<p>I am very illiterated in music, only got into learning a little bit after my son started playing piano…now I am thinking to explore more on broadway musicals/shows in this summer with my kids (14 and 11 years old), any one has any suggestions? and how can I find out what’s on in local ? I am in washington, DC area, I tried to google a little, didn’t find much. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>playbill.com is a good source for all things theatre-related. There are listings for NYC and regional theatres as well. If you’re going to NYC, there are several shows which I would recommend : The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, All Shook Up, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Hairspray are all terrific, entertaining shows for the whole family. If you haven’t seen Phantom of the Opera, that’s a classic which everyone should see at least once. 
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<p>For local shows, check the entertainment listings in your local papers. I have a feeling that the tour of Hairspray may be in D.C. this summer. A friend of my D is in it and I think that the Kennedy Center is one of their stops. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Have fun! There’s nothing like live theatre. :)</p>
<p>You can also try broadway.com and variety.com. For someone getting into musicals, you can also check out “Movin’ Out” which is actually more dance-related (Twyla Tharp) to the music of Billy Joel. Also, “Spamalot” is funny. And “The Lion King” is always a goodie.</p>
<p>Sign up on playbill.com for discounts. And there’s also the TKTS booth in Times Square. We used it to see “Jesus Christ Superstar” a couple of years ago and saved ourselves 50 percent.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>alwaysamom and little mother: thanks for the information, I will check them out, the website and the discount :-)</p>
<p>About ‘Phantom of the Opera’, is it too ‘dark’ ( hope you know what I mean) for a pre-teen and a teen who is very noive? </p>
<p>For ‘Hairspray’, just by looking at picture, forgive me if I am being stupid, is it too girlish?</p>
<p>I also found out that there will be shows like 'The Scarlet Pimpernel ’ and
‘Steel Magnolias’ running right in my town in June, so I am going to see them, have you seen them, are they good? or should I wait to see only the best to start with my adventure?</p>
<p>I found these two website are very good too:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.americantheaterweb.com/[/url]”>http://www.americantheaterweb.com/</a>
<a href=“http://www.theatermania.com/home/[/url]”>http://www.theatermania.com/home/</a></p>
<p>you can select the region, and find out what’s going on in your area.</p>
<p>Thanks again.</p>
<p>My 16-year-old son just saw “Wicken” and thought it was the best show he had ever seen!</p>
<p>Peg</p>
<p>I think Wicked is coming to the Kennedy Center sometime soon. It’s fantastic. My husband, who is not a lover of musical theatre, really enjoyed it. Also, Lion King is at the Hippodrome in Baltimore from now till September.</p>
<p>amother, no, I wouldn’t say that Phantom is too dark. It’s a great stage show with lots of spectacle and drama. And much better than the film, if you’ve seen that. My kids were around 8 when they first saw it and loved it. </p>
<p>Hairspray is a wonderful show with great music and a good message. Not girly at all, in my opinion.</p>
<p>The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of my favorite stage shows but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that for kids for their first theatre experience. Same with Steel Magnolias. You’d enjoy it but maybe not the kids. Wicked won’t be in D.C. until the end of December and if you want to see that you should probably look into getting tickets soon. They tend to go quickly, even this far in advance. It’s an entertaining show, although big on spectacle and a little weak on book (story). The girl who is currently playing one of the leads is fabulous, though, and I’d recommend seeing it, if only for her if she’s still around - Stephanie Block.</p>
<p>As was mentioned, The Lion King would be fairly close and is really a fun show, the kids would love it. It is a visually stunning show with very innovative costumes and puppetry, difficult to describe but worth the price of the ticket.</p>
<p>If there are any shows in NYC you’d like information on, let me know. My D goes to school in the city and has seen everything, and I’ve also seen many of the shows currently running. :)</p>
<p>My sister, her husband, and their 16-year-old son really liked Avenue Q, which it now occurs to me might not be a musical. And it’s not on Broadway.</p>
<p>But it is in New York and it is theater.</p>
<p>But the actors did stay at a Holiday Inn, right dmd77!</p>
