Broadway shows for children
 

I am taking my 8-year old daughter and my mother on a "girl's trip" to NYC in early May. We will only be there for a long weekend (Friday-Sunday) and most of Saturday will be spent at the American Girls Place. We would like to see a Broadway show on Friday night and possibly Saturday night as well. Do you have any recommendations of shows that would be appropriate for an 8-year old besides Lion King and Beauty and the Beast? My daughter would like to see Wicked but I wasn't sure if that would be appropriate for her age.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

I think Wicked would be fine. Tarzan will have already started by then and would also be good.

I don't think "Wicked" is a very good choice for an 8 yr old - mostly because she won't get it. You should read the fantastic book that the musical was based on - you'll see what I mean.

I think a great choice would be "Hairspray". Even if some of it (very little, actually) is over her head, she'll LOVE the sets, costumes, songs and dances. Go!

I agree with Hairspray. As far as Wicked, I think it would depends on your daughter. Another possibility is Phantom, but she may find that scary. my daughter at 7 had no problem with phantom and even sat thru Les Miserables which is over 3 hrs and enjoyed both.

The will probably be parts in any of these shows that will go over her head, but that doesn't mean she won't enjoy them.

I agree about Hairspray. And, I, too, am not sure about Wicked.
As for Tarzan, who knows if it'll be appropriate? After all, it hasn't opened yet! I agree that there's a good chance that it'll be fine. But, you can't say so with full authority or confidence!

PS: My 8-year-old granddaughter was bored with Wicked.

Another optino to consider, particularly if you're looking for a second show, is the off-Broadway "Drumstruck." It's an incredible African dance and drumming show, and everyone in the audience gets their own drum. The cast teaches the audience how to drum along, and kids seem to really enjoy it (okay, so adults like me do too!)

Hairspray, definitely. I don't think Wicked will appeal nearly as much. If Fiddler on the Roof is still playing, that is another one that she might like. I did take my then 5 yr old to Phantom and he loved it, but I did a ton of prep first. He listened to the music numerous times and I found a children's version of the story that we read and an old time movie of Phantom that we watched before he attended. You might not need to do that much prep with an 8 yr old, but I would at least get her very familiar with the music. Same thing with Les Mis.

Fiddler and Les Mis are both closed now, unfortunately, so those are not an option.

Phantom could work- I saw it the first time when I was around that age (but I had seen a LOT of shows already). However, attention span is something to take into account with any of these. Many shows border on three hours, and only you will know if your child can sit through one that long. For plenty of 8-year-olds, it's no problem at all, but you don't want to consider it.

Not being a parent, I don't know if this would work, but it might be worth a try. Check out (or even buy) copies of the CD's from the plays you are considering. Listen to them with your daughter, explaining what the people are singing. See which ones she likes to listen to. If there's one she really enjoys, that'd be a good choice.

One of my earliest memories of music is listening to "The Music Man" on an album. Did I have any idea what "Balzac!" meant -- of course not. But I still enjoyed the songs.

No surprise, that was the first musical I ever went to, and I was thrilled to hear people sing the songs I had heard on the album so many times.

My 8 y.o. daughters really enjoyed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- I think it is still playing. Also, try to take her to Alice's Teacup - an adorable tea party restaurant on Amsterdam and 74th st, I believe - my girls adore it. Have fun

Little Women is still on at the Virginia Theater until May 22nd. Sutton Foster exudes her usual energy, and the rest of the cast is fine, especially Maureen McGovern as Marmee. You might consider reading her the book and then enjoying this musical with her. While the effects are impressive, I also think Wicked is a bit too adult for her. The book, especially, is definitely geared to the older reader. There's a show off-Broadway in Union Square called "Slava's Snowshow" that has been playing for a long time and has a kind of cult following among some families. My niece says it was the most unique theater experience of her young life. If you go, get tickets near the front on the main floor.

Where are my fellow posters getting all their Broadway info from?

TOTALLY WRONG - - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has closed. So has Little Women.

Check www.playbill.com for up-to-the-minute listings.

Fiddler On The Roof - ALSO CLOSED.