BWW JR: HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING- Showing My Daughter How Far We've Come

This year my daughter saw her first two Broadway shows: "Sister Act" and "Mary Poppins".  (We're not counting that unfortunate Lion King incident at age five when she was scared out of the theatre ten minutes into the first act).  This past week, just when the drudgery of school vacation was about to drive Mom batty, we took in Broadway Experience Number Three: "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" staring the adorable Nick Jonas.

As a mother, it's always exciting to watch my daughter watching a Broadway show.  But I guess it must be even MORE exciting to be a mother watching your child IN a Broadway show!  Check out this video of Nick Jonas' mom talking about her mega-successful son:

My daughter was excited to see this show for many reasons, and not just because of the adorable Nick Jonas. (That's his name, right? "The Adorable Nick Jonas"?)

My daughter is eight, and it's exciting to see a show that is not necessarily a children's show.  It's thrilling for her to know that her opinion will impact Mommy's recommendation on BroadwayWorld.  And it's intriguing to see a show that was first produced in the mid 60's, before the world became familiar to what she knows now.

For example, about a quarter way through the show, my daughter leaned over to me and asked, 'Mommy, what's a secretary".  I realized she only knew the word "Assistant".  Sure there's "Secretary of State", but in an office setting, my daughter who was born in 2003 doesn't know the S word.  Because she's a modern woman living in a modern age. And that's the lens through which she viewed the rest of this classic Broadway musical extravaganza.

With numbers like "Happy to Keep His Dinner warm" (where the heroine Rosemary dreams of a lifetime of subservience to her successful husband) and an entire show featuring dozens of ambitious male executives and not a single woman who is anything more than a "secretary", an offstage wife or sex symbol, one would assume this show to be a negative influence on a young girl of the 2000's.

On the contrary; Along with being treated to an incredible evening of high-energy, top notch Broadway spectacle that hasn't lost a single ounce of oomph since opening night, "How to Succeed" served as a model for my daughter of how far we, as women, have come.  We discussed the show afterwards...the differences between women in the show and the women we know today...and we both gained an appreciation for the journeys of the women who came before us: The secretaries and sex symbols who played their roles with wit and humility and somehow managed to open doors for the next generation without undermining the sometimes desperate aspirations of the men they supported.

Though the show is long for a little kid (it clocks in at over two and a half hours with a single intermission), my daughter stayed alert and engaged the entire time.  The parts that might not have been 100% appropriate just flew over her head, as they always seem to do when we see adult theatre. 

I think that seeing a classic musical is always a wonderful stepping stone in a child's Broadway education, and I'm glad that "How to Succeed..." was part of my daughter's NY theatre experience.  And as always, I'm thrilled to find a show that is as enjoyable for Mom as it is for child.  This is not a kid's show.  It's a Broadway show that is appropriate and entertaining for older kids.

Meanwhile, check out BroadwayWorld Jr.'s FACEBOOK PAGE for the best 4-pack discount currently on the market for this show!

GET TO THE POINT, MOM!

• A high-energy, thoroughly entertaining, classic Broadway musical that is geared towards adults but great for older kids.
• Best for kids ages 8 and up.
• A nice lesson for girls on how far women have come over the past forty years in the workplace and in the home.
• For a guaranteed discount code that will get you the lowest 4-pack ticket price currently on the market, "like' BroadwayWorld Jr on FACEBOOK.
• Kids don't know the word "Secretary" any more! Woot! 

10 DAYS TO GO - VOTING IS OPEN - CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!

LIVE UPDATE: KINKY BOOTS vs. MATILDA for Best Musical and More...

Erin Leigh Peck is a New York based actor, writer and mother. She has performed on and off Broadway, in regional theatre and on tour, in films and on television. She most recently appeared Off-Broadway in The Toxic Avenger Musical and can often be seen on television in various commercials. Erin's play Mother of Mine is a contemporary 'dramedy' about pregnancy, parenthood and postpartum. She is the proud and busy mother of two extremely awesome kids. Please visit her web site, www.ErinLeighPeck.com.

Past Articles by This Author:

• BWW JR: POTTED POTTER
• BWW JR: Rudetsky and More Benefit Computer School at NIGHT OF STARS Concert
• BWW JR: ADVENTURES FROM EZRA JACK KEATS AT TADA! YOUTH
• BWW JR: MATILDA
• BWW JR: THE NEW YORK CHILDREN'S THEATER FESTIVAL
• BWW JR: OFF THE MAP
• BWW JR: MARIO THE MAGICIAN
• BWW JR: Why I Took My Nine-Year-Old to KINKY BOOTS
• BWW JR: Private Benefit Performance of MATILDA
• BWW JR: THE STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES

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