Avenue Q
New World Stages | Opening: 10/09/2009Tony-winning musical Avenue Q is the hilarious and heartfelt story of a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York with big dreams and little money. He can only afford to live on Avenue Q but—good news!—his neighbors turn out to be a remarkably funny bunch of characters.
Picture a grown-up episode of Sesame Street, with satirical songs (“It Sucks To Be Me”) and jokes replacing preschool-style banter. The actors remain visible at all times and mimic the action of their puppets, adding yet another level of humor. Avenue Q is fast-moving and laugh-packed, particularly for audiences willing to embrace its rebellious, politically incorrect spirit.
In spite of the presence of Henson-esque puppets, Avenue Q is not a children’s musical. Explicit language is used throughout, two of the puppet characters have sex onstage, one character wrestles with his sexuality and one dirty ditty declares, “The internet is for porn.” Older teenagers will enjoy the show because it tackles issues of growing up and leaving home, but parents should use discretion in deciding whether their kids are mature enough for Avenue Q.
Blue Man Group
Astor Place Theatre | Opening: 11/17/1991Blue Man Group centers on three human(ish) men who have blue heads and no ears. They don’t speak and, in fact, utter not one sound. But look at their faces long enough and you can detect the faintest hint of curiosity and wonder, like when gazing at audience members’ cell phones and Blackberrys as if they were objects from outer space. The ultimate mission of the Blue Men is to share with us their own interesting gadgets, like their sci-fi drum kits and LED-screen thought balloons. Just prepare yourself when they break out the Cap ‘n Crunch and toilet paper.
If the description above didn’t tip you off, Blue Man Group is not plot-driven and has only the slightest thread of a storyline. It is, however, an incredibly entertaining spectacle that incorporates high-tech stage effects, old-fashioned comedy and even a bit of circus-style mime and clowning. As interactive as theater gets, the first few rows come equipped with ponchos and plastic coverings, so audience members can shield themselves from food, paint and whatever other substances fly off the stage. Surely the Blue Men are saying something about life, technology and the failure to communicate. Then again, you might just walk out thinking, “Dude that was way cool!”
Blue Man Group is great for kids. These men don’t speak, hence they don’t even come close to using any bad language, making rude gestures or anything else that might be considered unsuitable subject matter for your children. Fact is, if the Blue Men simply walked onstage and did nothing, kids could busy themselves for hours just looking at their faces. That these guys also roll out many a space-age bell and whistle makes the show an experience kids will never forget. Adults won’t, either.
*Please note: Children under the age of 5 will not be admitted.
Fantasticks, The
Snapple Theatre Center - Jerry Orbach Theatare | Opening: 08/23/2006The Fantasticks tells the story of a young boy and girl who fall madly in love at the hands of their meddling fathers, but soon grow restless and stray from one another. Will their separation provide a deeper appreciation for the love they once shared—or create a permanent gulf between them? The Fantasticks is a quintessential celebration of love in all its gorgeous simplicity and heartbreaking complexities. The Fantasticks originally opened at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse on May 3, 1960, and played 17,162 performances before closing January 13, 2002, making it the world's longest-running musical. This production, directed by librettist Tom Jones, inaugurates the new Snapple Theatre Center and includes the beloved songs "Try to Remember," "Soon It's Gonna Rain" and many more. If you've never seen this classic romantic fable—or if you've seen and loved it—now is the time to fall under the spell of The Fantasticks again.
Fuerza Bruta: Look Up
Daryl Roth Theatre | Opening: 10/04/07Not a traditional, story-driven production, Fuerzabruta (or “Brute Force,” in English) is a completely non-verbal performance the uses music, dance, acrobatics, aerial imagery and some awe-inspiring visual displays and set designs. The show combines segments that trigger a whole range of emotions, from desperation to triumph to pure joy. There’s a wee bit of plot, too, in a running theme involving a guy in a suit who faces harsh winds, flying objects and brick walls while chasing after something. Or maybe he’s being chased. Fuerzabruta doesn’t sweat those kinds of details. It just wants to rock your world with an overload of sight, sound and motion.
Fuerzabruta is a full-on 360 degree experience. The space looks more like a club than a theater. There’s not even a stage, per se, as the action happens around, above and among you. The audience not only stands for the entirety of the performance, but everyone’s moved (sometimes pushed) around en masse to make way for raised platforms and other changing scenery. Cast members, most of whom are dripping wet, freely mingle with the crowd and might give you a hug and/or encourage you to join in their tribal dancing and shouting. It all ends with a techno dance party, and the DJ’s got a hose! So stand to the sides if your post-theater plans involve reservations at a fancy restaurant.
It might be overwhelming for the little ones, since there’s a lot of darkness, loud music and misty, fog-like air. The show also begins with a central character being shot numerous times, a scene complete with several loud bangs and plenty of blood packets. Technically, there’s no nudity, yet one of the shows most eye-popping segments–in which the performers cavort in a swimming pool that’s suspended above the audience, can make for from some unexpected sights. This is a better bet for teens and up.
