Favorite Broadway musical for adults and young teens?
 

Can you recommend which production would be enjoyed by teens and adults? Lion King? Phantom of the Opera? I'd like a simple story line, preferably a musical. Thank you!

Wicked is topnotch.

"Wicked", definitely. Possibly "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" which might appeal if the teens are on the younger side.

If you haven't seen "Lion King", it's very striking. My personal opinion is that "Phantom"'s time has passed and I've always found it boring.

Thank you. I signed up for playbill. If I am going in August, when should I purchase tickets?

The minute you know your dates for sure, then I would buy tickets. Shows that are in demand sell out far in advance. Have a great time.

Another recommendation would be Hairspray. Teens love it and for adults it's lots of fun and a flashback to the early sixties.

Wicked is amazing! We've seen it twice now and I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. It gives a whole new spin to the Wizard of Oz.

Book seats as soon as you possibly can. This show is selling out like crazy. Try to get seats in the orchestra section in the front to middle. It is a large theatre. We sat in row L or M the first time and were very pleased with seats. Skip the upper mezzanine area if you can. You end up being too far away. You can't see the faces as clearly and the expressions add a lot to the show.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (just saw - very good), and Steel Magnolias are all just opening and might be fun depending on the age of the teens.

I personally didn't like Phantom either but my sister and her 11 year old daughter loved it. I'd go to their website and listen to some of the music. www.thephantomoftheopera.com It is either something you like or don't. I could have fallen asleep!

Book your tickets through www.telecharge.com or through www.ticketmaster.com. Discount codes can be found at www.broadwaybox.com. Most shows have a discount. Of course Wicked does not because of the popularity!

Best of luck!

Unless your teens are young teens (read immature) then skip Lion King.
Too many other options that are much better.
Plus its just a scream fest with animals. IMO.

Better picks:
WICKED
RENT
HAIRSPRAY
PHANTOM (a classic, never out of date!)

I realize all our opinions won't jive and I'm not saying anyone will like or not like a particular show, but I do feel it is necessary to say that wanderluster's suggestion that Lion King is strictly for "immature" teens and that it is "scream fest with animals" if a very different opinion from the vast majority or older teens and adults who have seen it. I would have guessed before going that opinion would be mine also -- but I saw nothing about it that would suggest it isn't very appropriate to adults, yet alone teens who grew up knowing the Lion King (I had never seen the movie when I went).

Again, I'm not knocking his not liking the show, that's understandable. I just think you ought to know that there are few people who would think it is too juvenile for either teens or adults.

one more vote for wicked!
also wonderful for older teens, Brooklyn

We absolutely loved HAIRSPRAY.
We saw it a year ago when daughter was 13 and we are still listening to and enjoying the soundtrack.

Another vote for Hairspray. Our young ones loved it and thought it was much better than Wicked, which they didn't like.

If you can swing the ticket prices, I'd pick either Hairspray or Wicked and then also go to Phantom. We did this with our kids when we went to NYC a few years ago (they were then 9 and 12). Phantom was an awesome experience--classic Broadway and the venue itself is wonderful. We also went to the last night of Annie Get Your Gun and concluded the whole trip with Blue Man Group (and yes, we had to almost sell our blood to pay for it all, but what a fun trip :-) ). Three very different experiences--all fabulous in their own way. The nice thing is--my kids are now hooked on Broadway shows and we've been to several traveling performances when they hit Denver. My 16 year old son will be in NYC this summer and is seeing Wicked and Hairspray. I'll report back after he gets home the middle of June.

Lion King is unbelievably awesome for any age. I will never tire of it, I'm sure. I also love Phantom, but the story is slightly more difficult to follow. It' still beautiful though. I haven't seen Wicked or Hairspray, but Rent is very dark. It is a musical, but a very serious one. Some teens would like it. Others would be disturbed by it. It's good, but so different from the others it's hard to compare.

If you are into Modern Dance and Billy Joel, Movin Out is also a great choice. I don't know a teenager who didn't love Rent (many have seen it several times). Hairspray is a great family show, very upbeat.

Has anyone seen "Chicago". I loved the musical score from the movie, but am surprised no one has mentioned it as a good option for the family.

Chicago is a wonderful show, but I'm not sure if teenagers would enjoy it that much.

You could rent "Chicago" on DVD and see if you think it would be appropriate for your family.

Lee Ann

It has suddenly occurred to me that trying to figure you what shows most adults would like is very difficult. But trying to figure out what any given teenager would like is definitely IMPOSSIBLE.

Amen, Patrick. My mantra since having teens is keeping a good bottle of wine handy and an ample supply of L'Oreal :-)

I personally think your best bet for happy teens is Wicked.