Taking the kids and grandkids to the theater? Consider these…
Load up on bottled water, M&M’s, pretzels and gummy bears at the local supermarket before coming to the theatre or you will increase the already over-inflated ticket price by another $20 or $30 -- not to mention facing those lines at the concession stands at intermission. Stand firm on the “no” to buy a stuffed lion, Ariel’s shell-shaped overnight bag or a Mary Poppins umbrella and you are home free in selecting one of the musicals reviewed below for a real treat for a young theatregoer.
The “Nutcracker” isn’t the only holiday entertainment in town, though the tree that grows to giant proportions will always be a must-see for every child. But a Broadway show can be just as thrilling, and selecting one of the three musicals, “The Lion King,” “The Little Mermaid” or “Mary Poppins” is guaranteed to draw giggles, applause and hugs of appreciation for Mom, Grandma or any other family member responsible for the treat. All three productions are mounted with enormous colorful sets and costumes, lots of glittering lights, rousing music and dance performed by wide-eyed dancer/actors with genuine smiles. Plus, there are free (believe it) booster seats. Your tots may be rubbing their eyes at the final curtain call, but they will also be valiantly trying to recall how to pronounce “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” or clapping with glee at seeing Ariel in a wedding dress beside her handsome prince. There might even be a tear or two when Simba is reunited with his family.
Scarlett Strallen as Mary Poppins. Photo by Alastair Muir
And here’s the bonus -- a positive message emanates from each story. It’s about the worth of family, a topic not always underlined in Broadway fare. Coming up the aisle at eleven o’clock at night and out into the street for the taxi search, there is a certain awareness that the kids clutching your hands have absorbed some old-fashioned time-honored ideals. Maybe love and marriage, being kind to your parents and family responsibility aren’t outdated after all. When Ariel gives up her life of ease beneath the sea to be with her beloved human prince, when Simba returns to his family to accept his rightful place as king of the jungle and when the kids in the Banks family shape up as promised to the most famous nanny of all, “Mary Poppins,” then all can’t, in spite of the news headlines, be that bad.
“The Lion King” involves the audience from the moment the house lights dim. Rafiki, sung by Tshidi Manye, quiets them down with a gut-wrenching howl, a call to the animals to begin their procession down the center aisles to the stage to view the baby cub destined to be king. Well, not exactly animals, but cast members balancing the most creative and heavy (I would bet) headdresses ever seen on a Broadway stage. The story revolves around Simba, a precocious cub, who runs away from his responsibilities as heir to the throne of his father, the lion king. Led to believe that he is responsible for his father’s death, he is overcome with grief and allows a conniving uncle take his place. But we know Simba will eventually return to lead his father’s flock. Julie Taymor’s costume design and overall direction of this world-renowned theatre piece is the stuff of history. Never mind that the costumes show some tatters, this tale of father/son connection played out in the animal kingdom has a universal lesson in its strong book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi. Simba’s story, with help from vivid Elton John/Tim Rice music and lyrics, points out that duty to family and facing up to one’s self is a priority issue in becoming a worthwhile adult.
Ariel, the beautiful mermaid sung by red-haired Sierra Boggess, has to decide whether to remain below the sea and live with her family or be true to her heart and change from mermaid to human to join her beloved prince in the real world. She has six unwed sisters below the sea. Perhaps that has influenced her choice, but the underage audience thinks only that she has struck a bad bargain with her Aunt Ursula, synonymous with the wicked queen in Snow White. Ariel must give her lovely voice to Ursula, who in return arranges for Ariel to plunge out of the water and join her true love. Not to worry… a happy ending is forthcoming.
At number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, we see Jane and Michael Banks, two precocious but likeable children whose melodic English accents go a long way in smoothing out their antics. Mary Poppins, the irreverent but super efficient nanny, does the rest (with the help of some magic that is never explained) in a charming rendition of the famous movie. Ashley Brown has Julie Andrews’s shoes to fill, and Gavin Lee dances with ease in the choreography by Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear. Lee’s talented taps travel up the wall and across the ceiling of the New Amsterdam Theatre as easily as he and a dancing chorus of chimney sweeps shuffle along the rooftops of London in the vigorous choreography for “Step In Time.” Eventually, the Banks children realize the folly of their ways, and their father learns that acquiring money is never as important as shepherding his children through life and maintaining a loving relationship with Mrs. Banks. Mary’s job is done. She takes off, literally, lifted high above the audience into the far reaches of the second balcony, her French-heeled black oxfords frozen in first position, her umbrella held high over her head. The necks of the children in the audience crane into unimaginable positions to savor the last bit of the fairy tale that all ages stand to applaud. “Mary Poppins” gives her audience concrete results that the next generation isn’t as hopeless as it would seem, and with “A Spoonful of Sugar” problems are never unsolvable.
On Broadway, now in its twenty-second year, is “Phantom of the Opera.” It’s no fairy tale, but quite a bit of magic fleshes out this captivating opera/musical, which should not be forgotten in selecting a night at the theatre for eight-year-olds and up. “Phantom” combines with great skill an Andrew Lloyd Webber score (perhaps his best) with a story of murder, intrigue and lust. Now, you ask, “Why take my little one to an evening of such goings-on?” For toddlers, stick to the Disney offerings, but for the older children “Phantom” is a first-of-its-kind theatre piece offering opera-trained singers and ballet-trained dancers in principal and ensemble roles. Set in a vintage opera house in Paris in the days when haunting was a believable experience, “the Phantom” seeks to make his protégée, Christine Daae, a chorine with a blessed voice, a star. Employing all the “stage mothering” tricks that go way beyond the queen of all stage mothers, “Mama Rose,” he sets out to frighten the cast with a series of mysterious murders. There is plenty of wit and laugh out loud humor from the two bumbling opera impresarios who try to explain the ghastly goings-on to their reigning diva, Carlotta Guidicelli, and the other members of the cast. Raoul, the knight in shining armor, arrives to save the day. The chandelier falls. The audience screams in delight and looks to a second act where all is put in order.
There is nothing quite like a visit to a Broadway musical for a young child, whether you are a tourist or a New Yorker. On the docket this fall are a ton of shows from which to choose, but going with a Disney offering or the fabled “Phantom of the Opera” is a sure thing for little ones.