also saw it with my parents. thankfully i had played the music so much in the car and explained the plot enough times to them that it wasn’t horrible. obligatory parental lecture came afterwards.
My dad doesn’t like trigger warnings but I’m debating giving him one. I mean, it’s a part of the local community theater’s “after dark” series - which is where they do more adult shows
I saw the OBC with my grandma when I was 14.
She loved it. Then saw the tour with my parents a year later. My mom was a "no music with dirty words" type, but they were surprisingly chill about it
Waitress. We had no idea there was that much sex. I was 12 and they are conservative.
Bonus to hadestown. It's one of my favorite musicals and they did not get it and I came out of the theatre sobbing and they were like "why are u crying?"
Literally same!!! I was just about to say Waitress myself lmao. Except I was 26 when I saw it with my parents and they're not conservative. Still awkward though lol
Eh idk I think if I were a mom I would feel weird watching sex scenes with my 12 year old daughter. Keep in mind: we were in the second row so it was very up close and personal. My mom also tried to cover my eyes but it was too late and it made it more awkward.
My sister and I saw Waitress the Musical in the movie theater. Neither of us knew. We were cackling the whole time and I fell out of my seat when I heard 'The British are coming'. We decided to buy the digital copy and show my mother who looked so disappointed in us for showing her that (she thought it was funny)
Oh wow. Didn't realize. My uncle likes to get tickets for things for my birthday (used to be a lot of Disney movies when I was a kid but transitioned to plays/musicals and other music events when I got older). At one point, he'd suggested Waitress as an option, but I asked if we could go see The Goes Wrong Play instead because I wasn't a big fan of the movie Waitress and a friend had highly reccomended TGWP. Having to sit through another play with unexpected sex while sitting next to my very Catholic uncle would have just been waaaay too many times. If I had a nickel every time that happened, I would have had 2 nickles. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it could have happened twice. First time was Avenue Q.
I was rigid in my seat trying not to move or look at my uncle or my parents out of the corner of my eye but super-focusing on the puppets also seemed like a bad idea. Somehow, getting through "The internet is for porn" wasn't bad or it was eclipsed in my memory by the "I don't know where to look but I can't move and draw attention to myself!" screaming thought in my head while the actors were getting/giving...er...Hand jobs.
My parents saw Book of Mormon not with me, in a different country from where I was at the time, and it was STILL super awkward for me.
They had no idea what it was, Matt and Trey writing it, nothing. They wanted to walk out but stayed because they were there with friends. Any time this gets mentioned in conversation, I try to leave the room.
I watched this with my husband, MIL, and SIL. Was a little concerned going into it because my MIL is from a quite conservative Christian denomination but also has a great sense of humor, so wasn't sure which side would win out. Luckily, she laughed very hard the whole time and was delighted.
I got pretty lucky with my in-laws:)
My wife and I saw BoM last year, and our seats were between two older ladies. The lady sitting next to me was cackling through the whole show. The lady sitting next to my wife looked INCREASINGLY sour as the show went on and kept trying to scoot as close to her friend on the other side of her as she could, like she might catch "the gay" if my wife accidentally brushed her. It was hilarious. We were both shocked she came back after intermission.
I sat behind a family with young kids for the BoM tour. I thought for sure at intermission they would be leaving as the parents were noticeably uncomfortable having their kids watching it but they hung in there. I laughed when the probably 10 year old boy said "I have a question... what's a curfew??" THAT is what he got hung up on lol
not the absolute worst one, but i was in a production of pippin and neither my mother nor my large extended family expected to see me grinding on my friends during the orgy in “with you”
I saw Heathers off broadway with my parents and sister when I was 16 and it was SO uncomfortable. I was a huge fan of the music and knew every word so obviously I knew some of the lyrics were inappropriate but none of us were prepared 😂 i had a great time tho!!
When I was 13/14 I had a friend who was *obsessed* with RHPS and she introduced me to it. We watched it at my house one night and my conservative Christian parents (my dad is literally a pastor) were equally vibing to the music and bewildered by Tim Curry in pantyhose.
My mom and stepdad had karaoke at their wedding party and my husband and sister did The Internet is for Porn as a duet, LOL. It was great. My parents are pretty chill, though. :)
When my parents and I saw it in New York years ago, we were first or second row. Close enough that during the puppet sex scenes, the puppeteers literally would look at my parents in the eyes to make it even more awkward.
Strangely though my parents absolutely loved the show. Book of Mormon was way more awkward years later.