Gazillion Bubble Show, The
New World Stages | Opening: 02/15/2007There’s not much (or any) story to the Gazillion Bubble Show—everything you need to know is right there in the title. World renowned “bubble artist” Fan Yang and wife Ana have traveled the globe perfecting what they affectionately call “bubble artistry,” meaning you and yours are in for a filmy, floating, family-friendly spectacle. Lights, lasers, music and a variety of tools come together to create a theater’s worth of the show’s namesake object, including square bubbles, bubbles within bubbles, “dancing” bubbles and a host of equally exotic soapy orbs of all sizes (including some big enough to fit a human). The spectacle climaxes with a deluge of popable air globules that number, if not in the gazillions, then at least somewhere close.
Designed as an air light slip of a production, Gazillion Bubble Show is essentially a kid-friendly variety show built on a single subject. Creators Fan or Ana act as the show’s artist of the day, taking the stage to showcase one bubble-themed trick after the next. A slim 85 minutes with no intermission, the foamy piece moves on the energy of its mostly young audience, bursting into its finale right around the same time ticketholders attention spans start to wander.
Gazillion Bubble Show isn’t just good for kids—it’s made specifically for them. The production’s bubble stunts will appeal to the tactile senses of all showgoers, while parents can rest easy knowing everything remains decidedly rated G. A note of warning: the show does utilize audience participation, so adults toting introverted or nervous tots should go for tickets closer to the back of the theater to ensure a more passive theatergoing experience.
Love, Loss and What I Wore
Westside Theatre | Opening: 10/01/2009Love, Loss and What I Wore follows fragmented stories about the nostalgic power of women’s clothing. A starry cast of five women enrobed in chic black sit on stools and tell funny, wistful and universal memories about their families and loved ones through the prism of their closets. The throughline is narrated by Gingy, a wise older woman who reminisces about what she wore at milestones in her life—complete with sketches of the styles. Like a long heart-to-heart with your best friend over coffee, the conversation meanders from a bittersweet story of a stepmother wearing the same style bathrobe as her husband’s late wife (to the dismay of the children) to a couple’s musings of what they wore on their wedding day to a rant about loathing the need to carry a purse. With odes to black clothing, cowboy boots and outfits that makes mothers cringe, Love, Loss and What I Wore is unabashedly girly—in a good way.
Lighthearted and witty, Love, Loss and What I Wore is perfect for a girls night out or date night. Some have called it a chick flick for the stage, and it’s a fair assessment. It has all of the qualities of a great chick flick: relatable characters, quotable comedy and the right amount of sentimental moments mixed in.
A good choice for a special mother-daughter event, Love, Loss and What I Wore is appropriate for teens. Younger children will not be interested in the material any more than they would want to listen in on a catch-up conversation with your old college roommate. On the other hand, there is nothing offensive in the show, so if your children are interested, take them!
Million Dollar Quartet
New World Stages - Stage 4 | Opening: 07/28/11Based on a real-life jam session of rock ’n’ roll gods Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, Million Dollar Quartet reveals what happened at that historic meeting on December 4, 1956. With the holidays just around the corner, chart-topper Presley, a then unknown Lewis, rising star Cash and stalled up-and-comer Perkins find themselves assembled at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, where their producer and manager Sam Phillips has business on his mind. In the rocking hour that follows, Phillips’ roster of extraordinary musical talent shows why and how they became four of the biggest names in music history.
While the show doles out plenty of rock ‘n’ roll history during its 90-minute running time, but info is served along with exuberant rock hits by each of the four artists, ensuring that Million Dollar Quartet is more musical spectacle than college course. The production is light on plot, breezing through career highlights to get to what matters most: the music, which is performed with reckless abandon live onstage by the cast. Audiences with an affinity for classic rockabilly will be hard-pressed not to be drawn in by stars the stars, who embody their respective characters down to the very last pelvic gyration or piano pounding.
This show is a kid-friendly celebration of music that the entire family can enjoy. While definitely not a show made especially for children—the production aims for the hearts of those who grew up twisting and shouting, and adults can drink alcohol in their seats—the production’s up tempo numbers come in rapid succession and the plot is easy to follow. There is some sexual innuendo, smoking and drinking, but the show is almost as clean as The Ed Sullivan Show. This one is an excellent primer for future music junkies.
Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, & Marriage!
The Downstairs Lounge At Sofia's | Opening: 10/24/2010If you’ve read the title of this show, you pretty much know what it’s about. Based on the advice book by Abigail Grotke, Miss Abigail features a self-styled relationship guru who dispenses sage advixe, calling on her years of experience and the wisdom of every book on love and romance written from the middle ages onward. With her trusty aide Paco, this Emily Post-meets-Dr. Ruth character takes “celebrity” calls on her love hotline. Looking for love? Falling in love? Crazy in lust? Miss Abigail has answers for you!
