Boy From Oz Question - kids

The suicide of the father isn't shown until the very end of the show. All you see is a shadow of a man puttin a gun to his head, and then you hear the shot. Peter's mother then sings "Don't cry out Loud." That's pretty much it. The suicide is not a huge part of the plot. I'd say that the show is appropriate for teens above the age of 12 or 13.

14?! Not to be too cynical ... but have you watched TV lately?

I took my 12 1/2 year old, who has grown up seeing lots of theater. He wasn't shocked, just bored outta his mind whenever Hugh wasn't center stage, and sometimes when he was. And he was naturally intrigued that the Dorothy he knows from Wizard of Oz grew up and became that bitter, quirky lady in the red sequined dress. But then, kids of all ages have been intrigued with that particular metamorphosis for decades.

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Updated On: 12/2/03 at 09:54 AM

I want to reiterate what TheaterBaby said. This is a mature show w/ mature themes. It's true that kids today are much more sophisticated than kids were 25 years ago, but they're still kids. They may be able "to handle it", but that still begs the question of whether they should be willfully exposed to it. Everyone is different & I encourage you to take your young family members' individuality into consideration. Also, this is a theatre & kids can't just change the channel or walk away if they become uncomfortable. I hope you all have fun regardless of what you choose to do!

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and who gives the bid? a three year old boy. Hugh has him come onstage and picks him up and holds him and the audience wants to bid on the little boy!!!!!!!

It's a good thing Michael Jackson was not there!

But seriously, I think it is a great idea to have an auction. Is this a regular thing?

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FYI, the 3 yr old boy was Hugh's son Oscar.

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I think if the kids are sophisticated, they can handle it.

Piglet was that really his son? The curtain came down and he never returned the child so that would make sense. Also, Hugh said "this is coming out of the child's inheritance."
The little boy had an adorable outfit on with horizontal striped leggings and he had sweet soft curls, really a cutie.
Okay, now who was the woman in the audience he let come onstage and bite his ass? His aunt? lol

Updated On: 12/3/03 at 08:12 PM

I agree that kids now a days are definitly more sophisticated than even kids 10 years ago. There isn't a song lyric, TV show, or movie that doesn't have some questionable elements. Bambi, Finding Nemo. Both deal with parental losses that can be extremely fringtening for young children, and yet they directed precisely towards them! Known in advance, the topic can be discussed openly and honestly. Same thing here. TBFO addresses (albeit briefly)AIDS, bi-sexuality, physical abuse, alcoholism and suicide. This show is not meant to be an indepth drama of these topics, but neither are these issues skirted. All can be discussed with kids and these themes addresses. My only issue with you kids at a live performance has more to do with attention span and bladder size. Kids when fatigued or bored, fidget, making it uncomfortable for patrons in surrounding seats. Likewise, needing to go to the bathroom multiple times during a performance is also disturbing both for patrons and performers. Parents know their children and their personalities and hopefully will make wise and appropriate decisions about their children's attendance at live performances.

And yes, I heard from a Boy From Oz forum member who attended that show, that was Oscar, Hugh's 3 year-old son. He thanked the audience for their help with buying things at the auction.

Sorry about the cross posting. I will get better at figuring out how this forum works!