Broadway's the Lion King and pre-schoolers

[AUDramaQueen]

Hope this is the right place to post this??
Has anyone seen the Broadway version of the Lion King? I was wondering how long it is and if it would be something my pre-school kids would like. I just got a notice about it playing near here this fall. (They will be 5 and 3 by then) They love the movie, but we didn't get to see FoTLK while at WDW so I can't use that as a gauge.

Any ideas??

 

[MelodyMack]

Luckily I got to see the production last year in Cincinnati with my in laws. I LOVE LOVE LOVVVVVED IT, however I don't think my DD (who was three at the time) would have made it. It is a long production, and although they cover all of the BIG jokes...it is more adult oriented in my opinion. Our biggest deciding factor was also her lack of enthusiasm for the Lion King, so we didn't risk it.

Different strokes for different folks...if your munchkins are big Lion King fans and can sit still for the two plus hours (of course there is an intermission), then I would say go for it...it was a beautiful production.

 

[AUDramaQueen]

Mmmmm. I wonder if I could go and not let them know...

Just kidding, Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[rt2dz]

First, this is not the same thing as FoTLK. It is much longer, the full story. It is for an adult audience. Other than that, it is soooooooooooo good; if there is any way to go see it I would. It's truly incredible.

As far as taking your kids. Beware! There won't be many there, at least not little. Check with the theater the play will be at. Some theaters allow children as young as 3 in, others not until 6, 7, or 8. That could be your deciding factor right there. Then, how long can your kids sit still and be quite. The people around you won't be happy to have antsy children or talking children around them--it would ruin the play and it is not a child's venue. I could (and would) take my older son (from the time he was 2), but not my middle son (and at this point I see no time in the future when I could ever take him ).

If you do want to take them, practice by taking them to adult movies. If they can't make it through the movie, they will not make it through the play. Then I would take them to a weekend matinee performance--more likely to be a younger audience (older children) and more tolerant of kids.

Good luck whatever you decide! And if you decide not to take them, get a sitter!

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Hi,
I took my 4-year-old DS to see the show in NYC and he loved it. However, he did fall asleep about a half-hour into the second act. There were other small children in attendance. We were seated in the first to the last row in the orchestra, right on the aisle, just in case we needed to make a quick exit. IMO, it's always hit or miss when you bring children to something that goes over 45 minutes to an hour, LOL!

 

[disneychrista]

There were little kids when we went to see Lion King in SF, with my DD Middle School band. If you decide to go do a matinee showing, where the little ones MAY be more acceptable.

 

[disneyjunkie]

We saw TLK last year on Broadway. My 5-year-old niece and 6- year -old nephew made it through the whole show without a peep. There were plenty of other young children there and they are seemed to enjoy the show. I was actually shocked at how well behaved they all were.

 

[crisi]

My five and six year old enjoyed it alot. There were transfixed for the whole show.

But they wouldn't have made it through at three and four. Nor would I have paid $70 a ticket for them at that age.

 

[bethbuchall]

We saw it in Toronto when my older two were 6 and 8 and recently in Buffalo with my youngest at almost 6.

We had much better seats in Toronto than Buffalo. I had to hold my almost 6 year old on my lap the entire time for him to see anything. He enjoyed it and behaved perfectly, but he wasn't as awed by it as I was.

There were very few children in the Toronto audience, but the Buffalo audience (matinee on Easter Sunday) was filled with them. I did not notice any annoying behavior.

Beth

 

[snowy76]

We were in Buffalo for the matinee on March 5th. Ours are 11 and 9, and even at those ages they got a weeeee bit antsy at times... parts of the show move pretty slow. Overall the kids were well-behaved but I noticed a few parents who were getting pretty exasperated by their own kids asking LOTS of questions about the story (the boy behind us was in his "why" phase!)

I'll echo the sentiment that you will probably not feel it's worth the $70 for the younger kids. This is not targeted specifically at kids. Definitely an adult spin/theming on the story in many ways.

DH and I loved it!

 

[ecuagoddess]

i took my DD to see it when she was about a month away from turning 3. she was completely mesmerized by the show. the only part that was a little intense for her was the scene where Mufasa dies. the music is very loud and the lighting effects are somewhat disorienting. she just asked to sit in my lap and buried her head in my chest until that part was over.

she LOVES the Lion King, so that was definitely a factor.

another thing to be aware of: the seats in the New Amsterdam Theater are VERY small and VERY close together. if your child is fidgety this may be a problem. i'm 5'0" and i felt a little cramped.

 

[AUDramaQueen]

Thanks for all you relpies. I probably will wait til they're older to go. My son would probably do OK, but I wouldn't want to chance ruining anyone else's time. He's mature enough I think, but he's in the "Why?" stage. Just out of curiosity, do they sing all the same songs or is it completely different?

 

[The Sorrentino's]

I've seen it many times with my kids. We started going when my youngest was three. Some people get scared because of the ticket prices, but I think that as long as they see it at the moment then it's OK! Who cares if they forget, they'll love it!

Cadence