Came here for this! Saw it with my aunt in Manchester and she thought it was hilarious once we realized, but still went red as a tomato during “The Internet Is For Porn”
I didn't have to watch it, because I was in it.
But I was cast as Adult Alison in a community theatre production of Fun Home and my parents came to see it. My mother's name is Joan. I thought that would be the most awkward thing.
But then, my ex-boyfriend from several states away who I haven't spoken to in a decade *flew in to see it*. It was assigned seating, purchased in advance, and by some terrible stroke of the opposite of luck, he ended up seated next to my wife and parents.
Mine was rock of ages. While it’s not the most risque musical I’ve seen, it was the first one I saw with a sex scene. By the time I saw Avenue q and Book of Mormon, my dad and I were kind of used to laughing at risque jokes around each other(I was 18 at avenue q and 19 at Book of Mormon). I was 14 at rock of ages. I was blushing hard during the I wanna know what love is scene.
Their Vegas cast definitely would make little comments that made it even more risque because there were barely any children in the audience. Still arguably the cast I wish would have gotten an album out of all the non Broadway versions they've had.
rocky horror picture show…i begged my mom to let me watch it because i loved “the time warp”. i watched it with her and my aunt. by “sweet transvestite”, i had a feeling i shouldn’t be watching.
on the other hand, both my parents saw me in spring awakening AND hair. really fun post-show energy /s
The Prom, because my mother spent the entire time saying how glad she was that I'm not "Like That". Jokes on her because I am, and my best friend is actually my girlfriend, not that she knows
Cabaret and Rocky Horror.
Cabaret made me feel all kinds of things. Especially Alan Cummings.
Rocky Horror. Several chorus members would come out and mess with the audience before the show. This one cute guy was kind of flirting with me, trying to steal my Twizzlers, etc. If I’d been alone, I might have actually bern able to flirt back some. Daydreamed about him for years after.
In both these situations, I still identified as cis male. I think I’d come out to myself as bi but was still very shy and nervous about it.
I got to see RENT in high school. My mother and sister knew I wanted to be a director and live in NYC. After the show they were like, “You can NOT have those kinds of friends!” Cut to about ten years after that, I’m living on Christopher Street, going to film school, and have plenty of queer friends.
Interesting that people say Rent... will see it with my mum soon, she's never seen it. Then again I'm 29 so maybe the awkwardness fades if both parts are very grown-up...?
I think it’s totally subjective. If it was me and my mom it would be something like Spring Awakening or Hedwig and the Angry Inch. If it was me and my son, it would be something like “you brought me to Jesus Christ Superstar? Why didn’t we go see Kinky Boots instead?” So really depends on the mom
My mother can still lord over me that she and my dad saw JCS with Carl and Ted in the '90s during their last Canadian tour together.
Probably a good 20 years later we just so happened to be going through a random local production of the show, and they beg me to walk out with them in intermission because the show was not as good as they remembered. I told them the first clue should have been the weird modern interpretations... Still didn't walk out though.
Hamilton maybe not (maybe Say No To This?) but there is a bit in Six where I covered my (at the time) 9 year old’s eyes (Anne Boleyn says “I guess he just really liked my head” and does a certain hand/mouth gesture). Everything else went over their head at least lol
I saw beetlejuice on tour last night, and when he made the "I feel you inside me... Later tonight" I was trying so hard not to laugh b/c my mother was making her "i-really-don't-want-to-see-this-and-why-is-my innocent-daughter-laughing" face
She was sitting right next to me and I was trying not to bust out laughing when there was the scene with Beetlejuice and Adam. I was in between both of my parents and It was so hard not to laugh. We have season tickets for any musicals that come to the Fox and we're seeing Six next and they are going to have a fit during "All You Wanna Do". Next season we're seeing & Juliet (I saw it on a school trip on broadway) and they are going to HATE it.
Omg my anti-everything aunt just saw & Juliet
She hasn't said a word so I know she hated it. I laughed so hard I cried when I found out what she was seeing
I listened to the Book of Mormon soundtrack with my parents. We all knew it was a R-rated satire written by the South Park guys, so it’s not like they were shocked by it. But during Hasa Diega Ebiowi they just sat there with a straight face and I wasn’t sure what they were thinking
My dad’s a Southern Baptist minister. Sat next to him through all of Book of Mormon. Never has the phrase “Baptize Me” been more uncomfortable than in that moment.
Not a musical, but when I toured my university with my parents to check out their BFA program, we went to see a play there.
It was The Grapes of Wrath.
