Appropriate Age for Threepenny?

18? I respectfully disagree. Teens need to see a wide range of art, even art that's improperly done, and even a wildly distorted THREE PENNY still has Brecht and Weill there for substance. I took my 15 year old son. I also took him to ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE and RABBIT HOLE. He wasn't damaged. (He's actually heard the eff curse before. In far less artful material, and circumstances.)

My soapbox stance:

I think assuming that teens can be kept under a rock until 18 is encourages incuriosity. They don't wake up at 18, after a steady diet of tacky, lurid PG-13 "teen fare" and suddenly want to see the better material. You have to take them by the hand and lead them to a bit of everything, even -- gasp -- material that might shake them up in the moment. The theater, which has a level of artifice movies do not, operates under a different suspension of disbelief anyway. Open up the world to them, and help them think, analyze, and grow. They'll learn what they personally appreciate, what they don't. And crtical thinking cannot be acquired overnight; it is a long distance journey.

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Updated On: 4/29/06 at 09:45 AM

If a child was very mature I'd say 15 or 16.
If not, 18 or older.

iheart, I'd love to hear what you think of my soapbox position. I find myself defending my son's theatergoing all of the time. Parents are oddly inconsistent -- you might say hypocritical. We live in a bizarre world -- letting our kids go online and see/read anything 24/7. And watch TV, constant assault of shallowness. And see crap PG-13 (and R, leet's face it) movies. But then go -- eek! They curse in this play! Or simulate sex! Put on the brakes!

If you have thoughts on teens seeing more demanding -- adult at times -- theater, please share.

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I think you have to assess your child, and based on his her her maturity level decide to take her to a show.

Updated On: 4/29/06 at 11:03 AM

Thanks for the advice. I asked this because I'm 15 turning 16 in May and I may go to NY in June. I was considering seeing this show.

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My brother is 9 and loved it. Yes, much of it went over his head, but the political significance of the pieve was not entirely lost on him, and he especially loved the music. To put things in prespective, we are New Yorkers and avid theatre goers, and he is a mature 9 year old. I'm 14 and loved it even more than he did. I think it's hard to pick an appropriate age for this because it is so subjective.

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I have nothing against encouraging children to see theater. And I think Threepenny IS appropriate for mature teenagers.

But no matter how mature, I think it's wrong to take a 9 year old to see this show. What's the point? They won't understand the subject matter, or the politics, or the themes, so why take them to it?

Let kids be kids, for Pete's sake. Wy expose them to adult themes when they're too young to handle them? It's one thing to talk about a 13 year old seeing the show (which I admit, I think is a little young as well). But a 9 year old? There HAS to be a line drawn. Kids can be mature and enjoy GOOD theater without exposing them to a show like this production of "Threepenny Opera".

Updated On: 4/30/06 at 01:06 AM

18.

im 13 and i got tickets to see it with my cousin who's 16. i think we're seeing it friday or saturday.

she's really mature, because she could handle alot, because she's basically an adult. I guess i'm mature, i could handle alot of adult themes also.

I'm 16 and I loved it..and I mean LOVED it...it was slightly uncomfortable with the raunchiness - but it's life - it was AMAZING. It really gave me a new perspective on things.
I loved it. Never ever ever got bored.

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