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 Sept. 9, reviewed here)
• The Best Man (drama, PG-13, extended through Sept. 9, some performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• The Columnist (drama, PG-13/R, extended through July 1, many performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Evita (musical, PG-13, nearly all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Godspell (musical, G, suitable for children, reviewed here)
• Once (musical, G/PG-13, nearly all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Other Desert Cities (drama, PG-13, adult subject matter, closes June 17, reviewed here)
• Venus in Fur (serious comedy, R, adult subject matter, closes June 17, 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)
• 4000 Miles (drama, PG-13, extended through July 1, reviewed here)
• Million Dollar Quartet (jukebox musical, G, off-Broadway remounting of Broadway production, original run reviewed here)
• Tribes (drama, PG-13, closes Sept. 2, reviewed here)
IN CHICAGO:
• The Iceman Cometh (drama, PG-13, closes June 17, reviewed here)
• Timon of Athens (Shakespeare, PG-13, closes June 10, reviewed here)
IN LOS ANGELES:
• Follies (musical, PG-13, adult subject matter, transfer of Kennedy Center/Broadway revival, closes June 9, original run reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON ON BROADWAY:
• Death of a Salesman (drama, PG-13, unsuitable for children, all performances sold out last week, closes June 2, reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON IN CHICAGO:
• Angels in America (drama, PG-13/R, closes June 3, reviewed here)
CLOSING SATURDAY IN EVANSTON, ILL.:
• After the Revolution (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)
CLOSING SUNDAY ON BROADWAY:
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical, G/PG-13, perfectly fine for children whose parents aren’t actively prudish, reviewed here)