On Broadway: Cabaret and Chicago too mature for 12 year old girl?
Apr 21st, 2003, 05:32 PM
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On Broadway: Cabaret and Chicago too mature for 12 year old girl?
We'd like to see Cabaret while in New York, but I'm getting the impression from various websites the content is very mature, possibly inappropriate for a 12 year old. (I'm pretty conservative and my daughter doesn't typically go to PG-13 movies.) Any thoughts? I have the same concern about Chicago, to a lesser degree.
Apr 21st, 2003, 05:45 PM
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Well, Chicago the movie was PG-13, the play is very similar to the movie, so think of it as whether or not you would approve of going to a PG-13 movie. It is somewhat sexual and is about a murder trial.
I think Cabaret is more risque.
Why not choose something not physically sexual yet not childish? Phantom?
I think Cabaret is more risque.
Why not choose something not physically sexual yet not childish? Phantom?
Apr 22nd, 2003, 05:03 AM
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Hi Miranda,
Cabaret is actually performed at Studio 54, a former nightclub. So somehow it feels a bit more "real" than the suspended disbelief you experience when watching a stage show. The plot is very dark. 12 year olds these days are very mature but I think there are much better choices. What about Hairspray or 42nd St? Also Rent seems to be quite popular with kids & teens. 42nd st & Rent are both available at discount prices online at playbill.com.
Cabaret is actually performed at Studio 54, a former nightclub. So somehow it feels a bit more "real" than the suspended disbelief you experience when watching a stage show. The plot is very dark. 12 year olds these days are very mature but I think there are much better choices. What about Hairspray or 42nd St? Also Rent seems to be quite popular with kids & teens. 42nd st & Rent are both available at discount prices online at playbill.com.
Apr 22nd, 2003, 05:36 AM
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I have seen both shows and I think Cabaret would be inappropriate for a 12 year old girl. In fact the first time I went was with my mom, two aunts and grandmothers. The grandmas' thought the show was "raunchy". I think Chicago or Hairspray would be a better choice. You can also check out the website, www.theatermania.com, they offer a lot of shows at a discount and it is free to join.
Good Luck and enjoy whatever show you choose!
Good Luck and enjoy whatever show you choose!
Apr 22nd, 2003, 06:10 AM
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Cabaret is definitely more mature than Chicago. In Chicago, the leads are supposed to be vaudeville stars who are in prision for murder. The sense of humor is very cynical, the wardrobe is short and very sexy, the dancing is amazing, and it is a lot of fun. I would take a 12 year old, though I am not sure if a 12 year old will understand everything.
Cabaret is a bit different. It is about the obsessive relationship between an American guy and a British girl in pre WW2 Berlin. There are gays, Nazis, a lot of sexual innuendo and, overall, a very dark subtone to everything. I thought it was a fantastic play, one of the more interesting things in Broadway right now. However, I would never take a 12 year old to see it.
Cabaret is a bit different. It is about the obsessive relationship between an American guy and a British girl in pre WW2 Berlin. There are gays, Nazis, a lot of sexual innuendo and, overall, a very dark subtone to everything. I thought it was a fantastic play, one of the more interesting things in Broadway right now. However, I would never take a 12 year old to see it.
Apr 22nd, 2003, 08:08 AM
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I saw Chicago on Broadway a few months ago (before the movie came out) and it was fabulous!! I think it's appropriate enough for a 12 year old. 7th grade? We got great seats at the TKTS booth at half off.
Apr 22nd, 2003, 08:55 AM
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"Throughly Modern Millie" would be a great choice for your 12 year old daughter. My daughter had fond memories of seeing the movie as a little girl and the two of us saw the stage version in New York when it opened. While I enjoyed Cabaret and Chicago, I think Millie would be more entertaing for your daughter.
Apr 22nd, 2003, 09:10 AM
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Interesting. My young daughter (but older than 12) came away from "Cabaret" talking about the fact that the German people didn't heed the warnings about what was already happening and what would be happening in Nazi Germany. And neither one of us liked "Chicago" the musical; she did like the movie. (I haven't seen it yet.)
Apr 22nd, 2003, 09:36 AM
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I went to see Cabaret during a "girls' trip" to NYC, with my mom and sisters (all adults). We had a table right next to the stage. This is definitely not an appropriate show for a 12-year-old girl. From our vantage point, we could see everything the actors were and (more importantly) were NOT wearing! It was a great show but very risque. I was actually a little embarrassed to be there with my mom!!
Apr 22nd, 2003, 10:49 AM
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I would not recommend either show for a 12 year old because their themes are so dark. The lead character in Cabaret is constantly losing herself in loveless sexual encounters; the performers and patrons of the bar are prostitutes, Nazis and lost souls. This is a reaction to the oppression of their time, but not something I'd pick for a sensitive pre-teen's entertainment.
Chicago is about the cynicism of the press and how the media exploits its subjects, and is in turn exploited by them. The lead character cheats on her husband and commits murder, but winds up as a media darling. Again, this is not an approach that a young person could handle, IMO. I would look for something more upbeat.
Chicago is about the cynicism of the press and how the media exploits its subjects, and is in turn exploited by them. The lead character cheats on her husband and commits murder, but winds up as a media darling. Again, this is not an approach that a young person could handle, IMO. I would look for something more upbeat.
Apr 22nd, 2003, 10:59 AM
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I may be past 50 myself and know that I couldn't have handled shows like Cabaret and Chicago when I was 12 (or at least would have been totally lost in them), but I'd beg to differ with that idea for today's youth. Not all 12 year olds today are fascinated by Disney nor do they all find G movies entertaining or interesting. Many can handle the themes being discussed above, and often with a much more open mind than their parents or other adults. It depends on the "child" more than anything. A little eye opening awareness can be a good thing -- as so well stated by BuzzyJ above. There are some powerful lessons to be learned watching Cabaret, and thank God for this newer Donmar production that makes it more meaningful than the original "song and dance/ put on a happy face" version.
Apr 22nd, 2003, 03:25 PM
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BjorkChop:
I regret that you took offense, and I also regret that you mention the word "prejudiced" so lightly. Miranda is concerned about what her daughter may see in the play, and she also mentions that she is conservative. It was just a piece of information to help her make an informed decision. Why were you not offended becaused I mentioned "sexual innuendo" as part of the show? Does that mean that I am prejudiced against sexuality?
Have you seen Cabaret? For some reason, I don't think so. Had you seen it you would not question the reason I wrote what I wrote IN THE CONTEXT OF THE QUESTION I was answering.
I regret that you took offense, and I also regret that you mention the word "prejudiced" so lightly. Miranda is concerned about what her daughter may see in the play, and she also mentions that she is conservative. It was just a piece of information to help her make an informed decision. Why were you not offended becaused I mentioned "sexual innuendo" as part of the show? Does that mean that I am prejudiced against sexuality?
Have you seen Cabaret? For some reason, I don't think so. Had you seen it you would not question the reason I wrote what I wrote IN THE CONTEXT OF THE QUESTION I was answering.
Apr 22nd, 2003, 04:03 PM
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I'm over 50 (and female) and found both Cabaret and Chicago to be rather risque (for myself - Cabaret more so). But, I would take a 12 year-old daughter to either (if I had one). Other than the skimpy costumes (and any pre-teen can see plenty of that on MTV and in the teen magazines...), all the "mature and possibly inappropriate" stuff will go unnoticed by a 12-year old. One must really pay attention to the dialog and the lyrics to grasp the story lines. Though, there is one scene (about 30 seconds) in Cabaret (when they prop up a white screen) I'd lean over and distract her during...
