Alladdin on Broadway review

Alladdin opened on Broadway on March 20th, 2014. It is still going strong in it's second year. If all you want to see, is live version of a Disney movie, then this show will be great for you. Costumes are great and shiny, music and catchy, dance numbers are entertaining, jokes are on par with your regular Disney cartoon and probably lost on most kids. My favorite numbers were the ones with Genie. I was amazed how talented James Monroe Iglehart is. I attended the day show and there were not that many kids in the audience and I don't think this show is great for kids, especially if they are not into singing and dancing. Having said that, my son liked the show, but I feel like a lot was lost on him and it is probably was not worth it. As I mentioned, I saw the show with my son. If you have kids who are not super tall, get a booster. Ushers offer them or you can ask for one. I did not get one at the beginning and regretted it. My son had trouble seeing. Thankfully, one of the ushers offered us one mid performance, and it was much better. Special word for people with sunglasses. You don't have to wear them inside on your head. People from behind you can't see them. There were two women in front of me with sunglasses perched on their heads. New Amsterdam Theater is gorgeous but it felt cramped as most of the Broadway theaters do. It was especially noticeable during the intermission.

Review: The Monster Who Ate My Peas in SOPAC

Couple of weeks ago we saw the show base on a great book with the same name. A boy becomes friend with a creature who helps him to avoid eating the peas. But it comes at a price. The ageless "deal with the devil" plot is well explained and the proper conclusions are made at the end. The show was delightful. All actors did a great job singing and dancing. The show held everybody's attention for the whole length a little bit under an hour. I wish there were more shows like this in New Jersey.

Events for Kids - Bergen Pac

Bergen Pac


Bill Blagg III - Illusionist
Sunday, Nov 28 at 7PM

The Laurie Berkner Band
Sat Dec 11 at 11AM

Kidz Cabaret - The Wizard’s Apprentice

Sun Dec 5 at 1PM
Sun Dec 5 at 4PM

Kidz Cabaret - Funkey Monkeys!
Sun Mar 20 at 1PM
Sun Mar 20 at 4PM

Kidz Cabaret - Dolphin Up a Tree

Apr 16 at 1PM
Sat Apr 16 at 4PM

Wiggles in Meadowlands

The Wiggles Wiggly Circus Live! is in Meadowlands this Tuesday at 2.30pm and 6.30pm. If you have a toddler you probably know Wiggles. I just checked and tickets are still available ($15-75).

Curious George Live Review

Last Saturday I took my son to see Curious George Live in Izod Center. My son likes Curious George Books and we watched a couple of shows on TV.

Everything went smooth, the show started on time and overall looked like a well-oiled machine. I liked the way George and The Man with the Yellow hat were presented. I can't talk about other characters because I did not know them from the books but I was told they are well known from TV show.

Izod Center is a large venue and we sat far from the stage. So this may be the reason that I was not impressed by the show. Either the sound engineer was very good or the show was lip-synced. The show description said that it is appropriate for 2 year old kids but although my 3 year old son sat through most of the performance I think most of the stuff went over his head. I guess you have to ask yourself if your kid will understand the concept of international meatball competition. I am not a child development specialist but what struck me is that at times it was difficult to tell characters apart visually, except for The Man with the Yellow Hat and Curious George. At times characters were wearing costumes in the same color scheme (everybody white or everybody yellow). I am not sure it helped kids to understand what is going on.

In conclusion, it probably makes sense to go to the show if your kid watches the TV show and knows the characters of Chef Pisghetti and Professor Wiseman or is old enough to keep track of story line which includes international meatball competition, depressed chef and competition with fast food restaurant.

Things to do with kids in the city

92YTribeca Bring Your Own Kid (B.Y.O.K) program in May

Things to do this weekend with kids

Seussical Jr. in Pax Amicus Castle Theatre
in Budd Lake, NJ.
Sat, April 17th at 11 am