Mean Girls isn't for kids

[Ljcrow]

Went to see Mean Girls the musical recently, it was good fun but I was shocked by the amount of children there, many of whom looked as young as 7-8 years old, some potentially younger.
The musical includes references to sex, virginity, fingering, wide set vaginas and more. Plus plenty of swearing. Then there's all the talk of dieting and body image that, as adults, we can understand the subtleties of and appreciate the satire, but a child is much less likely to.
I've a 9 year old and there's absolutely no chance I'd take her. Why rush childhood?
Do parents not research these things or do they just not care?
Also, why isn't there an age rating for musicals as for films?
I'm 100% anticipating people responding to this with something about pearl clutching, minding my own business etc. I just think it's a shame we seem to want kids to grow up so fast these days. 🤷‍♀️

Were you sitting there with your lip curled in judgement @Ljcrow ? Much like a mean girl would

I took dd to see it 2 years ago in London. She would’ve been 12 at the time. I didn’t think it was great as I’d expected it to be more based on the movie.

Mean girls was one of my favourite films as a teenager but no I have an 8yo DD and I absolutely would not take her to that!

I wouldn’t take my 11 year old.

I agree, shows really need decent age guidance.
There’s a show I’ve been looking at for my DS but no one seems to be able to tell me whether or not it would be unsuitable.

This is on the website

Age guidance 10+. Includes some mature content, strong language, and themes of bullying. In addition, this production has strobe lighting, repetitive flashing lights and visual effects, theatrical smoke, haze and pyrotechnics.

So the guidance is there but it’s up to the parent at the end of the day.

I was given tickets for Billy elliot and took 6&8 yr old. I had to cover their ears!

Agree a rating might be useful.

Which show? Parent of an MT kid here. I can ask her!

There is usually age guidance but I expect people ignore it. Having said that I am taking my ten year old to see Six soon a the guidance is age 10+ but my DCI’s tiny so I am sure people will think they are too young.

I have an 8-year-old son and I’ve been taking him to musicals since he was about 5. He’s seen Newsies, Cats, Hamilton, The Outsiders, Hadestown and plenty more. Most shows are “recommended” for older kids, but that doesn’t mean every child under 10 is going to disintegrate if they hear a joke that flies over their head. Also, let’s be real, I’d bet the people clutching their pearls over kids at Mean Girls watched Grease as children like the rest of us didand somehow survived not understanding half the adult references. There’s a difference between “I wouldn’t take my kid to that” and “other parents must not care.” Maybe they do care. Maybe they researched it and know their own kid better than a stranger in the audience doing a headcount like the musical theatre morality police. Childhood is not ruined because a kid saw a Broadway show with a few jokes they probably barely registered.

This is so true, Grease, Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman were my favourite films from a young age. The inappropriate stuff went over my head.

Lol, why do we need to consult your kid specifically? That feels like a lot of extra steps for information that is usually readily available online. You could ask me too but I’d still just Google the show, look up the content guidance, listen to a few songs and decide based on my own child. One musical theatre kid’s opinion is not exactly an official theatre content advisory.

The theatre allowed your 8 year old in to see Hamilton?

Edit ignore me!! I was thinking of the Book of Mormon’s!!

I don’t see any need for that?

Took me all of two seconds to google this: https://www.westendtheatre.com/103962/news/inspiration/west-end-shows-and-age-restrictions-in-london/

Plus asking an 'MT' kid their answer? It would take forever wouldn't it?

If it’s Disney, you are fine!
Bring the kids until the age of nine!
But if Sondheim wrote the score?
Expect a body on the floor... (floor, floor, floor - trilling reverberates)
Family-friendly or more dark and dreary?
If the latter then dearie....
Do your research online!

splits, jazz hands

No, I enjoyed it. But I'm not a child. I'm guessing you're not a regular mom, you're a cool mom...?

@pinck wow. I was just trying to be nice.

Wow everyone. I was just trying to be nice. The PP said she had looked everywhere for information and couldn't find it. I was really just trying to be nice and helpful.

What's an "MT kid"?
Edit : oh wait.....Musical Theatre kid.
Sometimes in life we really don't need all these abbreviations.

MT is musical theatre

Yeah....my brain just figured it out 😂

Of course they won't "disintegrate" but that doesn't mean it's okay. Why not let the innocence of childhood last a little longer? And me noticing lots of kids in the interval/at the end and being surprised by it, isn't me doing a head count now, is it?
Hey, if you think me saying it's unsuitable to take an under 10 to something that talks about losing your virginity to a tampon because you've got a wide set vagina and all the previously mentioned adult content makes me the "morality police" then so be it. You win second cool mom award of the thread!

It’s a shit musical, no one should have to sit through it.

what is a “regular mom” 😕

I wouldn’t sit there judging no. I wouldn’t take that age but mainly because I’d think that a 7 year old might get a bit bored after 2.5 hours of it

Well, it saved me typing two longer words on a thread about musical theatre 😁