Show Recommendations?

[Courtney2]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 9:31pm

My teenage niece is coming to visit next week, and I'm planning on taking her to a show, but I'm not exactly sure what.
I haven't seen too many shows yet, but I want to bring her to a performance that she'll remember for a while, because she most likely won't be back until a couple of years later. That being said, what should I bring her to?
I haven't seen Pippin yet, but she's not that big of a fan of acrobatic stuff, so I'm not sure if that's worth seeing? She has also seen Phantom, Wicked, and The Lion King, and isn't really interested in seeing shows that are marketed towards children like Annie or Cinderella.
I was thinking of taking her to The Glass Menagerie or The Book of Mormon because they all have great reviews, but I'm not too sure. Help?

[jwsel]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 10:01pm

Pippin is much more than acrobats. I'm pretty jaded about cirque de soleil shows, but Pippin seamlessly blends the circus performers with the dance in a way that fits the theme of the show. If you know the plot of Pippin at all and the way it builds to the grand finale, the circus theme is integral to the plot. It also has a great score and the performances are excellent.

The Glass Menagerie is phenomenal also, but whether your niece will appreciate it will depend on her maturity level. Would she read the play before seeing it? Does she know enough history to understand the context? How about understanding the themes of mental illness and, in the case of Tom, the implied homosexuality?

The Rylance Twelfth Night and Richard III if you can get tickets also would be great. Twelfth Night would be perfect. While your niece might balk at Shakespeare, the play is extremely funny and accessible.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 10:24pm

Matilda. I can not recommend it highly enough.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 10:30pm

It's not clear from your post whether she is 13-14 or 17-18 which can make a difference in what she might enjoy. Pippin is terrific but if she doesn't want to see it, so be it. I'd agree on Glass Menagerie depending on her maturity. ONCE is also worth considering if neither of you have seen it. I haven't seen Kinky Boots but a lot of folks like it. And of course Mormon but for that as well as Kinky Boots you can try for the ticket lottery, otherwise both of those are not really discounted and it will cost you a small fortune as opposed to Once and Glass Menagerie where 50% off at TKTS is pretty commonly available. Good luck.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 10:35pm

Gotta go with Matilda. Can't speak highly enough of it.

[siny]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:34am

I would not take her to The Glass Menagerie as it's aimed toward older audience and she would likely be bored. I would say that Book of Mormon is perfect for an older teenager, but I would check with her parents first. There is a lot there that some people would find offensive.

[jwsel]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 1:17am

I would not take her to The Glass Menagerie as it's aimed toward older audience and she would likely be bored. I would say that Book of Mormon is perfect for an older teenager, but I would check with her parents first. There is a lot there that some people would find offensive.

--------

It depends on the teen. My 17-year-old cousin liked The Glass Menagerie and loathed Kinky Boots. But she is a pretty experienced theater-goer, attends a performing arts high school, and would like to have a career in theater.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 7:36am

I agree that the age of the teen is important...we need more info.

Matilda could be a good choice..it sounds like a kid show but really it's not. It has something for everyone.

I know many teens (and adults) who went to Kinky Boots and loved it. It has a great heart and a great message of acceptance (as does Matilda). . My good friend took her daughter to see KB as a high school grad present - and they don't see theater that often either - and they thought it was the best experience that they had in the theater so far. My personal choice would be KB.

I don't know about Book of Mormon...its very edgy and jokes are very out there and offensive to some (not me personally) but I would not want to see with a younger person. It would make me uncomfortable.

[Wickedmonkey332]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 4:38pm

Matilda- arguably the best show on Broadway. And it is not the kids show it may appear to be!

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 4:39pm

Why don't you let her decide?

[Matt1]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 6:36pm

Matilda is the best thing on Broadway now and for a ways past. Not a children's show.

[gfaustswa]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 9:19pm

I say Pippin

[Lousy]

Posted: 10/18/13 at 5:06am

Why don't you let her decide?

This is the answer.

Updated On: 10/18/13 at 05:06 AM

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/18/13 at 9:03am

There is nothing to indicate the niece will not help decide. It just sounds like the aunt was asking for suggestions because she is not all that familiar with what's on Broadway that would appeal to her niece. I think we gave her some good ones.

[hak5]

Posted: 10/18/13 at 10:08am

if she liked the music for Wicked i'd say PIPPIN as it's the same composer. and i'd still say PIPPIN as it is the best thing on Broadway at the moment

[dreaming]

Posted: 10/18/13 at 10:13am

Stay away from Matilda. I say go for "The Glass Menagerie". I bet she's read it in school, and this is the best performance of any Tennessee Williams play I've ever seen.

She can see a lot of these other shows on tour. This is a special performance with a stellar cast. (If she hasn't read the play, maybe you guys can read it together and discuss it first. But, I feel we need to start the young people on the classics.) I loved this production and cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Courtney2]

Posted: 10/18/13 at 7:25pm

Sorry I wasn't clear about this before, my niece is 16 years old. And of course she will help decide, I was just looking for some feedback.
And @dreaming, I was wondering why I should stay away from Matilda?

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/18/13 at 8:48pm

It may be a matter of what you can get tickets for as well.

Matilda was not my first choice of what to see as I noted above..it's not my favorite show... but I certainly wouldn't stay away from it. Though I understand what was being said about seeing Glass Menagerie. It's hard to beat a stellar cast when other shows might be caught on tour.

That said, having seen Matilda twice, I would only go if you could get good seats. I saw it way in the balcony the first time and I had a hard time hearing and understanding what was going on. I went again and sat in the orchestra and enjoyed the show more.

But I still vote for Kinky Boots.

[Courtney2]

Posted: 10/19/13 at 4:14pm

And what kind of jokes in Book of Mormon make it offensive? For example, is it about race?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/19/13 at 5:00pm

There is a lot that can be constured as offensive, but it doesn't matter because unless you are willing to spend several hundreds of dollars on each ticket (or stand for hours for standing room) you won't be able to get a ticket.

That's another thing to consider: how much you are willing to spend, or how much time you are willing to use to get cheaper seats.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/19/13 at 6:32pm

Honestly, if you have to ask what in Book of Mormon might be considered offensive, then it's probably not the show you want to bring your niece. Everything about it is offensive - that's the point of the show. There are jokes about race, religion, body parts, bad language, sex, politics, etc..you name it, it's offensive..LOL. The show makes fun of everything, often in a graphic way.

It HAS a good message for sure, has a lot of energy and has some fun performances... and I am really open about what I take the younger people of family to. But in this instance, I think I would prefer to see BOM with other adults and then I would imagine she might want to see it with her friends at some point.

But Dramamama is right..it's very difficult to get BOM tickets anyway, especially if you are looking at a nearby time frame.

Updated On: 10/19/13 at 06:32 PM

[Hank]

Posted: 10/19/13 at 8:49pm

I saw Glass Menagerie when I was in high school (class of 6 and I remember it to this day. A wonderful play. A lot of folks here like Matilda, but I had had a problem trying to comprehend the lyrics. Subtitles would have helped. Pippin on the other hand is a fun show, much more than just acrobatics, it's "Magic to Do" indeed!