Matilda for young kids- Page 2

[mmFan]

Posted: 7/2/15 at 12:41pm

""Please DON'T bring kids under the age of 6 to a Bwy Theatre. There are special places designed for young audiences & BWY is NOT one of them. Yeah, you may have money to burn on your little precious ones - but the other audience members around you don't wish to sacrifice their experience to training sessions. Theatre mgmt. is trying to make money & cannot be expected to provide the boundaries that are needed to properly identify restrictions. MATILDA is not easy to follow with the strong dialects, etc. Wait until they are 10, at least."
 In all my experiences of going to the theater, the by far worst and least considerate and annoying members of the audience have been adults...not children. For the most part, children do very well... and I have seen 4 year olds do better than some.
You can't lump all children together anymore than you can lump all adults....and assuming that families who bring young children have money to burn is just horrible. Maybe they just want to expose them to live theater....instead of being stuck in front of the "telly"...and save their money for such a special event.
 
 "

 

Thank you.  I thought the person's comment was ridiculous.  The theater does have a minimum age of 4 and so after that, it's up to the parents to decide if their children are ready.

And yes, I think live theatre is great to introduce to kids early...much better than tv.  And why can't they enjoy it too?

 

 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 7/2/15 at 1:18pm

""Please DON'T bring kids under the age of 6 to a Bwy Theatre. There are special places designed for young audiences & BWY is NOT one of them. Yeah, you may have money to burn on your little precious ones - but the other audience members around you don't wish to sacrifice their experience to training sessions. Theatre mgmt. is trying to make money & cannot be expected to provide the boundaries that are needed to properly identify restrictions. MATILDA is not easy to follow with the strong dialects, etc. Wait until they are 10, at least."
 In all my experiences of going to the theater, the by far worst and least considerate and annoying members of the audience have been adults...not children. For the most part, children do very well... and I have seen 4 year olds do better than some.
You can't lump all children together anymore than you can lump all adults....and assuming that families who bring young children have money to burn is just horrible. Maybe they just want to expose them to live theater....instead of being stuck in front of the "telly"...and save their money for such a special event.
 
 "

 I am inclined to agree. Even sitting through the national tour of Beauty and the Beast, the kids were great audience members. Most of them were under 10, being that it was a matinee. Aside from one little girl asking why the living objects were still people, I don't think I heard a peep from any of them. They were taken in by the magic of theatre, and the energy that created was wonderful.

The only time I have ever had a problem with audience members, it has been with the elderly members. They explain the shows to each other, complain about the shows, and sing along like there is nobody else in the theatre with them (this one is especially true of seeing any Rodgers and Hammerstein show).

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 7/2/15 at 5:11pm

And we have one new Matilda. Previously, they have announced four new ones all at once. This time, we have two current "Tinytildas" - Tori and Fina -  and they have just added one more "Nextilda"... Mattea Conforti. I think she is 8 years old so she falls into the "Tiny" category.  Welcome!

[mmFan]

Posted: 7/2/15 at 8:24pm

So I downloaded the Matilda cd (broadway version) and I find it very hard to understand what they are saying.  Yikes.  Hopefully listening a few times over will help?

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 7/2/15 at 8:59pm

I bought the CD so it came with liner notes..with all the lyrics.

I found this from the London...it's not exactly the same for everyone song... but I am sure most of it will be helpful.

http://www.metrolyrics.com/matilda-london-cast-albums-list.html

 

[ampi2]

Posted: 7/5/15 at 1:00pm

They're gonna have a fun time! I'm pretty sure the movie is on Netflix btw.

[brdway411]

Posted: 7/5/15 at 2:39pm

The show is totally different from the movie. 

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 7/5/15 at 2:49pm

Well, not "totally" different.

[mommabears2]

Posted: 7/5/15 at 3:23pm

"We're coming to NY end of the summer and we always see at least one musical.  My DS10 has read Matilda at school and also has seen the movie so this seems like a good one for him.
I'm trying to decide for DD6, and it's between Matilda (so we all go as a family) or seeing Wicked again (she saw it last year and loved it). 
I've seen clips on youtube and it seems like a high energy show.
My questions are:
1.  Is the story easily understood for younger kids?
2.  Can you understand them or are their accents too thick?  (my biggest worry)
3.  Is the music catchy?  I personally enjoy musicals where you walk out with the songs in your head.
I've heard that Matilda can be scary for young kids (I think there is a mean teacher?) but my younger one seems to understand the difference between something being real and made up stories.
 "

We LOVE the musical Matilda in our house.  We live in the midwest, but have taken 3 trips to NYC this year for various things.  Every trip, some of my kids have seen Matilda.  My 13 year old daughter, it is one of her favorite shows.  She has now seen it 6 times. LOVES it.  My youngest is 5 - he has seen it twice, also loves the show.  It is coming nearby on tour within the next year - he cannot wait to see it again.  My 20 year old was in NYC a few months ago - wondered if he should see it, was actually a little reluctant to at first.  Also absolutely loved the show.  It's magical.

The story is easier to understand if you are familiar with the music.  Listen to the soundtrack - it will help.  There are some fantastic songs in it.  Naughty.  When I Grow Up. Revolting Children. Quiet. There are quite a few more. Only down side of the show - before returning to kindergarten I had to explain to my son it was not ok to stand on the desks at school and sing Revolting Children.  

