What age for "Wicked"?

[sahd2one]

I am so out of the loop in some respects. I saw that the touring show of "Wicked" will be here in a few months. I was wondering if this show would be appropriate for a five year old.

 

[luvmy2sams]

The music is phenomenal, but there's a lot of dialogue in Wicked. Would your child be able to sit through that without disrupting others? The show is also dark (the mood) in certain parts, so I don't know if that would be an issue. I took my DD (8 at the time) to see the touring production in 2007, but I wouldn't have taken her at age 5 or 6 for that matter. Sometimes the theater will have an age recommendation. Have you looked into that?

 

[mjkacmom]

I took dd12 when she was 10, and it was the perfect age! She understood exactly what was going on, and wasn't frightened or fidgity. She was scared of the beast when she saw Beauty and the Beast on Broadway when she was 4 or 5.

 

[Jenvenza]

I loved Wicked more than any other show I have ever seen and I have often wondered at what age it would be appropriate to take a child. I think it would depend on the individual child. I would say 5 might be okay if they can sit through something that long. It can be a little dark at times. If you think this is the only chance you might get - I would say go for it.

 

[freckles and boo]

I took my daughter this past summer and she was eight. She didn't get all the themes (animal rights, who's your daddy, etc.) but she enjoyed the spectacle and the music. I don't know that she would have enjoyed it when she was younger. I took her to see The Lion King at five but she obviously already knew the story.

 

[sahd2one]

We have been doing shows every year since she was 15 months. Most were only 45-50 minutes in length or had intermissions. She loves WoZ so I was wondering if she would like it.

I know there are some scary parts to it from what I have read, but I wonder if it would be ok for her. It seems girls do better than boys in the boredom factor.

 

[freckles and boo]

We have been doing shows every year since she was 15 months. Most were only 45-50 minutes in length or had intermissions. She loves WoZ so I was wondering if she would like it.

I know there are some scary parts to it from what I have read, but I wonder if it would be ok for her. It seems girls do better than boys in the boredom factor.

It is longish. My daughter is usually in bed by eight o'clock so it was a stretch for her considering the show started at 7:30. She toughed it out and was very good. The only thing she did was say "Oh my God she can sing really good!" just a little too loud.

 

[Kimberle]

I would not take a 5yo. I saw it on Bway. Some part were very scary (for kids). Maybe the touring show is toned down, but I still would not take a 5yo.

 

[bean]

I took my 5 year old. She loves Broadway show tunes and already knew most of the songs from listening at home. A lot of the dialogue was over her head but we had discussed the basics of the show before hand. She wasn't afraid but did not like the giant head (The Wizard). We looked at that on youtube before hand to see if she would be too scared. I had seen the show before so I was able to judge for myself if it was OK. She is a child who will sit for long periods of time though.

 

[LJC1861]

The touring show is not toned down in any way at all....in fact it uses the same set as the broadway version. The Broadway theater does not allow children under 4. I personally would not recommend this show for kids under 7.

You need to know, this is NOT the Wizard of Oz. It is much darker and deals with darker issues. You will hear references to the Wizard of Oz characters and they are woven throughout the story, but it is not a show that features Dorothy.

The show is about friendship, acceptance, not judging people, good and evil, prejudice and love. There are many lessons to teach children of all ages, and with some preparation even young children should understand and enjoy the show.

Linda

 

[Kathi OD]

There's no way I would take a 5 yo to see Wicked. Maybe a 10yo, but definitely not 5. Most 5 yo's aren't ready for the themes of Wicked. It's definitely not the fairy tale that the Wizard of Oz is.

 

[mrsv98]

I took DD when she was 6 and I was worried because the theater does not allow kids under 6 and she is small. She loved it but when she saw again a year later she enjoyed it much more.

It can be intense and it is also fairly long. I think I would hesitate to take a 5 yo.

