Billy Elliot - age appropriateness

[broadwaymom]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 9:52am

I was thinking of taking my kids, seven and six to see Billy Elliot this December in New York. Aside from it's length, does anyone have anything to offer as to what whether it would be appropriate for kids that age? I have not seen it, but it looks fabulous and I love the "be true to yourself" message. Thanks, NESS

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 10:00am

I honestly think the show would be a little hard on kids that age. Between the accents, the fairly heavy doses of profanity (lots of it spoken by the children in the show, Billy's first line includes profanity), the political storyline, and the length of the show it might be a bit much.

It depends on your kids though - I was sort of a theater dorky sort of child and I sat through Les Mis when I was 7 and enjoyed it - and the children dancing might keep them entertained - but the box office has a warning on it about the show not being appropriate for children under 8 and I'd probably agree with that.

If they see a lot of theater and do well at longer shows and you don't object to the language, I'd say go for it - but otherwise I don't know.

If you said your kids were 11 and 13 I'd have no trouble reccommending it for them, if that gives you any idea.

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 10:19am

I second LeaGirl. In terms of inappropriate things within the show, it's only language. So, if you wouldn't want them exposed to profanity, probably not the best show. The political storyline will go over their heads. And the length may make them antsy. It would probably be best for the pre-teen crowd on up.

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 10:32am

If you have the London script playing in New York then it's pretty hard for six and seven year old- even more so for you! Your kid shearing other kids swearing may not be what you want at that age!
Be warned!

[feline0favenueQ]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 10:35am

The swearing- is it like hell, damn, and ass or like b**** and f***?

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 10:40am

The "f" word is used many, many times. Actually so much that when I bought the CD when it first came out it had a parental advisory sticker on it because that word is used as a verb in a song which I guess throws it over the line haha.

Other examples include the three you mention, also s**t and d**khead and.. I'm probably forgetting some.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 11:16am

The movie was rated R, and the stage musical doesn't stray far from it if that helps any.

[DrMark]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 11:25am

I agree with the others. The language is suprisingly strong for a musical featuring children. Besides that, I thought it was a bit boring in parts and way too long. Take your kids to something more uplifting and lighter.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 1:20pm

Definitely for kids over fifteen or at least a mature fifteen or fourteen.

But even kids that young won't get the storyline. This is much more of an adult show, but in a very odd way. It's brilliant, if I haven't made that clear in all of my posts about how much I love it, but it is flawed (however slightly) and for people mature enough to see it. It's hard to put a stamp of age appropriateness on it...it depends on the maturity level of the kid in question.

[famefan25]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 3:44pm

Having seen the show in London already, if I was in your position, I would not take kids that young to see Billy Elliot. I would wait until they were at least 14 or so, because of the language in the show.

[StephenSondheimWHOO]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 6:07pm

I think it may be a little to much for kids of that age, but you certainly don't have to wait untill they are 14. I'd say once they are past the age of 10 it should be fine, unless you are very protective. Because, honestly, it won't be the 1st time they are hearing the words. I'm 14 and I saw it for the first time at 12. I really think that it is essentially a family show, with a womderful message that as many kids as possible should see.

[englishtoser]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 12:38am

To reply to something a few posts higher up, if you don't want your child to hear other children swear then (a) take them out of school immediately, and (b) lock them in your cellar until age 21. I find this level of prurience farcical, to be honest. Most plays I take my kids to involve nudity, blood (real not staged) and/or defecation. That is, after all, the nature of art. Mind you, I live in Europe. Maybe things are different over here.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 12:49am

It's does get kind of bad. But, if your kid's are in middle school, it's nothing they haven't heard before. Even if they're 11 years old, you would be so surprised in this day in age how early kids are cursing, I find it disgusting, but with Billy Elliot it's an amazing story, an amazing story with curses, but really, your kid's probably know them already.

Updated On: 10/17/08 at 12:49 AM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 12:53am

"...if you don't want your child to hear other children swear then (a) take them out of school immediately, and (b) lock them in your cellar until age 21."

I am sure the original poster realizes that her kids are probably going to be around swearing, etc. and hear it from other kids, but there's nothing wrong with questioning the age appropriateness of the show. There are other factors you have to consider when seeing a show. It might have more to do with the complexity of the storyline - would a young child be able to sit through the musical? Would the child feel uncomfortable/uneasy about something? Would they even be able to comprehend what is going on?

If I was that young, I might be terrified to look at some of the things you take your kids to. Of course, different children have different levels of maturity, and it is always good for the parents to keep that in mind when choosing a show to take their kids to.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 1:01am

Oh, wow. I just read the original post much slower, and saw seven and six, not sure how I missed that before. It's definitely going to be to intense for them. They may get the idea that Michael is a "puff" and that Billy isn't supposed to be doing ballet, but now that I see there ages, the show is too much!

Posted: 10/17/08 at 1:27am

It's not a censorship thing at all. Broadwaymom was asking if this is the right show for her two kids. She's trying to screen in something new for them -- something not being marketed to kids yet starring kids.