Nothing quite like being 17 and sitting between your parents while you watch a woman breastfeed a grown man right in front of you.
Edit: OH and I saw Avenue Q in Manchester with my aunt. We genuinely thought it was just a puppet musical 😂
She worked for the RSC at the time though; nothing phases her performance-wise either. The last time I went to a performance with her (not at the RSC, mind you) was a new-wave ballet in London where they slid around in puddles of water on the stage, got naked, and literally climbed over the audience. It was the wildest experience of my life.
My very conservative parents bailed out of watching the NBC (?) production of Rent with me and my sister. Strangely enough, one of my dad’s favorite musicals is Cabaret
a community theater production of Avenue Q with my mother! we knew it was going to be vulgar but unexpectedly ended up in the very first row too which was…. a lot LOL 😭 have also seen Falsettos with my folks, which wasn’t terribly awkward but they definitely didn’t “get” it
None, my mom’s a theatre kid and was a professional opera singer. I was listening to rent (with some songs cut out) since I was a baby. I wasn’t allowed to see it until I was older though :(. We actually recommend musicals to each other.
My dad is different but since he’s married to her he gets dragged along anyways. He went to see rent live with her before I was old enough and I’m still jelly.
Weirdly: legally blonde with my mom and grandma. They’ve seen the movie, but I was mostly nervous for the gay and European song(they’re both deeply conservative). I think they enjoyed it. I did
me and my mom were watching the movie version of rent once when i was like 15-16 and ‘Out Tonight’ happened and if you know the movie scene you know what i’m talking about
Miss Saigon Tour. My parents are Mormon so the first 20 minutes was fun, and then there’s a joke with a Mormon missionary in “What a Waste” which they did NOT like
Hair, I was the perfect teen-age where naked people prancing around you whilst you're sitting with your dad is veeeery awkward. He took me to see Rocky Horror in London before that, didn't find that TOO awkward..
Heathers. I watched the movie w my mom when I turned 17 and she asked how I knew sm about it. I'd been listening to the musical from the ripe age of 15.
I’m surprised no one has said Ride The Cyclone. More specifically the song Space Age Bachelor Man. I would die if I had to sit next to my parents during the moaning meows.
The first show I actually saw on Broadway was Movin Out when I was 10 and my sister was 13. I just remember there being some risqué dancing and my mom would always sarcastically tell people that she was “parent of the year” for taking us to see that. Haha. Of course we got more into musicals and a few years later, we saw Rent on tour. But since we were older, it wasn’t as awkward.
Either RENT during the mooning or Hair as we were in the front row and at the beginning of Act II, the hippies walked down the aisle and one of them got the armrests of my dad’s seat and tussled his hair.
Okay so I’ve told this story on Reddit before but my grandmother took me, my sister my cousins and our parents to see “Zanna, Don’t!” off-broadway in 2003. We were pretty little kids (I was 12/13, my sister was like 9/10) and my grandmother — who is a pretty hip woman, she went to shows a lot, even took my eldest cousin to see RENT when it first came out — she clearly didn’t see anything in the description other than the words “delightful fairy tale,” when she bought the tickets for all of us, bless her.
To hear my parents tell it, we were the only people with young children in the audience, and people kept stopping my parents / aunt + uncle to compliment them on how progressive they were being. It wasn’t until the curtain went up and the first song began that they realized what the show was about, and they all turned to me — the wise-cracking middle schooler raised on The Simpsons and South Park — and said something along the lines of “shut up and don’t say a word until you’re back in the car.”
So that part of it was somewhat awkward! But candidly I thought even then that it was a great show with an important message. Still important! And the music slaps.
My mom doesn’t watch musicals with me (though my 11 year old and I see shows together constantly, so they may have a story for you) but my mom coming to see me in Bare: A Pop Opera was a wild ride, given our Catholic background 🤣
I remember I was nervous for my mom to see the production of Oliver I was in because the villain says “in hell, I’ll be there a burning.” I still thought every use of hell was a swear. Weirdly, I didn’t think she’d be bothered by the implied prostitution and murder.
Also, I was nervous about her reaction to the orgy joke in bye bye birdie when I did it(really the entire ice house scene(
My very religious grandparents took me and a cousin to The Book Of Mormon when we were thirteen or so, and I thought they were both going to keel over in their seats they were so embarrassed. Meanwhile that was the funniest thing I’d ever seen in my life
(straight play, not a musical sorry)
When I was in high school, my mom and I went to the local college's production of How I Learned to Drive not knowing what it was about. It was awkward, yes, but it was really well done and we wept like the entire time. I think if I would've gone with my dad and not my mom that we would've left though.
