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:
• An American in Paris (musical, G, too complex for small children, reviewed here)
• The Color Purple (musical, PG-13, reviewed here)
• Eclipsed (drama, PG-13, Broadway remounting of off-Broadway production, closes June 19, original production reviewed here)
• Fully Committed (comedy, PG-13, extended through July 31, reviewed here)
• Fun Home (serious musical, PG-13, some performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Hamilton (musical, PG-13, Broadway transfer of off-Broadway production, all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Matilda (musical, G, closing Jan. 1, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Les Misérables (musical, G, too long and complicated for young children, closes Sept. 4, reviewed here)
• On Your Feet! (jukebox musical, G, reviewed here)
• She Loves Me (musical, G, suitable for bright children capable of enjoying a love story, nearly all performances sold out last week, closes July 10, reviewed here)
OFF BROADWAY:
• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)
IN CAMBRIDGE, MASS.:
• Twelfth Night (Shakespeare, PG-13, two different stagings of the same play performed by the same cast in rotating repertory, closes July 10, original production reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON ON BROADWAY:
• The King and I (musical, G, perfect for children with well-developed attention spans, closes June 26, reviewed here)
CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN HOUSTON:
• Saint Joan (drama, PG-13, remounting of off-Broadway production, closes June 18, original production reviewed here)
CLOSING SUNDAY IN BALTIMORE:
• Death of a Salesman (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)
• A Streetcar Named Desire (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)
CLOSING SUNDAY IN BROOKLYN:
• The Judas Kiss (drama, R, reviewed here)
CLOSING SUNDAY IN CHICAGO:
• Tug of War: Foreign Fire (Shakespeare, PG-13, six-hour marathon staging of Edward III, Henry V, and Henry VI, Part One, reviewed here)
