Hello! Lurker with a Broadway Jr. question

[mccula]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:04pm

Greetings! I'm just wondering if anyone has put on a Broadway Jr. production. I'm specifically considering Fiddler....any input? Thanks in advance!
Updated On: 6/10/05 at 10:04 PM

[apdarcey]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:05pm

in my opinion fiddler is not a show to be done by younger kids. since broadway junior shows are generally written for middle school kids i think it's a horrible idea.

[mccula]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:13pm

Have you had experience with a Broadway Jr. Show?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:17pm

I saw a production of Fiddler, junior. I'm not a huge Fiddler fan and it was a bad production, but I feel like what basically happened was that it was just song after song. It was shortened quite a bit, but that's to be expected.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:17pm

yes. guys and dolls and into the woods and fiddler and i just think that if they need to make the show "junior" then it's not a show that should be done by those kids at all.

now i do think into the woods should be done by middle schoolers, BUT, the whole point of the show is the second act, so by cutting it out they've just ruined the show in my opinion.

[mccula]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:27pm

Thanks for your opinions and advice. I absolutely agree about ITW. This is a new program I started at my school, and I'm basically doing it singlehandedly, so I'm trying to feel out what shows might be good for the kids...this will be my second year, and enrollment quadrupled. Yay for kids wanting to do theatre! I'll have to think about what to do : )

[apdarcey]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:40pm

that's wicked admirable of you... i didn't mean to sound disrespectful at all. i think it's great that you're doing this. the shows i think would work best from the jr. list... probably the music man, maybe godspell and once on this island. i didn't like guys and dolls or fiddler. i told you my feelings on into the woods. i'm not familiar with honk at all.

[Crazy4MattMorrison52]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:42pm

ive been in 3 broadway jr shows. annie,music man, and wizard of oz. they were all tons of fun

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 10:56pm

I was in:
-Annie (Daddy Warbucks)
&
-Fiddler (Perchik)

[TheBoyfromChi]

Posted: 6/10/05 at 11:07pm

I'm currently in my fifth year of directing Broadway Jr musicals, about to start Annie soon. Of all the ones in the Bway Jr collection, we've done Music Man, Guys and Dolls, Bugsy Malone, Once on This Island, and soon Annie. Of the past musicals, Bugsy Malone was the only one we found to not work with the age group. The Music Man was quite a bit of fun and I think nothing is funnier than middle schoolers putting on Guys and Dolls, and the boys in my group loved being gamblers. Once on this Island was a show no one in our group knew of, and it actually turned out to be a great show. Just beware, it's pretty much sung completely through with very few breaks for lines.
I would recommend The Music Man. It sounds like you have a decent sized group and it's a fun show that the kids will enjoy.