story this way: “The story follows Zark, a magician who has lost his powers – and the love of his life – in an abandoned theatre populated by a motley collection of off-the-wall characters and incomparable acrobats. He runs into the Mutants, four sirens as sinister as they are fabulous, who are determined to divert him from his quest.” Continue reading “Review: Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall”

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Review: Spiderman on Broadway – Good for Kids?

If you pay attention to Broadway shows, perhaps even if you don’t, you’ve heard about Spiderman – the most expensive show to produce on Broadway, the injuries from flying during previews, criticism of the script and Bono/The Edge music, firing of director Julie Taymor, etc. Reviews of the new production are mediocre, claiming this version of the show is bland, family entertainment (versus Taymor’s artistic version which was darker and didn’t work). And only one person I talked to who had actually seen, it liked it. In fact, she loved it, and said it was the best show she’d ever seen on Broadway. I assumed she didn’t get out much. So this was my mindset going in. I figured my 8 year old son would like it, and my critical 11 year old daughter and I would say, “meh.”

Bottom line: We all loved it.

Continue reading “Review: Spiderman on Broadway – Good for Kids?”

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Review: Once on Broadway (and is Once appropriate for kids?)

Once was just nominated for a slew of Tony awards: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Best Direction in  a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestration, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Lighting (and Best Sound Design) of a Musical.

What makes Once different? When you enter the theater, you’ll notice something different from every other Broadway show. The stage is not only lit, it’s populated with the actors and musicians playing music (which started about 15 minutes before the official showtime). You’ll also see other people up there – audience members. Yes, you can go on stage before the show (and during intermission) to listen to the music and buy drinks at the on-stage bar. And you can bring those drinks (wine/beer in plastic cups with lids and straws) back to your seat. I would love to have taken a photo but they were making a lot of announcements prohibiting photography, even before the show started.


Continue reading “Review: Once on Broadway (and is Once appropriate for kids?)”

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Review: Mamma Mia on Broadway – Appropriate for Kids?

Okay, let’s start with the question most families with young kids have. Is Mamma Mia appropriate for kids? Well…..it depends.

THE PLOT

Let’s start with the plot, in case you’re in the dark ages and haven’t heard of it. A young woman (Sophie) is getting married and wants to figure out which of the three men her mom slept with (in a short time span), is her father. Therein lies the problem for kids. Continue reading “Review: Mamma Mia on Broadway – Appropriate for Kids?”

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