If your daughter has seen Wicked - this won't be too scary for her.  It's a magical show. I would advise sitting on the main floor if possible.  Through much of the show, the cast is running through the aisles.  Love seeing it from the main floor.  

[starcatchers]

Posted: 7/5/15 at 3:30pm

"So I downloaded the Matilda cd (broadway version) and I find it very hard to understand what they are saying.  Yikes.  Hopefully listening a few times over will help?"

 

They have lightened up the accents considerably since that was recorded. I don't think you'll have a problem now. 

 

As as for the poster who rudely warns against bringing children to the theatre... I'm inclined to agree that any problems I've had with fellow audience members have been adults. Children often have a higher sense of respect for the show, whether or not they realize it, simply because it's something new and exciting. Adults tend to be much more blasé about the whole experience, and the experience of the people sitting around them. 

One of my all-time favorite theatre going experiences has been taking my (then) 7/9/11 year old cousins to see Cinderella. They were absolutely enraptured with the whole show, and were the most respectful young ladies.

 

I'm glad you went ahead and got the tickets. Your kids are going to have the most wonderful time. 

[mmFan]

Posted: 7/5/15 at 5:40pm

""We're coming to NY end of the summer and we always see at least one musical.  My DS10 has read Matilda at school and also has seen the movie so this seems like a good one for him.
I'm trying to decide for DD6, and it's between Matilda (so we all go as a family) or seeing Wicked again (she saw it last year and loved it). 
I've seen clips on youtube and it seems like a high energy show.
My questions are:
1.  Is the story easily understood for younger kids?
2.  Can you understand them or are their accents too thick?  (my biggest worry)
3.  Is the music catchy?  I personally enjoy musicals where you walk out with the songs in your head.
I've heard that Matilda can be scary for young kids (I think there is a mean teacher?) but my younger one seems to understand the difference between something being real and made up stories.
 "
We LOVE the musical Matilda in our house.  We live in the midwest, but have taken 3 trips to NYC this year for various things.  Every trip, some of my kids have seen Matilda.  My 13 year old daughter, it is one of her favorite shows.  She has now seen it 6 times. LOVES it.  My youngest is 5 - he has seen it twice, also loves the show.  It is coming nearby on tour within the next year - he cannot wait to see it again.  My 20 year old was in NYC a few months ago - wondered if he should see it, was actually a little reluctant to at first.  Also absolutely loved the show.  It's magical.
The story is easier to understand if you are familiar with the music.  Listen to the soundtrack - it will help.  There are some fantastic songs in it.  Naughty.  When I Grow Up. Revolting Children. Quiet. There are quite a few more. Only down side of the show - before returning to kindergarten I had to explain to my son it was not ok to stand on the desks at school and sing Revolting Children.  
If your daughter has seen Wicked - this won't be too scary for her.  It's a magical show. I would advise sitting on the main floor if possible.  Through much of the show, the cast is running through the aisles.  Love seeing it from the main floor.  "

 Great to hear your kids love it so much, and it's one to see again and again (that's a great sign).  All of us are listening to the soundtrack and my 6 year old is watching you tube videos of the songs you mention and is quite excited.  I can answer my own question...the songs are indeed catchy since I'm walking around with them in my head now...lol.

 

And thanks...I am finding that after a second time, that I am understanding it better. 

starcatchers...so even better if the accents are even lighter now than the original broadway recording.  We are looking forward to it.  And that's sweet with you young cousins at Cinderella. Thanks for the feedback.

Updated On: 7/5/15 at 05:40 PM

[jwsel]

Posted: 7/6/15 at 1:09am

I don't know how useful this will be, but my parents took my 10-year-old niece and 6-year-old nephew to see the tour tonight.  Per reports, both kids loved the show and were very into it.  The caveat is that my niece and nephew may not be typical of many kids.  They are pretty mature for their ages and have very good attention spans.  It also may have helped that they read the book earlier this week, so they knew the story.

 

Having seen the show last week, I would add that some of the lyrics are hard to understand.  It is especially bad on Revolting Children.  I don't usually have a problem understanding English accents, so I think the problem is with diction from some of the singers.  

[mmFan]

Posted: 7/6/15 at 8:09am

"I don't know how useful this will be, but my parents took my 10-year-old niece and 6-year-old nephew to see the tour tonight.  Per reports, both kids loved the show and were very into it.  The caveat is that my niece and nephew may not be typical of many kids.  They are pretty mature for their ages and have very good attention spans.  It also may have helped that they read the book earlier this week, so they knew the story.
 
Having seen the show last week, I would add that some of the lyrics are hard to understand.  It is especially bad on Revolting Children.  I don't usually have a problem understanding English accents, so I think the problem is with diction from some of the singers.  "

 Same ages as my kids, so that's a good comparison. They are quite liking the soundtrack and ask to listen to it when in the car, so I'm happy with our theatre choice.

I noticed too when there are many singers at once (and if its a loud song) that it's especially hard to understand, which probably holds for Revolting Children.  If it's the odd part that we are not catching, then it's not a big deal.  But if we couldn't understand at all, then that's an issue.  I seem to be getting most of it, so just hope my kids can understand too.