Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.
Warning: Broadway shows marked with an asterisk were sold out, or nearly so, last week.
BROADWAY:
• Avenue Q (musical, R, adult subject matter and one show-stopping scene of puppet-on-puppet sex, reviewed here)
• A Chorus Line (musical, PG-13/R, adult subject matter, reviewed here)
• The Drowsy Chaperone (musical, G/PG-13, mild sexual content and a profusion of double entendres, reviewed here)
• Grease * (musical, PG-13, some sexual content, reviewed here)
• Rock ‘n’ Roll * (drama, PG-13, way too complicated for kids, reviewed here)
• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee * (musical, PG-13, mostly family-friendly but contains a smattering of strong language and a production number about an unwanted erection, closes Jan. 20, reviewed here)
OFF BROADWAY:
• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children old enough to enjoy a love story, reviewed here)
• The Glorious Ones (musical, R, extremely bawdy, closes Jan. 6, reviewed here)
• Things We Want (drama, R, adult subject matter, closes Dec. 30, reviewed here)
CHICAGO:
• A Park in Our House (drama, PG-13, adult subject matter, closes Sunday, reviewed here)
• What the Butler Saw (comedy, R, extremely adult subject matter, closes Sunday, reviewed here)
EAST HADDAM, CONN.:
• 1776 (musical, G, too complicated for small children, closes Sunday, reviewed here)
MILLBURN, N.J.:
• Meet Me in St. Louis (musical, G, completely family-friendly, closes Dec. 16, reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON IN NEW YORK:
• Pygmalion * (comedy, G, suitable for mature and intelligent young people, closes Dec. 16, reviewed here)