“Kids Night on Broadway” is upon us again, offering young people and their folks a great opportunity to see Broadway’s best shows at a major discount.  For selected performances now through February 9, any child aged 6-18 can get a free ticket when it’s purchased along with a full-price ticket for an accompanying adult.  A slew of Broadway shows are participating, along with a handful of Off-Broadway shows, giving you the perfect chance to introduce a young person in your life to the joy of live theater at 50% of the usual cost.

Many of the participating shows (e.g. Porgy and Bess, Mamma Mia, Rock of Ages, Chicago, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Seminar, and Avenue Q) might be more appropriate for kids on the older end of the age spectrum.  Mary Poppins is the most obvious option for younger children (unfortunately The Lion King is already sold out, as is Anything Goes and Wicked).  The fact is that there aren’t many Broadway shows geared towards younger children.

For pre-teens and early teens, I would recommend Spiderman, Stomp, Godspell, or How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (now starring Nick Jonas).  Memphis, Sister Act, Rent, and Phantom of the Opera will probably go over well with a lot of teenagers, but bear in mind that they do all contain some mature themes.  (Lest you think I’m being overly protective of young minds, Phantom really is essentially about an insane stalker, no matter how romantic everyone tries to make him out to be!)  When you’re choosing a show, be sure to take your youngster’s interests and preferences into account.  The better their Broadway experience is, the more likely that they’ll want to come back again and again in the future.

Visit the “Kids Night on Broadway” website here to see the list of available shows and performances.