Wicked the musical with a toddler?

[lmk1]

Dh really wants to go see Wicked the musical. Ds will be about 28/29 months when it's in town. I've never seen it, but I assume it's ok for children to watch...but the big question is it something that you would expect to see kids at? Ds sat through the entire circus and was fascinated, but there was action going on at every moment and it's pretty noisy, so if he got antsy, we could've taken him for a walk without disrupting other people. So, if there's a matinee for Wicked, do you think it'd be ok to take ds? I think he's got a pretty good attention span for his age, in general.

[sunnmama]

I wouldn't do it, because I would want to enjoy the play and not have to parent through it. Wicked is coming here next month, and I noticed it was recommended for children 8 and up. I have a 9 yo and a 3 yo, and, considering my experiences with my dc, that recommendation sounds about right to me.

[EFmom]

I wouldn't take a child that young to see it. We saw it around Christmas time and there were no really small children in the theatre. I'd get a sitter and enjoy the performance myself.

The tickets were pretty expensive, and frankly, if you need to take your child out for walks, etc., that is a little disruptive to others.

[Mosaic]

I'd also say no. It's really not a kid's show, and these shows are generally not in venues where it's easy to step out for a while without disrupting others. My DD is almost 4 and there's no way I'd take her to see Wicked; and she has a great attention span for things like singing and dancing, but I think some of the effects and the noise would totally freak her out.

[ollyoxenfree]

Depending on the theatre, they may not admit a toddler to the show. I would check to make sure that they will allow him to attend.

Personally, I would not take a toddler to Wicked, although I did take my children to children's productions at that age. They were geared for youngsters though.

[mommy2maya]

No way! Totally rude to other patrons who are spending $75+ for this experience.

[tabrizia]

Most theatres have an unwritten or even written rule that children under 4 or 5 aren't allowed at Broadway and other adult theatre shows. I would not take a 2 year old to Wicked. I love Wicked, I've seen it twice once on Broadway and once in Baaltimore. It just isn't an appropriate venue for a toddler, even one with a long attention span.

I would take a 4 or 5 year old to see it, since I did see a number of younger elementary children there when we went to see it and they all enjoyed it, and I think my son would enjoy it. Just not at 2 or even 3. Considering how much tickets cost, you can get a babysitter for the funds you would have spent on the toddler's ticket and have a nice evening out with DH while DS has fun at home with the babysitter. Getting up and taking the toddler out will disturb other patrons who spent money to be there as well, especially if you do it more then once, even if you have an aisle seat.

[lmk1]

Ok ladies, you've convinced me! I had remotely thought it was something like Wizard of Oz, but I just asked my dh about it, and I guess it is meant for adults. I'm sure Grandma will be more than happy to oblige in the babysitting.
Someone had mentioned children's theater, and I remember seeing that when I lived in NYC, but not sure we have that in Miami...I'll have to look into it.

Thanks again everyone!

[SparklingGemini]

Originally Posted by mommy2maya

No way! Totally rude to other patrons who are spending $75+ for this experience.

But if everyone is spending the same, isn't it equally fair for anyone to go?

[mommy2maya]

No, it's not, because there is a reasonable expectation of no disruptive toddlers at such a place.

[new2this]

I wouldn't bring a toddler. I generally roll with the flow of having kids around and going to places the are kid friendly but something like this I just would be annoyed if I paid a lot of money to go see and had to listen to kids. Considering how long it is and all that I see a toddler getting bored with it. I also think a lot of venues have age limits at least the ones I checked when I was looking to go.

Sparkling at least in my experience not everyone pays the same for these type of events. When I went my ticket was 130.00 while others were cheaper and some were more expensive.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

In addition to the other objections mentioned, with which I agree, many theaters also have a "no return" policy so that if you leave the theater with your child you wouldn't be allowed to return until intermission. Think about how you would feel to waste all that money and have to stand in the lobby for 30 minutes (or more) of the show.

[Shera971]

Originally Posted by SparklingGemini

But if everyone is spending the same, isn't it equally fair for anyone to go?

Nope. It is my opinion that anyone can go as long as they can be respectful to other patrons watching the show and to the performers on stage. Not only could the toddler be distracting to the audience, I can imagine it would be very distracting to the actors on stage. I don't pay money to see an adult oriented show so I can hear other people's children laughing/crying what have you. A Disney show or circus etc would be a different story of course.

[TiredX2]

To me, it depends.

Will you be upset if you end up needing to leave the theater and miss half (or more) of the show? If yes, I would not go because I would expect someone to remove a fussy child immediately in a situation like that. If no, --- your choice.

We took the kids (8 & 10 then) to Wicked and they loved it. They have also seen Cats & Lion King at the adults theater. Before that, though, we stuck with children's and family theaters. There are a lot of options--- we even saw a teen production of Les Mis several years ago (DD was *livid* though, because they didn't sing all of Confrontation). For me, though, it just wasn't work $70+/ticket for my kids to see something they may be bored by and it would have really bothered me to have to leave.

I'm always confused by age suggestions though. When we went to Les Mis the suggested age range was 13+ but my kids have loved that musical since they were tiny. But I think I probably have a blind spot because when DP & I went to see Rent and there were kids there younger than my own I was shocked.

[Trinitty]

When Wicked came to town here they did not allow children.

So, I have no idea when I will ever see it.

Trin.

[musikat]

Another vote for no, and I love that musical (never seen it live, though). My kids have heard the music, knew the story and songs at very young ages, so for me it is not the themes. They are adult but much of it would go over the heads of a young child. However, I have had to take my youngest out of a theater performance before and it was not fun for me at all. It was the Nutracker, aimed at families, so many kids were there. I just think that that kind of theater is for older kids, not toddlers.

[mamazee]

I would never bring a toddler to a live show intended for adults. I have one who was high needs and one who is quiet and placid, and even the quiet one wouldn't be able to remain silent in her seat for that long at a show that would not interest her. It would be rude to the other people there who would undoubtably be distracted by normal toddler noise and behavior during the show, and unfair to expect a toddler to remain silent and still that long.

[ARon]

We saw Wicked this past fall. Wonderful show, if you can arrange for childcare, I would definitely try to go. However, I would NOT take a toddler. It's loud, it's scary (well, for a toddler), and it's for adults. At our show (not sure if it varies by theatre), doors were closed between admission and intermission, and they were strict about it - if you were even 30 seconds late you were not allowed in - so it's not a type of situation where you can come and go with a toddler. We saw a few 5-7 year olds who seemed to do well, but I wouldn't ruin it for yourself or others by taking anyone younger.

[Jessy1019]

I would have, but only because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't have had to leave the theater with my kids at that age. They'd been sitting through all kinds of movies and has been to other stage performances (behaving appropriately) at that age.

If I thought we would have to leave at any point, then I wouldn't have done it. I think anyone should be welcome to attend a show like that, but only if they can behave appropriately for the situation.

We did our first Broadway show when Rylie was 5 and REALLY into the music and movie version of RENT. We're planning to take her and my 4 year old to see something else on Broadway this summer, and if I found a local touring show of RENT, I'd take my son, now, too.

If you want to introduce your little one to theater, see if your local community college hosts any children's productions. Ours has them regularly, and they do great shows . . . at that age, we saw The Very Hungry Caterpillar (and other Eric Carle stories), and my son was transfixed -- it was a blacklight puppet show, and SO good.