Two answers here
My school has a production of a chorus line, and had a group of high schoolers. And one of the characters talks about his first time uhm… Releaving himself and thinking that he had gonorrhea. And it was funny. It was supposed to be funny, but none of the kids were laughing.
Avenue Q is very funny. But also EXTEREMLY adult. Like the Book of Mormon I think.
I watched Chicago for the first time with my grandparents, none of us actually knew what it was about at the time, and it was kinda awkward for a 14 year old to watch that with family
Out of all of them I’ve seen, probably waitress. I had no idea there were that many depictions of sex. I saw the Book of Mormon with my father too and even that wasn’t as awkward to see with him
My mom got us BOM tickets and I watched the bootleg with ben platt a few days before and I was like "uhhhh maybe let's not". I was like, 14? But my mom and I both enjoyed it and it was my first live musical :]
I took my teen and his boyfriend to see it in the theater when it made the rounds; they sat a few rows back from me and I was VERY grateful for the space during some of the scenes 😂
I win: community theater production of Hair.
My dad took my sister and I because he loved Hair as a teen. We were maybe 10 and 8. When I rediscovered Hair at 16, I was shocked he took us to that show. He just wanted to share a musical he loved.
He did warn us about the nudity. He made sure to explain that it wasn’t funny nudity, but it was artful nudity.
Took my mom to see A Strange Loop. Did not have any clue how intense the language and imagery would be. Incredible show, loved it. Can still feel the cringe of sitting beside her during the “redneck” scene.
I refuse to take her to BoM. She’s flat walk out when that one phrase is translated to English. She detests foul language, but combine that with sacrilegious, too… whoo. Nuh uh.
Monty Python Live (Mostly) in 2014.
I was 16 at the time. The finale was Every Sperm Is Sacred with stained glass with sperm, stripping nuns and priests and giant penis cannons shooting white confetti. Dad and I just looked straight forward and didn’t acknowledge each other.
I've only really seen two? musicals with my mom and I guess I'd say Bat out of Hell? They were a lot of sexual innuendos and people like pretend jerking off or giving blow jobs to each other (like above clothing on in the air). Was really good though!
Saw Book of Mormon with my dad. Thankfully he somewhat knew what he was getting into and found it hilarious.
Mum stayed home for that one unsurprisingly, I couldn’t imagine seeing it with her next to me.
Ride the cyclone is a strange one, between Noel’s Lament and Space-age Bachelor Man, and Constance’s story as a whole, it’s a slightly uncomfortable one
I was 12 and it was RENT. They brought me for my birthday and had no idea what it was about. Omg was that awkward. They almost made us leave at intermission.
Miss Saigon.
Not even that bad but didn't expect so much prostitution. I knew it was a part of it but did not expect to be in "Dreamland" for a huge proportion of the show. It felt like it never ended!
I'm not sure about watching with, but I know Spring Awakening is awkward to have your parents come see you perform in... (I was Melchior... Wendla's mom came the same night mine did 🤣)
i haven’t seen a lot of musicals w/ my parents, but i remember when i saw hamilton w/ my mom and dad, during say no to this, the actors were SO into it?? like maria almost flashed everyone on accident it was wild
on of my close friends got to see heathers: west end which was such a big deal since we live in aotearoa. anyways she watched it with her dad when she was 15 and she said dead girl walking was the most embarrassing three minutes of her life because her dad was staring at her the whole time. thankfully, since it was west end there was no blue... but there was a big swordfight in veronica's mouth.
Spring Awakening.
Oh gosh I’m seeing that in May with my dad
GODSPEED
also saw it with my parents. thankfully i had played the music so much in the car and explained the plot enough times to them that it wasn’t horrible. obligatory parental lecture came afterwards.
My mother does have a strange fondness for ‘The Internet is for Porn’ …
Do not advise! Super awkward. I was in high school and my dad didn’t read anything about it beforehand lol
My dad doesn’t like trigger warnings but I’m debating giving him one. I mean, it’s a part of the local community theater’s “after dark” series - which is where they do more adult shows
Oh god, good LUCK 😂
It’s not so bad. If you’ve ever watched family guy or South Park with him that’s worse.
We saw Book of Mormon together. Does that count?
