Would Wicked, the musical, be appropriate for a 6 and 9 year old?

[gandpsmommy]

We're reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz right now, and Wicked is coming to a city near us this summer. Is it something they would enjoy, or is it scary or just too mature for them? Thanks for any opinions.

[Chris in VA]

IDK--Broadway shows tend to have a lot of innuendo, but that could go right over their heads. Personally, I'd wait.

Just DON'T use the book as a read aloud! LOL (some nasty stuff in there, tho I've heard it's hilarious for adults)

[KatherineNaomi]

My DH and I saw this show for the first time in NYC this winter. We loved it and would love to bring the big kids some day. I don't remember anything inappropriate or particularly scary. There were lots of kids in the audience too.

[Ellie]

Just DON'T use the book as a read aloud! LOL (some nasty stuff in there, tho I've heard it's hilarious for adults)

Don't.read.the.book.

 

I didn't make it through the first chapter. It is the only book I've ever thrown in the trash. And I wanted eyeball bleach.

 

A friend loves the musical and said there was nothing inappropriate, although after I told her about the book, she said she remembered something about a brief scene that could relate to the book, KWIM?

[creekmom]

My extremely conservative homeschooling friend took her girls last week (ages 8 and 9)- they LOVED it. My daughter hasn't seen it, but she plays the music over and over and over and over.... Reminds me of my record of Grease when I was 8! :001_smile:

[gandpsmommy]

Don't.read.the.book.

 

I didn't make it through the first chapter. It is the only book I've ever thrown in the trash. And I wanted eyeball bleach.

 

A friend loves the musical and said there was nothing inappropriate, although after I told her about the book, she said she remembered something about a brief scene that could relate to the book, KWIM?

 

No, actually I have no idea what you mean. I haven't read the book Wicked or heard anything about it.

[KatherineNaomi]

Just remembered, you can read a very good synopsis at Wikipedia and see what you think. :)

[lisabees]

My kids are begging to see this again. Kids will like it at face-value. It's about a girl who's judged on the color of her skin. It goes soooo much deeper than that, though, which is why I love it. So many layers. But, if you're not one to think about things like symbolism and theme, you won't like it nearly as much.

 

Just my 2 cents. ;)

[skywards]

I absolutely loved the book AND the sequel. I've never made it to see the play, but I've heard its amazing and everyone I know thats seen it has loved it.

[piraterose]

No, actually I have no idea what you mean. I haven't read the book Wicked or heard anything about it.

 

I think she is referring a brief love/make-out between the the main character and the love interest - during the song "As Long as You're Mine" - mostly just rolling around on the ground if I remember right. Some lyrics that allude:

 

"KISS ME TOO FIERCELY

HOLD ME TOO TIGHT

I NEED HELP BELIEVING

YOU'RE WITH ME TONIGHT

MY WILDEST DREAMINGS

COULD NOT FORESEE

LYING BESIDE YOU

WITH YOU WANTING ME

 

JUST FOR THIS MOMENT

AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE

I'VE LOST ALL RESISTANCE

AND CROSSED SOME BORDERLINE

AND IF IT TURNS OUT

IT'S OVER TOO FAST

I'LL MAKE EV'RY LAST MOMENT LAST

AS LONG AS YOU'RE MINE…"

 

My DD6 daughter likes some of the songs in the soundtrack: "Popular", "One Short Day (at the Emerald City)" and "Thank Goodness", but I don't think she's actually ready to sit through the musical - the storyline is adult in understanding, and only hints at the main characters of WoO until the end. I think your older daughter would enjoy, able to understand this is a behind the scenes look at the original story, that I think would go over a younger child's head.

[jujsky]

I've seen it, and am considering taking my kids who will be 6 & 7 when it tours here again. I'm not what you'd call conservative though. If I recall, there may be a couple of innuendos, but you get some of those in Disney movies too. At that age I think it will go right over their heads. Visually it's a spectacular show. There are a couple of scenes that might be a bit scary for your kids depending on how sensitive your children are to those things. The musical takes great departures from the book. My kids have seen Cats and The Lion King on stage, and we've watched Joseph and the Amazing Techni-Colored Dream Coat (talk about innuendos -- that show has them in spades & some of the women are very scantily dressed), Greece, and Fiddler on the Roof at home on video. I would say in terms of innuendos and costuming, Joseph was more inappropriate than Wicked, and I allow my kids to watch Joseph all the time.

