Drowsy Chaperone appropriate for kids?

[badseed]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 2:36pm

I'm taking my five year old boy to NYC this summer to see a few shows, and was wondering if The Drowsy Chaperone would be an appropriate choice? I already have tickets for Lion King and Tarzan, so I'd like our last show to be something, well, NOT DISNEY!! My parents certainly exposed me to more "grown up" theater from a young age, (lots of Shakespeare!), so I'm not adverse to doing the same for my boy. But if there's not enough in the show to hold his interest, I need to know. Any input (or alternate suggestions) would be greatly appreciated!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 2:38pm

It's appropriate, but the snide humour would go over most 5 yer olds' heads.

[badseed]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 5:46pm

Thanks for the input, Munk!

Anyone else care to add their two cents???

[Hank]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 5:53pm

For a "well, not Disney", I think this would be a great choice to introduce a kid into musical theatre. The show is short and sweet, and chock full of terrific dance scenes.
I think he'll remember the "Show Off" number for the rest of his life!

[Danielm]

Posted: 5/2/06 at 5:59pm

There's nothing in it that would be offensive, but I don't think it's really a 5 year old's kind of show. It's short, but I don't think the humor is really for children and I think he might be bored. If he's REALLY mature and good at sitting quietly then maybe--but I've been to too many shows that are just over the heads of kids and the kid whines and annoys the audience members sitting nearby. That's more the concern I would have.

[badseed]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 7:16am

Thank you all for chiming in! I appreciate all your input.

Danielm, I certainly understand where you're coming from, mentioning how annoying kids can be if they're bored at a show, but trust me, I would NEVER let my kid get away with that behavior! He has sat through local school productions just fine, as well as lots of orchestra and band concerts at the university in town, and he has done quite well. If he gets bored, he usually rests his head on my shoulder and closes his eyes....just like I used to do as a young kid watching Shakespeare. :) The idea is to expose him to theater experiences, so that he (hopefully!) develops an appreciation for it. At any rate, I certainly appreciate your input and comments....this is the kind of info I need to make my decision.

Posted: 5/3/06 at 8:39am

Badseed- Sorry this is slightly off the thread topic, but how old was your son when you first took him to the theater? My husband and I were discussing this recently. I'm sure it depends on the child, but I do wish to expose our children to theater from a young age too.

[badseed]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 9:32am

bmeonbway....

The first show we took our son to was a middle school production of "Peter Pan," and he was barely 3 years old. I think what helped hold his interest was the fact that his favorite cousin had the role of Peter! Personally, I can't imagine attempting a theater outing much before that age, although I'm sure plenty of parents do it. The hardest part is, of course, getting them to sit still that long.

One thing I've done from day one is listen to LOTS of show tunes in the home and in the car with my kids. My son used to refer to "Good Morning Baltimore" as the "uh-uh-oh song" when he could barely talk!

Like you said, every child is different, so just use common sense....you know your own kid's limitations.

[Danielm]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 3:19pm

I'm all in favor of exposing children to theatre and it sounds like you know your child quite well. It is a bit of a sore spot for me--years ago when I was fresh out of college and working a very low paying I spent more than I could afford for a ticket to "Ragtime" in Los Angeles. Just my luck a little girl was sitting by me who was extremely bored and whined through the whole first act. Her mother didn't shush her or take her out but tried to reason with her. I finally asked the woman--quite nicely to be quiet. At the intermission the family told me that I was rude. It was a long time ago but I still haven't quite managed to shake it.