Should Broadway Have a Ratings System

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:01am

I feel that several shows on Broadway are inappropriate for children. I have seen children at Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and also heard tales of very young children coming out of Spring Awakening proclaiming that, like the characters of the show, they are in the state that is known as "Totally F*CKed."

That is why I feel that Broadway, like the movies, should have a clear ratings system so that parents know what shows to NOT take their kids to thus preventing any permanent damage to their innocence.

For example:

1. Rent: R
2. Wicked: PG
3. Les Miserables: PG-13
4. Avenue Q: R
5. Hairspray: PG-13
6. The Light in the Piazza: PG
7. The Phantom of the Opera: PG-13
8. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: PG-13
9. Into the Woods: PG
10. Aida: PG
11. Chicago: PG-13
12. Cabaret: PG-13
13. The Wedding Singer: PG-13
14. Ragtime: PG-13
15. Little Shop of Horrors: PG-13
16. The Producers: PG-13
17. Jersey Boys: R
18. Sunday in the Park With George: PG-13
19. Spamalot: PG-13
20. Evita: PG-13
21. Gypsy: PG-13
22. Miss Saigon: R
23. West Side Story: PG-13
24. Beauty and the Beast: G
25. A Chorus Line: R
26. Parade: PG-13
27. The Lion King: G
28. Jesus Christ Superstar: PG
29. Dreamgirls: PG-13
30. Cats: G
31. Hair: R
32. The Wild Party: PG-13
33. Fiddler on the Roof: G
34. Follies: PG-13
35. Passion: R
36. 42nd Street: PG-13
37. Guys and Dolls: PG
38. Spring Awakening: R
39. Pippin: PG-13
40. The Color Purple: PG-13
41. Mary Poppins: PG
42. Godspell: G
43. Mamma Mia!: PG-13
44. The Music Man: G
45. Grease: PG-13
46. Nine: PG-13
47. La Cage aux Folles: PG-13
48. The Sound of Music: PG
49. The Scarlet Pimpernel: PG-13
50. The Secret Garden: PG
51. Caroline, or Change: PG-13
52. Man of La Mancha: PG-13
53. Sunset Boulevard: PG-13
54. Brooklyn: PG-13
55. The Full Monty: R
56. The Rocky Horror Show: R
57. Titanic: PG-13
58. Crazy For You: PG
59. You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown: G
60. Floyd Collins: PG-13
61. 1776: PG-13
62. Oliver!: PG
63. We Will Rock You: PG-13
64. The Wiz: PG
65. Peter Pan: G
66. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: G
67. Annie Get Your Gun: PG
68. Aspects of Love: PG-13
69. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum: PG-13
70. The Who’s Tommy: PG-13
71. Seussical: G
72. Show Boat: PG
73. Big River: PG
74. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: G
75. The Wizard of Oz: G
76. Grand Hotel: PG
77. Kiss of the Spider Woman: R
78. Bright Lights, Big City: R
79. Victor/Victoria: PG-13
80. The Civil War: PG-13
81. The Will Rogers Follies: PG
82. On The Twentieth Century: PG-13
83. The Most Happy Fella: PG
84. Jelly’s Last Jam: PG-13
85. Raisin: PG
86. Ain’t Misbehavin’: PG
87. Two Gentlemen of Verona: PG
88. Whistle Down the Wind: PG-13
89. Metropolis: PG

Opinions?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:05am

Yes - when does your school vacation end?

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:06am

Telecharge gives each show a recommended age for younger audience members. That is enough.

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:07am

I definitely see what you mean. Some of those shows seem to be good for kids, but they are not. But it should be more like a warning system instead of not allowing kids to go to certain shows altogether.

[Mistress_Spouzic]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:09am

im sure you could start a website with the sole purpose of trying to help parents make those decisions but if you want some sort of static rating system, i suppose youd want to have more than just you making the decisions :)

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:10am

Jesus, boy. Talk about free time! Lord. Go play in the snow.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:14am

Well, naturally. This is just one guy's opinion. I'm just saying that people don't do enough research about certain shows. So they end up taking their kids to shows that are inappropriate.

My cousin took her then seven year old daughter to see the revival of Cabaret and even though the kid didn't understand very much (thank God), my cousin has never forgiven herself since.

And I go back to school on January 2nd.

And, unfortunately, Wanna Be A Foster, Massachusetts has been experiencing a very dry holiday season. But I am seeing Dreamgirls later on today (God willing).

Updated On: 12/26/06 at 09:14 AM

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:17am

I understand. While I loved loved loved "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," it was really not appropriate for very young children who I saw in the audience and who I am sure did not understand a lot of the humor and sexual references.

[Lizzya9]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:18am

Why is A Chorus Line R?? There is really nothing that bad except some language. And it has a good purpose anyways, they're just telling their true stories. Same w/ Rent, Jersey Boys, and Spring Awakening!!! What the hell is R about that? This list is pretty outrageous. I do think that all Broadway shows should have an age limit - no one under 10 (for various reasons, I won't go into detail unless you want me to) but I think that it is an art form, there should be no censoring. It's like seeing a nude statue at an art museum or something, it's not meant to be crude or anything, just to be true and get the message across.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:27am

Matt, don't waste your time on DREAMGIRLS. Go see HISTORY BOYS.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:33am

Lizzy, have you seen Jersey Boys? That show drops more F-bombs than any show I've ever seen. And I know for a fact that almost all of Avenue Q's f-bombs are on the CD.

And I'm not talking about censorship. I'm just saying that Broadway should have a system that tells parents, "Guess what! This show is inappropriate for your little ones!"