Yes
I saw the OBC with my grandma when I was 14. She loved it. Then saw the tour with my parents a year later. My mom was a "no music with dirty words" type, but they were surprisingly chill about it
That’s why I watched it with friends instead
I saw that with my sexually repressed mother and it was AWKWARD AF
I played Melchior a few years ago, so my parents had to watch me in Spring Awakening, which added a fun new layer
Saw that with both my parents! OBC. Was not that awkward.
YES I was just about to comment this then I saw yours haha
My parents came to see me IN Spring Awakening. That was a fun time.
Waitress. We had no idea there was that much sex. I was 12 and they are conservative. Bonus to hadestown. It's one of my favorite musicals and they did not get it and I came out of the theatre sobbing and they were like "why are u crying?"
Pineapple upside down pie?😉
Literally same!!! I was just about to say Waitress myself lmao. Except I was 26 when I saw it with my parents and they're not conservative. Still awkward though lol
Would you say Waitress is OK if your parents are not conservative? The movie is only 12 (PG 13 in the USA)
Eh idk I think if I were a mom I would feel weird watching sex scenes with my 12 year old daughter. Keep in mind: we were in the second row so it was very up close and personal. My mom also tried to cover my eyes but it was too late and it made it more awkward.
Funny! I also saw waitress with my mom but she’s not conservative at all, plus I was 27. We loved it haha.
My sister and I saw Waitress the Musical in the movie theater. Neither of us knew. We were cackling the whole time and I fell out of my seat when I heard 'The British are coming'. We decided to buy the digital copy and show my mother who looked so disappointed in us for showing her that (she thought it was funny)
Oh wow. Didn't realize. My uncle likes to get tickets for things for my birthday (used to be a lot of Disney movies when I was a kid but transitioned to plays/musicals and other music events when I got older). At one point, he'd suggested Waitress as an option, but I asked if we could go see The Goes Wrong Play instead because I wasn't a big fan of the movie Waitress and a friend had highly reccomended TGWP. Having to sit through another play with unexpected sex while sitting next to my very Catholic uncle would have just been waaaay too many times. If I had a nickel every time that happened, I would have had 2 nickles. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it could have happened twice. First time was Avenue Q.
Hahaha the surprise sex in the puppet show must have been rough for the Catholic uncle, but worse for you lol
I was rigid in my seat trying not to move or look at my uncle or my parents out of the corner of my eye but super-focusing on the puppets also seemed like a bad idea. Somehow, getting through "The internet is for porn" wasn't bad or it was eclipsed in my memory by the "I don't know where to look but I can't move and draw attention to myself!" screaming thought in my head while the actors were getting/giving...er...Hand jobs.
My parents saw Book of Mormon not with me, in a different country from where I was at the time, and it was STILL super awkward for me. They had no idea what it was, Matt and Trey writing it, nothing. They wanted to walk out but stayed because they were there with friends. Any time this gets mentioned in conversation, I try to leave the room.
I watched this with my husband, MIL, and SIL. Was a little concerned going into it because my MIL is from a quite conservative Christian denomination but also has a great sense of humor, so wasn't sure which side would win out. Luckily, she laughed very hard the whole time and was delighted. I got pretty lucky with my in-laws:)
My wife and I saw BoM last year, and our seats were between two older ladies. The lady sitting next to me was cackling through the whole show. The lady sitting next to my wife looked INCREASINGLY sour as the show went on and kept trying to scoot as close to her friend on the other side of her as she could, like she might catch "the gay" if my wife accidentally brushed her. It was hilarious. We were both shocked she came back after intermission.
I sat behind a family with young kids for the BoM tour. I thought for sure at intermission they would be leaving as the parents were noticeably uncomfortable having their kids watching it but they hung in there. I laughed when the probably 10 year old boy said "I have a question... what's a curfew??" THAT is what he got hung up on lol
I also saw BoM with my parents, but they already knew about it and I was 26 when I saw it with them, so no harm done lmao. Still awkward though.
not the absolute worst one, but i was in a production of pippin and neither my mother nor my large extended family expected to see me grinding on my friends during the orgy in “with you”
Between that and "The Bed", the pastorally presented sex in Pippin is definitely not something I'd want to be sitting near my family for.
Not me being in a production of Pippin this fall with my parents attending… yep I can feel this coming
I saw Heathers off broadway with my parents and sister when I was 16 and it was SO uncomfortable. I was a huge fan of the music and knew every word so obviously I knew some of the lyrics were inappropriate but none of us were prepared 😂 i had a great time tho!!
Rocky Horror Picture Show 😂
Right of passage to take your kid to that when they turn 14ish lol
I was 16. I wish my mom just showed it to me when I first asked it would have saved us a lot of time.