 

[Jenn]

I just saw it in Atlanta on Sunday. I took my 11 year old daughter and 14 year old niece. We all loved it. I have a 7 year old daughter who I did not bring with us, and I don't think it would have been appropriate for her. The show was 3 hours including a brief intermission. There were definately some dark, intense scenes, scary at times. If you don't know the Wizard of Oz story fairly well, you will miss alot of the dialogue - it just won't make sense. I would think it would go right over a little ones head. For the expense, I think waiting a few more years is worth it. It will still be around, I'm sure!

With that said, the ballet Cinderella is coming to the same theater in January and I'm considering taking both my daughters to that. They are both dancers and I think would just love it.

 

[allison443]

On the official website for the Broadway show Wicked, there is a statement that the show is "recommended for ages 8 and up" and then it says "no children under 4 admitted".
Here's the website
http://www.wickedthemusical.com/#AboutWicked
When I took my girls (they were teens) we did see a few 5 and 6 year olds there.
It's a great show if you decide to go!

 

[CraftyMouse]

We have been doing shows every year since she was 15 months. Most were only 45-50 minutes in length or had intermissions. She loves WoZ so I was wondering if she would like it.

I know there are some scary parts to it from what I have read, but I wonder if it would be ok for her. It seems girls do better than boys in the boredom factor.

I would say no. We've been taking our kids (now 16 & 13) to Broadway shows since each one was 6 years old. We saw Wicked when they were 13 & 10. I wouldn't take a child younger than 9 or 10, and even then it would depend on the child.

The story of Wicked is not the "Wizard of Oz" that your DD knows. It's an imagining of what happened before that time. It's quite deep and there are a lot of parts that a 5yo just won't get. For example, a 5yo is going to have a hard time understanding that the "Wicked" witch isn't really wicked and that Glinda the Good Witch isn't always good. Add to that the scary/tense scenes and the fact that the show is long and you end up with a show that's going to be, IMO, a bit much for a 5yo.

 

[sahd2one]

I took DD when she was 6 and I was worried because the theater does not allow kids under 6 and she is small. She loved it but when she saw again a year later she enjoyed it much more.

It can be intense and it is also fairly long. I think I would hesitate to take a 5 yo.

Is it more intense than the last HP film? DD has seen all of them and has not been scarred.

 

[mrsv98]

Is it more intense than the last HP film? DD has seen all of them and has not been scarred.

It is intense in a different way. I think live theater is more emotional than a movie. It is a wonderful musical but it is pretty long and some of it, such as the bits with her teacher who is a goat won't hold her attention. Towards the end, it gets, if not violent, then pretty strong with the arrest of Fiero.

You know your DD best. Since you say the HP movies don't bother her, then I think the only issue is the length, the first act is an hour and 45 minutes by itself. That is a long time for a 5 yo to sit. Also, you should double check that she is allowed in the theater. The Cadallac Palace were we saw it does not admit children under six years old.

 

[eeyorerox]

i don't know if it would be more intense because this stuff is life and different than watching a movie. One part that kinda even weirded/freaked me out a little were the flying monkeys.( At one point one is in some pain, in another they're fllying over the front/orchestra section and are just really wierd looking monkeys.http://www.geocities.com/wickedtour/show_chistery.jpg

But I think if the Harry Potter movies weren't scary to her, then Wicked would be ok, i think.( Like others said, some relationship stuff will be over her head)

 

[sahd2one]

I know a mom who will not let her six year old daughter watch any of the HSM movies. In the same breath she mentioned how much she LOVED Grease when she was her daughter's age.

I had to ask if she had really listened to the words of Greased Lightnin' lately!

 

[Minnie824]

Take your DD!! My DD was 3 when I bought the Wicked cd and LOVED it. She kept asking to see it (DH & I had gone on our own). So, for her 4th birthday, we all went to see Wicked in Chicago. It was DH, myself, DD6 and DD4. They both loved the show and did great. We went to the 2pm show...I doubt she would have lasted at the late show but the theater sold snacks, and they both sat with their snacks quietly for the almost 3 hours. She still talks about it. The theater did say no one under 4 but there were so many kids there, and no one even questioned us, even though she was barely 4. Have fun.