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 (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.
BROADWAY:
• Anything Goes (musical, G/PG-13, mildly adult subject matter that will be unintelligible to children, closes Jan. 8, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical, G/PG-13, perfectly fine for children whose parents aren’t actively prudish, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
OFF BROADWAY:
• Avenue Q (musical, R, adult subject matter and one show-stopping scene of puppet-on-puppet sex, reviewed here)
• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)
• Million Dollar Quartet (jukebox musical, G, off-Broadway remounting of Broadway production, original run reviewed here)
IN ASHLAND, OREGON:
• August: Osage County (drama, PG-13/R, closes Nov. 5, reviewed here)
• Julius Caesar (Shakespeare, PG-13, closes Nov. 6, reviewed here)
• Measure for Measure (Shakespeare, PG-13, closes Nov. 6, reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON IN ASHLAND, OREGON:
• The Pirates of Penzance (operetta, G, suitable for children, closes Oct. 8, reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON IN WASHINGTON, D.C.:
• Oklahoma! (musical, G, remounting of 2010 production, suitable for children, closes Oct. 2, original run reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON IN SPRING GREEN, WISCONSIN:
• The Tempest (Shakespeare, G/PG-13, closes Sept. 30, reviewed here)
CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN SPRING GREEN, WISCONSIN:
• The Cure at Troy (Greek tragedy, G, far too intense for children, closes Sept. 25, reviewed here)
CLOSING SATURDAY IN EAST HADDAM, CONNECTICUT:
• Show Boat (musical, G, suitable for bright children, reviewed here)