Miss Abigail has a relaxed, fun vibe befitting the subject matter. The show clocks in at a little under 90 minutes, but you’re not just going to sit back, relax and enjoy the show: audience participation is a big part of this one. If you’re not interested in having your say, stay away from an aisle seat; if you are, you could get a once in a lifetime chance to play a patented Miss Abigail game show like “Love, Lust or Stalking?”
This is not a show for young kids. Much of the show’s content is relatively tame but love and sex aren’t usually standard children’s fare. Add to that the wild card of audience participation, and you never know what’s going to happen. Sexual innuendo aside, Miss Abigail is funny in a “we’ve all been there” kind of way, and youngsters simply won’t relate.
Naked Boys Singing
New World Stages - Stage 4 | Opening: 07/22/99The title says it all. This well-natured musical revue features eight actors who sing and dance in their birthday suits (well, they’re fully naked 90% of the time, to be exact). There’s no plot, really, just a bunch of skits and songs about gay life and male nudity—silly ditties about topics like circumcision and getting aroused in public as well as more emotional songs about finding love.
What’s Naked Boys Singing Like?
If the idea of meeting the cast of a show completely naked within the first few minutes sounds good, it’s a lot of fun! It should also be noted that although there are gay themes throughout, the show has become popular with non-gays who like nudity as well. In fact, many bachelorette parties swing by for a giggle before the big day.
Is Naked Boys Singing for Kids?
Um, no.
Rent
New World Stages - Stage 1 | Opening: 08/11/11Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking Tony and Pulitzer Prize Award winner reinvented musicals when it debuted in 1996. An inspiring story about friends and artists struggling in New York City’s East Village, Rent tackles addiction, poverty, AIDS and most of all, love.
Stomp
Orpheum Theatre | Opening: 02/27/1994Not so much a story as it is a situation, Stomp takes place in a fenced-in, junkyard environment where custodial-type workers in coveralls and tank tops appear one-by-one onstage, all sweeping the bare stage with push brooms. Slowly, all those dissonant sweeping noises lock into a syncopated rhythm, as the cast proceeds to milk funky-funky beats from a number of workaday objects: Zippo lighters, industrial-sized garbage cans, newspapers, plastic jugs, hubcaps, running water, even the kitchen sink! There’s no traditional storyline, per se, except maybe a running gag involving a character who marches to the beat of a different drum, literally. Instead, Stomp works its narrative magic with profound sounds, and the inspired sight of everyday Joes and Joannes becoming artistes with the most boring ol’ materials.
Not big on speaking real words, the cast limits all communication between each other and the audience to grunts, nods and facial expressions. (The closest they come to using a formal language is by shouting, “Yeah!”) In addition to its innovative drumming, the show works in some very funny sight gags. The charming cast also knows how to work a crowd, often poking fun at latecomers and front-row attendees, then helping the entire room embrace their latent percussive tendencies. Amazingly, that alone adds up to a swift, intermission-less, 105-minute show. But keep in mind: Toward the end, the performers bang on bigger and bigger objects, and the noise level gets louder and louder. Those with sensitive ears and heads may want to pack earplugs and Advil, just in case.
This is a perfectly fine show for the kids. The only moment when this super-engaging show even hints at something possibly inappropriate comes after four kitchen sinks filled with water are used in a funky jam. (The male players empty the sinks, you see, and the running water looks as if they’re relieving themselves.) Ultimately, this is totally harmless, and fully-loaded with the kind of tiny yet world-rocking discoveries that kids never forget. (“You mean that trash-can lid is a musical instrument!?!”) Just don’t be surprised when you get home and the kitchen gets raided by aspiring tin-can composers.
*Please note: Children under the age of 5 will not be admitted.
Voca People
Westside Theatre | Opening: 07/12/11Experience for yourself the international, intergalactic musical explosion from the planet Voca, located somewhere behind the sun. The aliens have made their way across the solar system. Now if they can only master the NYC subway system. Let's hope so, because live on stage they combine acapella and beat box to create a musical experience that's truly out of this world and a comic close encounter of the absolutely hilarious kind. Using no instruments, only vocals, they create an alien, innovative sound that's music to your ears. And every other part of your body, for that matter. Come see them breathe life into 70 of the songs you love in a show that will make the earth stand still...and move you like you've never moved before.
Zarkana
Radio City Music Hall | Opening: 06/29/11Cirque du Soleil invites you to Zarkana, a beautifully bizarre journey premiering exclusively at Radio City Music Hall. This epic spectacle takes audiences into a fantastical and suspenseful world where highly-acrobatic feats are heightened by original live music and interactive multimedia elements. Zarkana transforms the grandest stage in the world into a world of unreality as only Cirque du Soleil could imagine. Directed by the internationally acclaimed François Girard (The Red Violin, Silk), this new production features 71 international artists and follows Zark, a magician on a quest to find his lost powers. He finds himself plunged into a world inhabited by surreal and mesmerizing creatures. The music of Zarkana is composed by Nick Littlemore, a protégé of Sir Elton John.
