Should Broadway Have a Ratings System

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?

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

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 :)

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).

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

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.

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!"

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

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

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.

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

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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.

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.

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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?

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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...

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