 

HTH!

[abbeyej]

I think the musical is totally kid-friendly. I took my kids when they were... ooh, 6 and 9! :)

 

I have not read the book, but understand it's *very* different (and not at all appropriate). The musical though? Just delightful!

 

Questionable parts... In the very beginning, there's a sort of prologue (goes by very quickly), where a woman dances with a man-not-her-husband while her husband is away and drinks from a "green elixir". Then she is delivered of a baby, completely green. (You and I would know that the baby is the other man's -- but it's handled in a fairly subtle manner.) Later on, the grown-up baby discovers the bottle and figures out that the man with the green elixir is her father. Again, very subtle and over the heads of most younger children.

 

There's also a moment when the main character falls in love and she sings and kisses her lover. After kissing him, she says, "For the first time I feel ... wicked."

 

That's pretty much it. There are some scary/intense moments as well. No more than, say... Well, the Wizard of Oz movie, certainly!

 

I think it's just *wonderful*, and my kids beg to go back, if ever given the opportunity. My daughter has the large hardback book that includes the lyrics, production photos, some "making of" information... And we listen to the music in the car and sing along. :)

 

I've seen it twice, btw. Once with my mom, then six months later with dh and the kids. I went into it completely "blind". When I took the kids, they had heard the music many times and I'd told them the story. I don't *know* if they would have enjoyed it as much without some familiarity... I'm just not sure.

[Makita]

I would agree with previous posters ...

 

The Broadway musical is fine for younger audiences. The book is NOT.

[Debbie in London]

I think we saw it when our boys were maybe 7 and 11. We all loved it!

 

Debbie

[gandpsmommy]

My kids are begging to see this again. Kids will like it at face-value. It's about a girl who's judged on the color of her skin. It goes soooo much deeper than that, though, which is why I love it. So many layers. But, if you're not one to think about things like symbolism and theme, you won't like it nearly as much.

 

Just my 2 cents. ;)

 

I'm constantly thinking about symbolism and theme, so I'm sure it will be great for me. I think my kids will just enjoy seeing a play and the whole musical experience.

[gandpsmommy]

My family saw this is February. 10 and 14 yr. olds. It was awsome. We have the CD and the kids sing it all time. All the same, it was extremely expensive, and unless your children really know the story of The Wizard of Oz, they may not follow it very well. The benefits of a Broadway Musical may not be fully appreciated by young children. But, I found nothing inappropriate and we all loved it.

 

HTH,

Angela

 

Thanks. I really just needed to know if there was anything frightening or inappropriate. I think my kids would love the experience of seeing a Broadway musical. I was actually contemplating making a weekend trip to NYC this summer and including a musical as one of our activities, but this is even better for us because the show is coming to our area.

[usetoschool]

Don't.read.the.book.

 

I didn't make it through the first chapter. It is the only book I've ever thrown in the trash. And I wanted eyeball bleach.

 

A friend loves the musical and said there was nothing inappropriate, although after I told her about the book, she said she remembered something about a brief scene that could relate to the book, KWIM?

 

A friend who saw the play in New York said the Wicked book and the play are nothing alike. I bought the book for my daughter and fortunately snuck a peak at it before I gave it to her and did the exact same thing - threw it away! It is VILE!

[PiCO]

I didn't make it through the first chapter.

 

I couldn't make it through the book either. But my theater group went to see this (otherwise I probably wouldn't have gone, because I didn't like the book...) and I absolutely loved it. My kids would have loved it, I will take them next time it's here.

 

I don't think I would take a 6-yr old though. Just would not have been worth the money for my kids.

[Blackacre Farm]

I just wanted to add that I took my 6 yr old daughter to see Wicked a couple of weeks ago. She loved it! It was my second time seeing the show and her first time. She was already familiar with the songs and I told her the basic storyline before we went. I think that helped her follow the show. I think your daughters would enjoy it!

[Carol in Cal.]

...unless they were extremely familiar with the movie version, rather than the book version, of "The Wizard of Oz". Wicked refers to the movie all the time, and is very entertaining if you know the movie well, as it gives a version of the 'back story' of the movie that is really clever.