Updated On: 12/26/06 at 09:33 AM

[Lizzya9]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:39am

parents wouldn't take their little ones to Avenue Q or Jersey Boys anyways, they would most likely go see a Disney show. And yah kids shouldn't hear the F-word but that is their parents' choice, it is THEIR responsibility to research & decide if a show is appropriate for their young kids. why should we care what other peoples' kids see?

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:45am

A Chorus Line being R? Geez, its like PG at the most.

[HumATune]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:45am

The problem is that some parents are stupid or just don’t care. It shocking what kinds of movies some parents will take children to. There is just so much bad parenting out there that it makes me angry. I think the parents who actually care do take the time to research the age-appropriateness of a show.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:07am

why is 42nd street PG-13? that show is about as G as they get! lol....it's way more G than Into the Woods. I'd make THAT pg-13

i think that parents should do their research on shows so they realize that certain things are inppropriate...i mean, i saw lots of little kids at the producers when i saw it again in philadelphia and i was shocked....that said, my mom took me to see Candide when I was 8. it all flew way over my head. all i got was that the set was gorgeous and they wanted to find some sort of new world. the sexual references went past me. maybe it's a little worse when there is bad language, but i think it's unneccesary because most musicals are completely appropriate...the kids just won't understand the implications. i think spring awakening is a rare show that has no implications lol.

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:28am

As a parent, I have to do quite a bit of research to help me decide what to take my daughter to see. But the problem is -- and no offense to Mattbrain -- the ratings are in the eye of the beholder. For instance, my daughter was disturbed by both Little Shop of Horrors and Phantom of the Opera, and I regret taking her to both. But she handled Hair quite nicely, and I'm leaning towards taking her to A Chorus Line and Jersey Boys when the box offices settle down a bit in 2007.

When deciding a go or no-go for a certain show, I've found the personal opinions on this board extremely useful. And ironically, some of the so-called child ratings sites are the most misleading. For example, click on the link below to see "Generation Broadway" recommend Spring Awakening for ages 8 and up. I'm no prude, but circle jerks in third grade?

Generation Broadway

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:31am

They gave RENT 15 and up, and SA 8 and up? Wow...

[D2]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:33am

There is no such word as "anyways." The word is ANYWAY, singular.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:34am

haha wow that is pretty ridiculous to say spring awakening 8 and up....13 and up is pushing it....at least it does say "the bitch of living," so as long as a parent read that they would see it probably isn't for 8 and up lol.

i think the other problem is that commercials don't tell the truth. the radio commercial for spring awakening says, "come see a show about second chances." WHAT? i saw spring awakening....i don't think second chances have ANYTHING to do with it. that would be like saying wicked is about sexual awakening, except more ridiculous....lol

the key is for parents to get reliable sources because most normal one sentence summaries of spring awakening would say, "a show about teenage sexuality." and then you see how it's not appropriate for young kids.

i always had this horrific thought in 2003 when wicked was just about to open. i knew that there was a show about the witches from the wizard of oz before dorothy, but i can see how it could have been easy for someone to pick "the boy from OZ" thinking it was wicked hehehee.....hopefully no one made that mistake.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:36am

D2..."Anyways" has become a common expression, so it may sometimes be mistaken for proper grammar.

ETA: Or the expression is just thrown into the written conversation as well.

Updated On: 12/26/06 at 10:36 AM

[D2]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:41am

But it isn't proper grammar, no matter how common it has become. Because using it makes a person seem ill-educated, and well, common.

[yellibean2]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 10:53am

Absolutely not. I get your point but the only thing that would do is make Broadway more corrupt than it already is. Look at what the ratings system does to movies-producers are constantly leaving great scenes on the cutting room floor just to get one rating lower, not to mention the way the MPAA works will probably not vary much from whatever association is given to rate Broadway shows.

One of the best things about Broadway right now is that they can be presented in a very liberal perspective away from all the Hollywood BS. But lately with every blockbuster being turned into a musical and vice-versa, popcorn being sold in theatres, and cast albums always being referred to as 'soundtracks' it feels like Broadway is turning into Hollywood. So leave the rating system to lesser the values of movies and movies alone.

[StarStruckGB]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 11:01am

Regarding the grammar topic:
If you'll notice there are a lot more internet-grammar related problems that are far more irritating and noticeable for us to be thoroughly inspecting the word 'anyways' on this board.

Back to topic:
Matt I'm sorry but I agree that some of your ratings are pretty questionable. But I guess that's the point here, it's really up to the parent, and depends greatly on the particular child's maturity. Do you really think They should go around censoring shows with official ratings like that? Have we really come so far as to put a theatrical performance in the same bag as seeing a movie?

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 11:12am

I think that shows like Spring Awakening and maybe Avenue Q should definitely emphasize that they are not for kids because it's "out there"....nothing is left to the imagination lol...

but most Broadway musicals have more implications. Please, we all know that the Baker's wife and Cinderella's prince have sex in the woods in Into the Woods.....but it's not "obvious" the way it is in Spring Awakening....duhh...so yeah, if you take a young kid to see it, they'll probably understand that the Baker's wife shouldn't be kissing a man who isn't her husband, but does that matter? i don't think so. it's not gonna kill a kid. and that is one of many musicals that has implications that people are doing ahem other things.

yes, they would probably enjoy Beauty and the Beast more, but everything will just go past them and it will be a nonevent.

i got scared of a lot of things when i was little, but i saw productions of Into the Woods, Pippin, Candide, among others when i was 8 and they did not upset me because i simply didn't understand.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 12/26/06 at 11:25am

I totally disagree, the theatre is art, and you can't put a rating on free expression... It would be like rating Michelangelo's David R for nudity... Besides, risqué shows like Spring Awakening are far more honest and real than Disney fluff...

Updated On: 12/26/06 at 11:25 AM