Lots of families have seen Wicked, the Disney stuff and Hairspray on past outings to the city. So when something new gets early raves, the question's inevitable: should we make this show our next outing? I had the same question when [tos] opened in July.

It's really helpful to us parents to hear people say this show's 10+ or that one's 14+. We know they hear it all day on the playground. But if someone's gonna take a poop onstage or toss one off, we'd like to know before we get to the TKTS window.

Imagine all the mistakes uninformed tourists could make bringing their kids to see Harry and the Horses or the guy from Weeds. They'd be well-served by reading threads like this.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 1:44am

It really does depend on the kids though.

My children loved THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, XANADU, HAIRSPRAY and LEGALLY BLONDE.

However, they also loved SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, GREY GARDENS, SOUTH PACIFIC and SIDE SHOW. (They're 6 and 12.)

They don't generally care for the Disney musicals on stage.

We saw BILLY ELLIOT in London and didn't love it, but I saw the Broadway production 2 weeks ago and am convinced my kids will like it much more this time.

I didn't find any of it offensive. My daughter was a little frightened by the "Angry Dance" but now that she knows what to expect she'll be fine.

In terms of "swearing," my kids know which words are "acceptable" to use and which are not. In fact, my son "tells" on my husband when he "slips." It's more important to me that they know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate language than it is that they "never" hear it.

(Oh, and I didn't take them to see [tos}. I thought they would be bored by it.)

Hope this helps somewhat.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 2:30am

BTW, my son requested that we go back to see it when it came to New York, so I'm pretty sure he liked it! (He's the six-year-old.)

Broadwaymom, what about SHREK?

[Scripps2]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 2:54pm

If englishtoser really is an English tosser he/she would know it was spelt with more than one s.

Honestly! Imagine trying to have a toss with only one s!

[1183]

Posted: 10/22/08 at 2:32pm

I have the same question. My nephew 6 is coming to town this weekend and I just got tickets for Friday and am a bit nervous. He is from Michigan. My sense is he will like seeing someone his own size and near his age on stage. But I am looking for some thoughtful comments.

[Kitzka]

Posted: 10/22/08 at 2:42pm

My friend took her daughter to see it. Her daughter is 10 and that is probably as young as she said she would go with it. Aside from the language there was mention of Michael being a 'puff' and some of he political stuff.

To the PP you already have the tickets and maybe your nephew will miss some of the political comments as well as the other refrences. You mention wnating him to see someone about this own age. I think the boys and children in the show are closer to 12 and 13 and I really beleive there is a world of difference between 6 and 12.

that being said, you already have the tickets. take your nephew and enjoy the show.

I am tkaing my daughter on Christmas day and can not wait!

lp

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 10/22/08 at 2:48pm

Completely outside of the length of the show and the profanity which is really a parent by parent decision... the show just isn't all that easy to follow for little kids.

I'm not saying all small children will spend the show lost but the 8 year old I sat behind when I saw it had NO idea what was going on, kept having to ask questions, couldn't follow the accents, and was generally squirmy any time there wasn't a musical number going on.

Clearly part of this was the parents fault for not controlling the child better but... the show is NOT geared towards children under 10. That doesn't mean children under 10 can't and won't enjoy it... it just isn't necessarily accessible for many of them. It's for sure a case by case basis but I personally wouldn't take a small child who hadn't been to and enjoyed several shows already.

[Weez]

Posted: 10/22/08 at 2:51pm

Actually, y'know what? I'd take my 9 year old niece to see 'Billy Elliot'. She knows a great many of the rude words, and she also knows that it'd be nice if she didn't say them, and so she doesn't say them. If you have a child who is down with obscenity and unlikely to be negatively affected by hearing it, then why not see 'Billy Elliot'?

And so what if the political part of the plot goes flying over her head? A fair bit of it goes flying over my head, because I was - thankfully - just that little bit too young to understand what was going on when Thatcher was in power. All I know is that I used to have milk at playgroup, and the next year I didn't. There's still the main plot of "here is a boy. He's quite good at dancing. His community don't think he should be dancing, but he wants to dance anyway, and eventually they all come round and his dreams come true". ... don't hurt me, but on the most superficial level, the plot isn't *that* different from 'High School Musical'. The show works on several different levels. Which is probably why it's been such a success. Marvellous. :)

[broadwaytourist]

Posted: 10/22/08 at 6:22pm

I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and if I had a kid that loved "dance," I would not hesitate to take him/her. My 12 year old and I watched the last few minutes of the movie the other night, and I just told him to ignore the rude language. Now, I know my kid's naive, but he didn't even recognize the "f" word due to the pronunciation. But he was intrigued by the movie. I thought the play had lots less language than the movie, and it is all about the kids.

[Salene]

Posted: 10/23/08 at 1:37am

I think the boys and children in the show are closer to 12 and 13 and I really beleive there is a world of difference between 6 and 12.

The Small Boy character is around six, and the youngest of the ballet girls also looked that age when I saw it in London. Those two don't have all that much stage time, however.

I'd take the 6-year-old (especially since you already have the tickets), but do brief him in advance - both about what happens in the show and general theater etiquette.