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.
Warning: Broadway shows marked with an asterisk were sold out, or nearly so, last week.
BROADWAY:
• Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (comedy, G, suitable for bright children, closes Jan. 10, reviewed here)
• God of Carnage * (serious comedy, PG-13, adult subject matter, closes Jan. 3, reviewed here)
• South Pacific (musical, G/PG-13, some sexual content, brilliantly staged but unsuitable for viewers acutely allergic to preachiness, reviewed here)
OFF BROADWAY:
• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)
• Our Town (drama, G, suitable for mature children, reviewed here)
IN ASHLAND, OREGON:
• The Music Man (musical, G, very child-friendly, closes Nov. 1, reviewed here)
IN STRATFORD, ONTARIO:
• The Importance of Being Earnest (comedy, G, closes Oct. 30, reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON IN CHICAGO:
• The History Boys (drama, PG-13/R, adult subject matter, too intellectually complex for most adolescents, closes Oct. 18, reviewed here)
CLOSING SOON IN SPRING GREEN, WIS:
• Long Day’s Journey into Night (drama, PG-13, adult subject matter, too long and demanding for some adolescents, closes Oct. 18, reviewed here)
CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN PROVIDENCE, R.I..:
• Cabaret (musical, PG-13, closes Oct. 11, reviewed here)
CLOSING FRIDAY IN SPRING GREEN, WIS.:
• Henry V (Shakespeare, G, reviewed here)
CLOSING SATURDAY IN STRATFORD, ONTARIO:
• Three Sisters (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)
CLOSING SUNDAY IN ARLINGTON, VA.:
• Dirty Blonde (serious comedy, PG-13, adult subject matter, reviewed here)
CLOSING SUNDAY IN ST. LOUIS, MO.:
• Amadeus (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)