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:
• August: Osage County (drama, R, adult subject matter, extended through Apr. 13, reviewed here)
• 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 Farnsworth Invention (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)
• Grease (musical, PG-13, some sexual content, reviewed here)
• The Homecoming (drama, R, adult subject matter, closes Apr. 13, reviewed here)
• Is He Dead? (farce, G, reasonably family-friendly, reviewed here)
• The Little Mermaid * (musical, G, entirely suitable for children, reviewed here)
• Rock ‘n’ Roll (drama, PG-13, way too complicated for kids, closes Mar. 9, reviewed here)
• The Seafarer (drama, PG-13, adult subject matter, reviewed here)
OFF BROADWAY:
• The Devil’s Disciple (drama, G/PG-13, not suitable for children, closes Feb. 10, reviewed here)
• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children old enough to enjoy a love story, closes Feb. 24, reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON:
• Happy Days (drama, PG-13, too complicated for kids, closes Feb. 2, reviewed here)
CLOSING SUNDAY:
• 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, reviewed here)
CLOSING SUNDAY IN MILWAUKEE:
• The Norman Conquests (comic trilogy, PG-13, adult subject matter, reviewed here)