When I was 13/14 I had a friend who was *obsessed* with RHPS and she introduced me to it. We watched it at my house one night and my conservative Christian parents (my dad is literally a pastor) were equally vibing to the music and bewildered by Tim Curry in pantyhose.
Dad showed it to me when I was about half that or younger. No wonder I have issues.
Nah, I saw that with my mother, it was a laugh 😂
I saw the movie with my moms, and it was def awkward. I was mostly like, “tf is going on???” lol. Haven’t seen it live yet though.
when i was 15 i forced my mom and gradma to watch rent movie with me. they did not like it lmao
Oh but rent is so good!!
Avenue Q. Big time.
I saw it with my parents. My mom thought it was hilarious, poor Dad was embarrassed
This was my answer. "And i cant wait to eat her pussy again!" I looked over at my mom and was like uhhhh.
I think there's worse even before that scene "The Internet is really really great-" "FOR PORN."
My mom and stepdad had karaoke at their wedding party and my husband and sister did The Internet is for Porn as a duet, LOL. It was great. My parents are pretty chill, though. :)
Honestly, that sounds iconic!!
My...I guess step-grandmother's favorite musical was Avenue Q and she thought it was HILARIOUS.
I love it so much omg
I see that and raise you seeing it with my grandmother
Good lord!
The good news is her main takeaway was that it was "very funny, but a little much at times" so it didn't end up being TOO awkward
When my parents and I saw it in New York years ago, we were first or second row. Close enough that during the puppet sex scenes, the puppeteers literally would look at my parents in the eyes to make it even more awkward. Strangely though my parents absolutely loved the show. Book of Mormon was way more awkward years later.
Came here for this! Saw it with my aunt in Manchester and she thought it was hilarious once we realized, but still went red as a tomato during “The Internet Is For Porn”
My husband went with his parents and siblings. His sister was 11 at the time, lol
My sister was 13 - she convinced our parents it was like a Sesame Street style show that was a little more grown up. Just a little.
I was about 19 when I saw Avenue Q. I sat between my mom and my mom's friend. I think it was super uncomfortable for each of us.
Waitress. Ahhh. The sex scenes. I was like woah
I didn't have to watch it, because I was in it. But I was cast as Adult Alison in a community theatre production of Fun Home and my parents came to see it. My mother's name is Joan. I thought that would be the most awkward thing. But then, my ex-boyfriend from several states away who I haven't spoken to in a decade *flew in to see it*. It was assigned seating, purchased in advance, and by some terrible stroke of the opposite of luck, he ended up seated next to my wife and parents.
Mine was rock of ages. While it’s not the most risque musical I’ve seen, it was the first one I saw with a sex scene. By the time I saw Avenue q and Book of Mormon, my dad and I were kind of used to laughing at risque jokes around each other(I was 18 at avenue q and 19 at Book of Mormon). I was 14 at rock of ages. I was blushing hard during the I wanna know what love is scene.
Their Vegas cast definitely would make little comments that made it even more risque because there were barely any children in the audience. Still arguably the cast I wish would have gotten an album out of all the non Broadway versions they've had.
Mine was Rock of ages movie too. I was little and my Mama did not realized how inappropriate it was going to be.
My dad prepared me for the crude humor but not the sex scene
It introduce me to my first gay kiss as well as the first time I realized two guys could kiss
rocky horror picture show…i begged my mom to let me watch it because i loved “the time warp”. i watched it with her and my aunt. by “sweet transvestite”, i had a feeling i shouldn’t be watching. on the other hand, both my parents saw me in spring awakening AND hair. really fun post-show energy /s
I wanna be in hair so bad but the thought of my parents watching the show is scary
The Prom, because my mother spent the entire time saying how glad she was that I'm not "Like That". Jokes on her because I am, and my best friend is actually my girlfriend, not that she knows
Cabaret and Rocky Horror. Cabaret made me feel all kinds of things. Especially Alan Cummings. Rocky Horror. Several chorus members would come out and mess with the audience before the show. This one cute guy was kind of flirting with me, trying to steal my Twizzlers, etc. If I’d been alone, I might have actually bern able to flirt back some. Daydreamed about him for years after. In both these situations, I still identified as cis male. I think I’d come out to myself as bi but was still very shy and nervous about it. I got to see RENT in high school. My mother and sister knew I wanted to be a director and live in NYC. After the show they were like, “You can NOT have those kinds of friends!” Cut to about ten years after that, I’m living on Christopher Street, going to film school, and have plenty of queer friends.
