NYC - Broadway shows
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Anonymous
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My fam didn't like Lion King- it was cool, but also kind of slow and boring.
We loved: Wicked, Hamilton and Six My teen loved The Outsiders (I wasn't there, so don't know much about it) Honestly, Six is probably the flashiest, and is so so fun. Perfect for teens. I've seen Hamilton several times here in DC and the Broadway version was so much better it was unreal. The theater is small and you feel like you are a part of it (and we didn't have great seats). For Wicked and Lion King we sat pretty far back, and it did detract from our experience, I thought. I loved Cursed Child, but I was the only one. It's long and you do need to love the Harry Potter world. |
Anonymous
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Our teens loved both Wicked (very funny) and The Lion King (visually stunning) at those ages. I would sit in the first row of the mezzanine for Lion King and up close for Wicked (off to one side or the other for slightly cheaper seats).
Also recommend: - Top of the Rock at night - Tenement Museum - Central Park Zoo (go watch the sea lion feeding/training at 10am or whenever it is scheduled) - Walk/bike across the Brooklyn Bridge - Do your kids like architecture? If so, check out the Citicorp Center building and read or watch a video about the controversy surrounding it. There is a fun underground food court below it. |
Anonymous
| I have been to Broadway a lot with kids. I thought the Lion King had the best set I have ever seen and the music was great. We use the Today Tix app or the half price booth down by Wall Street not the crowded Times Square one. |
Anonymous
The Lion King is fine and everyone should see it once. But the shine has worn off and the Minskoff theater is terrible. |
Anonymous
| My teens moaned and groaned when I bought tickets last year to see The Lion King. And then they loved it because the costumes are amazing and it is so visually amazing. They were hooked within the first few minutes. We had pretty good seats in the orchestra. |
Anonymous
| The Outsiders will be at Kennedy center later this year so I would not go all the way to New York and see that one. |
Anonymous
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I live in nyc, work in the arts and see pretty much everything on Broadway, most of it with my kids ages 10, 13 and 15.
For neophyte theater goers at this point in time I would go with Lion King or Wicked. They are both incredible productions with amazing costumes/sets/choreography/special effects, etc. Yes, they’ve been running a long time (for good reason) and the casts aren’t original but the performers are typically very strong regardless. I haven’t seen the current wicked cast (I saw it in December shortly before it switched and it was one of the best I’ve seen), and I was disappointed with the Lion King cast (several of the leads were weak singers who went flat) but that isn’t going to be an issue if you’re not someone who can hear those things. However, both of those shows are among the most expensive on Broadway because of their wide appeal. You will not find discount tickets and you should not try to buy the “cheap seats” as you’ll have a far worse experience if you can’t see the whole show. If you want to see a fun and “spectacular” show for a lower price you can try tkts or rushing. You likely wont be able to get those shows but here are some that have a similar “feel” in terms of being a big production with high quality “extras” that will probably be available: Hamilton Death Becomes Her Boop Smash Moulin Rouge Great Gatsby & Juliet (with the caveat that I think this is one of the worse shows I’ve ever seen, my then-11yo dd enjoyed it, but she agreed that it wasn’t very good compared to other things she’s seen Hadestown MJ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (not a musical) Six is a lot of fun for teens but it’s really a short “pop concert” with very little set or staging and doesn’t give a great sense of big broadways theatrics. My kids do love it though. Aladdin is probably better for kids under 12, though that may be your best bet for a cheaper seat for a Disney/familiar show. |
Anonymous
No one wants to go to the KC. |
Anonymous
I feel for your teens if they are so jaded that they can't enjoy these musicals. And for you as a parent, if you think that maturity equals raunchy content. |
Anonymous
I'm concerned you'd classify those musicals as "raunchy". Wicked, seriously? |
Anonymous
I'm not that poster, but I didn't love it. The entire second half was boring. |
Anonymous
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We just returned from NYC a few days ago and watched Othello and Hugh Jackman Live on Saturday. Both were awesome. We had Orchestra Pit seating at Radio City Music Hall which was surreal to be so close to the stage – Jackman interacted with our DD several times as he engaged the audience during various songs.
We got some backstage pictures and autographs with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal as part of a VIP package for Othello. Highly recommended! |
Anonymous
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I would definitely choose Lion King. It's for all ages (except very young) and is just stunning. Music, puppetry, costumes... hard not to love it. It's a great intro to Broadway. Wicked is amazing too but just a hair under LK.
Have fun! |
Anonymous
The book is not really for young teens. I don’t think there’s any need to read the book to enjoy the musical. |
Anonymous
I read the author's Confession of an Ugly Stepsister many years ago and really, really enjoyed it. After the Wicked movie came out, I tried to read the Wicked book, didn't like it, and stopped after about 30 pages. I would not recommend it to anyone. (But his "Confession" book about Cinderella is great!) |