A Message to Parents - Please Do Not Bring Your Little Children To The Opera

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 5:15pm

I know a lot of you just know in your hearts that your little darlings are special and mature enough at the tender age of 5 or 6 to enjoy sitting through 3 hours of Gilbert and Sullivan not only because it will be exposing them to culture but also because, Hey! It's got Pirates in it and Little Johnny and Little Mary just LOVE Johnny Depp. Well, if I may correct you Upper West Side Mommy who likes to narrate the show to said children and gets upset when they want to talk and kick seats and get up and run around - THEY DON'T GIVE A FLYING F**K ABOUT GILBERT AND SULLIVAN! KEEP THEM AT HOME!



Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day.

[StephenSondheimWHOO]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 5:20pm

HE, do NOT generalize. I used to LOVE G and S from the age of 3 or 4. In fact, by the Time I wass six, I had seen Porgy and Bess, Madame Butterfly, Carmen, and Hansel and Gretal. Loved every minute of each, and then recreated the sets, costumes and all in my living room

[Testing1232]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 5:25pm

Not that I disagree with you --- (We had a horrible time at "Mary Poppins" because of same reason), but you definitely sound like someone that does not have any children.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 5:26pm

Maybe you did like it, but I think the problem is less about liking it than it is about the ability to sit politely through a three-hour production, which a great many small children cannot do. I doubt there are many 3-4 year old children who do have any appreciation for G&S, and I think it would take quite the prodigious child to catch on to its humor. But if you must, get the film version and show your three-year-olds. Don't bring them to the opera.

[StephenSondheimWHOO]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 5:27pm

I think, ussually that is true. But there are exceptions

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 5:37pm

I performed a G&S operetta at eleven. Now, getting forty-something elementary school students to do one of those... that's a feat.

Updated On: 3/3/07 at 05:37 PM

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 5:41pm

I agree with the general sentiment, but my parents used to take me to the ballet and opera when I was 4-5 years old. And I always enjoyed it (and was pretty well behaved) It very much depends on the child.

[Weez]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 6:19pm

My dad took me to see Swan Lake when I was very young on the grounds that I really enjoyed this animated film version of it. Silly daddy should have realised that at the tender age of... good heavens, VERY young, I wasn't into Tchaikovsky quite as much as I liked the talking squirrels. XD

I'd really like to see it again now I'm older but I damn well missed it when it was at my lcoal theatre a few weeks ago. ;_;

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 6:24pm

I've been going to the opera since I was 7 years old, and I never once caused any kind of disturbance. I thank my parents for taking me at such a young age and fostering a love of the artform in me. I think this really varies from child to child, and a broad generalization is unnecessary.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 6:41pm

I TOTALLY agree with the others that you cant generalize. All children are totally different !!

As a parent, I can tell you that we try and expose our 11-month old to all different stimuli. Its good for her development, and we want her to get a taste of many different things at an early stage. Would we take her to an opera or a Broadway show right now? NO WAY !! But, when we feel that she can sit thru it (maybe when she is 4 or 5), we will.

I wouldnt tell EVERY parent to keep their child away from the opera.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 6:46pm

If it wasn't obvious enough I was speaking of "certain" children.

Again, I know there are extremely "mature" 5 year olds (I've worked with kids since I was a teenager) but the majority of them, as I saw today, are not like that. Those are the chidren of which I was speaking about.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 6:54pm

I have to agree with the original poster's sentiment. Yes, the above posters may have behaved perfectly in the theatre at a young age, but the posters on this board also continue to have better behavior than the vast majority of theatregoers even as adults. I'd hardly call us a diverse representative of the average audience member. The vast majority of young children cannot handle sitting through a 3-hour opera. The few that can are future BWWers.

[kjklo]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 6:58pm

It's generally a bad idea to take 5 or 6 year olds to a theatrical event not specifically designed for young children. If you risk it anyway, you need to be willing to swallow the expense and leave as soon as it becomes apparent that they're disturbing or disrupting other audience members.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 7:06pm

<< A Message to Parents - Please Do Not Bring Your Little Children To The
Posted On: 3/3/07 at 06:46 PM


If it wasn't obvious enough I was speaking of "certain" children.

Again, I know there are extremely "mature" 5 year olds (I've worked with kids since I was a teenager) but the majority of them, as I saw today, are not like that. Those are the chidren of which I was speaking about.

>>

I dont know how this is supposed to be "obvious" given your Subject Title.... but anyway.... I understand what you are saying to an extent, but you did generalize in your subject line.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 7:12pm

Well, you genearlized as well in your comment about the original poster obviously not having children. Just because someone hasn't spawned offspring doesn't mean they haven't come into enough contact with children to be able to form an opinion about their behavior.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 7:20pm

<< Well, you genearlized as well in your comment about the original poster obviously not having children. Just because someone hasn't spawned offspring doesn't mean they haven't come into enough contact with children to be able to form an opinion about their behavior. >>

You might want to look up the word "generalization"-
You might also wanted to read my post again. I never used the word "obviously".

What I made was an "assumption"- totally different.

[Elphie3]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 7:21pm

I think the key is for parents to know their children, and act responsibly. Which includes removing children from the theater if they are behaving disrespectfully. I think the biggest problem is irresponisble parents, not nessairily the children. I do think that most children, if they are prepaired properly can certainly sit through and enjoy an opera. But parents - take your child to childrens theater, etc. first - get them started on theater, and then explain exactly what they're going to see, what's expected of them, and that there will be a punnishment - going home- if they do not behave themselves.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 7:23pm

<< I think the key is for parents to know their children, and act responsibly. Which includes removing children from the theater if they are behaving disrespectfully. I think the biggest problem is irresponisble parents, not nessairily the children. I do think that most children, if they are prepaired properly can certainly sit through and enjoy an opera. But parents - take your child to childrens theater, etc. first - get them started on theater, and then explain exactly what they're going to see, what's expected of them, and that there will be a punnishment - going home- if they do not behave themselves.
>>

$$$$$$$ - Bingo !

[Weez]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 7:33pm

How about "A Message to Parents - Please Do Not Bring Your Little Children To The Opera if they aren't going to be able to sit quietly and enjoy it without disturbing other people"? ^_^

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 7:35pm

You might want to look up the word "generalization"-
You might also wanted to read my post again. I never used the word "obviously".

You commented that he sounded "like someone that does not have any children." That is a generalization. And you might want to look up the word "paraphrasing."

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 7:36pm

I think parents (especially many Manhattan parents) are very likely to overestimate the maturity and good behavior capabilities of their perfect little darlings.

Updated On: 3/3/07 at 07:36 PM

[Testing1232]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 8:22pm

<< You commented that he sounded "like someone that does not have any children." That is a generalization. And you might want to look up the word "paraphrasing." >>

Generalization: --- the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances

a proposition asserting something to be true either of all members of a certain class or of an indefinite part of that class.

Once again... I made an ASSUMPTION, which was based on the original post, and the way it came across.

Listen, I think the OP can defend him/her self-

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 11:19pm

I just got back from this evening's performance of PIRATES and there were MANY young children there, some so young that they were still in diapers. All were beautifully behaved. Just thought I'd put that out there.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 3/3/07 at 11:57pm

A Message to Parents- If you are willing to pay full price to bring your little children to the opera, THANK YOU. We need more people like you to keep it alive. Hopefully, those children will grow up to be just like you and continue supporting the arts.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 12:05am

When my parents tried to take me back after intermission to The Nutcracker, I said "We're going to see it again?!"

So we went to IHOP and that was that.