<p>Amother, for years my kids and I enjoyed community and school musicals and have seen many of the shows that way. We just could not afford to go to the expensive top of the line venues those days unless someone gave us the tickets. I remember so wanting to see “Shenadoah” when it came to town, and the kids did get me a ticket. One ticket. Yes, I went alone, and told them all that though it was wonderful I really prefered to go to a school or communty or church show with them, and use the money saved to eat out or see another show. </p>
<p>I had seen some Broadway shows in college since I stayed with NY roommates and was treated, but even today, a night on Broadway is a big deal to me.</p>
<p>dmd77, Avenue Q is indeed a musical and it is on Broadway. It’s a great show but I’m not sure that it would be a good introduction to musical theatre for an 11 year old.</p>
<p>Alwaysamom - Couldn’t agree more !!!</p>
<p>Phantom is fabulous. Not dark or scary. My kids were 7,12 and 13 and loved it!! </p>
<p>We can’t wait to see Wicked.</p>
<p>We saw All Shook Up- Elvis music!! It was sooo much fun…boy would like it</p>
<p>I agree that Wicked would be a good choice. Also that Avenue Q, while it is up there with “The Producers” as the best Broadway show I’ve ever seen, isn’t the best choice for an 11-year-old unless you want to do a lot of explaining about what those Muppets are doing with their clothes off.</p>
<p>My high school orchestra saw Phantom of the Opera in NY this year, and everyone loved it; I think it would be a good choice. All Shook Up was alright, but I think that there are better choices. Last year we saw Hairspray, which isn’t girly, but some people didn’t like. I thought it was funny and appropriate. The Lion King is a really cool production, but if your children don’t appreciate the dance/costuming, it’s not a good choice.</p>
<p>Avenue Q is hilarious but not at all appropriate for an 11-year-old. I think the Rent soundtrack is awesome (I have never seen the show), but it also isn’t quite appropriate for tweens, though it is not as risque as Avenue Q.</p>
<p>Fiddler on the Roof is supposed to be good (according to theatre people I know who saw it last year), and is classic and family friendly.</p>
<p>WARNING amother . . . you are embarking on a very expensive hobby! Three years ago we took our 14 and 12 year old daughters to Broadway to show them what NYC was like, burst their bubbles, and get it out of their systems once and for all. Boy did that backfire! Now they both want to go to college there with dreams of waiting in lines with college IDs for chances at the last-minute drawings for $20 tickets. But since you’ve already committed to this, you might as well go all the way. Take a Sharpie with you and on the way in check to see where the stage door exit is. Immediately after the final curtain, head for the stage door and join the dozen or so hardcore fans who wait for the actors to come out after the show. Broadway actors are on the whole, remarkably normal, unpretentious, cordial and appreciative of your support and will almost always sign autographs, pose for pictures, and occasionally engage you in long conversations. Just don’t get between my wife and daughters and their idols or you may be in danger. And if you see a middle-aged guy over to the side holding a theatre programme and panhandling for change, that’s me - you can drop me a buck or two to help support the family’s habit :-)</p>
<p>amother</p>
<p>I also have a 14 year old (son) and 11 year old (daughter) along with a 16 year old daughter as well. My son did not like Hairspray…he has been brought up on theater but prefers his sports. But He ABSOLUTELY loved Wicked! It’s perfect for anyone…everyone! I will also have to agree…Avenue Q is not appropriate for an 11 year old. I won’t even let mine listen to the soundtrack. Have a fabulous time! We go to NYC twice a year and usually catch a matinee and night show each time. We also try to split it up by getting reg priced tickets (if there is something we can’t wait to see) to one show and doing tkts for the other. The TKTS booth is a great option. We have been very fortunate there and have usually gotten tickets for whatever we were looking for and our seats have been pretty good.</p>
<p>when in NYC, go to that place the middle of times square about 9am, they open at 10am, and you can get tickets for matinees (or at 2pm for evening shows) for half price…its can be a suprise what you get, but for that price, the show will be even better</p>
<p>we got there at 9 and were done by 1015 with three tickets to a matinee of a great show, alot come back at 2 to get the evening tickets</p>
<p>it is well worth the wait, and the uncertainty didn’t really matter, saving a couple of hundred dollars was so worth it</p>
<p>I saw Fiddler on the Roof in February and it was so good! The stage was nicely set out and I liked the music and dancing.</p>