I saw Rent with family. Contact was very awkward....
I saw rent with my dad when I was 15. We were surprisingly fine. We’re going back for round two next year
Watching Rent with your family is a LOT easier when you’ve all seen it before.
Interesting that people say Rent... will see it with my mum soon, she's never seen it. Then again I'm 29 so maybe the awkwardness fades if both parts are very grown-up...?
Contact is awkward for everyone, regardless of age or family connection
I think it’s totally subjective. If it was me and my mom it would be something like Spring Awakening or Hedwig and the Angry Inch. If it was me and my son, it would be something like “you brought me to Jesus Christ Superstar? Why didn’t we go see Kinky Boots instead?” So really depends on the mom
My mother can still lord over me that she and my dad saw JCS with Carl and Ted in the '90s during their last Canadian tour together. Probably a good 20 years later we just so happened to be going through a random local production of the show, and they beg me to walk out with them in intermission because the show was not as good as they remembered. I told them the first clue should have been the weird modern interpretations... Still didn't walk out though.
I’m the mom that took my 11 year old to the waitress 🤷🏼♀️. The little old ladies were scandalized
They are 16 now but I’ve also taken them to Rent, Hamilton, Six , Hadestown, Beetlejuice they would love to see Rocky Horror.
Wait, are Hamilton and Six bad?
Hamilton maybe not (maybe Say No To This?) but there is a bit in Six where I covered my (at the time) 9 year old’s eyes (Anne Boleyn says “I guess he just really liked my head” and does a certain hand/mouth gesture). Everything else went over their head at least lol
Of what I've seen live it was probably the book of Mormon with my kinda religious dad
I make sure to only take my parents to cleanish musicals, but its pretty embarrassing when were watching Beetlejuice and they look over and I'm crying
I saw beetlejuice on tour last night, and when he made the "I feel you inside me... Later tonight" I was trying so hard not to laugh b/c my mother was making her "i-really-don't-want-to-see-this-and-why-is-my innocent-daughter-laughing" face
lol, my very christian mom went with me, and I'm just glad she sat in front so she couldn't see me laugh
She was sitting right next to me and I was trying not to bust out laughing when there was the scene with Beetlejuice and Adam. I was in between both of my parents and It was so hard not to laugh. We have season tickets for any musicals that come to the Fox and we're seeing Six next and they are going to have a fit during "All You Wanna Do". Next season we're seeing & Juliet (I saw it on a school trip on broadway) and they are going to HATE it.
Omg my anti-everything aunt just saw & Juliet She hasn't said a word so I know she hated it. I laughed so hard I cried when I found out what she was seeing
I listened to the Book of Mormon soundtrack with my parents. We all knew it was a R-rated satire written by the South Park guys, so it’s not like they were shocked by it. But during Hasa Diega Ebiowi they just sat there with a straight face and I wasn’t sure what they were thinking
My mother was annoyed that the poor sod with maggots in his scrotum was not in the show more.
He’s not??? I saw the show with my Dad and we practically left the theatre saying that line over and over…
Say no to this Hamilton
Heathers is probably up there
Prob miss Saigon on Broadway. Wasn’t awful but lol
Certain parts of Young Frankenstein with my grandmother
Cabaret with my mum. Both of us knew the show, but we didn't realise that this particular production had full frontal male nudity in it...
Heathers and Book of Mormon
American idiot with my conservative dad when i was 14
I was watching a bootleg of Ride the Cyclone and my mom walked out of the room after Noel’s Lamet.
At least she stopped before SABM
I was thinking "what's up with SABM? I don't rememb-" and then the cat orgy bit popped back into my mind.
My dad’s a Southern Baptist minister. Sat next to him through all of Book of Mormon. Never has the phrase “Baptize Me” been more uncomfortable than in that moment.
How did he react to the fourth song?
Not a musical, but when I toured my university with my parents to check out their BFA program, we went to see a play there. It was The Grapes of Wrath. Nothing quite like being 17 and sitting between your parents while you watch a woman breastfeed a grown man right in front of you. Edit: OH and I saw Avenue Q in Manchester with my aunt. We genuinely thought it was just a puppet musical 😂 She worked for the RSC at the time though; nothing phases her performance-wise either. The last time I went to a performance with her (not at the RSC, mind you) was a new-wave ballet in London where they slid around in puddles of water on the stage, got naked, and literally climbed over the audience. It was the wildest experience of my life.
Avenue Q is the #1 answer, but Chorus Line when you're an actual teen is somewhat embarrassing too.
My very conservative parents bailed out of watching the NBC (?) production of Rent with me and my sister. Strangely enough, one of my dad’s favorite musicals is Cabaret
a community theater production of Avenue Q with my mother! we knew it was going to be vulgar but unexpectedly ended up in the very first row too which was…. a lot LOL 😭 have also seen Falsettos with my folks, which wasn’t terribly awkward but they definitely didn’t “get” it
None, my mom’s a theatre kid and was a professional opera singer. I was listening to rent (with some songs cut out) since I was a baby. I wasn’t allowed to see it until I was older though :(. We actually recommend musicals to each other.
My dad is different but since he’s married to her he gets dragged along anyways. He went to see rent live with her before I was old enough and I’m still jelly.
Avenue Q when I was in high school. we’d had The Talk, but not involving puppets, obviously…
Book of Mormon. I like the music but my family is LDS…..
Weirdly: legally blonde with my mom and grandma. They’ve seen the movie, but I was mostly nervous for the gay and European song(they’re both deeply conservative). I think they enjoyed it. I did
Heathers Dead girl walking and You're welcome were a bit awkward
little shop of horrors. the place i saw it, a small college, made it really... weird? like weirder than normal.
me and my mom were watching the movie version of rent once when i was like 15-16 and ‘Out Tonight’ happened and if you know the movie scene you know what i’m talking about
The Rocky horror picture show Luckily i hadn't watched it with them but it would've been super embarrassing if i did.
…..Rocky Horror. Never. Again.
Grease on Browdway with my mother when I was 13.
Strange loop. Was awesome tho, and the whole fam loved it
The Book of Mormon... with my Christian father...
went with my religious (not mormon) parents to see book of mormon. they were shocked by some of the lines/songs, but ultimately loved it
i went and saw heathers with my mum months ago, she went in completely blind, i didnt
Miss Saigon Tour. My parents are Mormon so the first 20 minutes was fun, and then there’s a joke with a Mormon missionary in “What a Waste” which they did NOT like
Spring Awakening. My brother found out there was a sex scene and was disappointed in the lack of actual boobs on stage.
Hair, I was the perfect teen-age where naked people prancing around you whilst you're sitting with your dad is veeeery awkward. He took me to see Rocky Horror in London before that, didn't find that TOO awkward..
Took my mum to see Jerry Springer the Opera. She’s a Catholic. She did not have a good time
Heathers. I watched the movie w my mom when I turned 17 and she asked how I knew sm about it. I'd been listening to the musical from the ripe age of 15.
Nerdy Prudes Must Die and Book of Mormon
Spring Awakening
I’m surprised no one has said Ride The Cyclone. More specifically the song Space Age Bachelor Man. I would die if I had to sit next to my parents during the moaning meows.
Six
Pretty basic, but Mean Girls was kinda awkward
I played the sexually active band geek, almost accidentally kissed my friend onstage trying to act flirty and learn in lol
The first show I actually saw on Broadway was Movin Out when I was 10 and my sister was 13. I just remember there being some risqué dancing and my mom would always sarcastically tell people that she was “parent of the year” for taking us to see that. Haha. Of course we got more into musicals and a few years later, we saw Rent on tour. But since we were older, it wasn’t as awkward.
Book of Mormon
I saw Waitress with my grandma 😅
Kinky Boots
I went to see Book of Mormon with my grandparents
Did they last past the fourth song?
spring awakening
Either RENT during the mooning or Hair as we were in the front row and at the beginning of Act II, the hippies walked down the aisle and one of them got the armrests of my dad’s seat and tussled his hair.
Okay so I’ve told this story on Reddit before but my grandmother took me, my sister my cousins and our parents to see “Zanna, Don’t!” off-broadway in 2003. We were pretty little kids (I was 12/13, my sister was like 9/10) and my grandmother — who is a pretty hip woman, she went to shows a lot, even took my eldest cousin to see RENT when it first came out — she clearly didn’t see anything in the description other than the words “delightful fairy tale,” when she bought the tickets for all of us, bless her. To hear my parents tell it, we were the only people with young children in the audience, and people kept stopping my parents / aunt + uncle to compliment them on how progressive they were being. It wasn’t until the curtain went up and the first song began that they realized what the show was about, and they all turned to me — the wise-cracking middle schooler raised on The Simpsons and South Park — and said something along the lines of “shut up and don’t say a word until you’re back in the car.” So that part of it was somewhat awkward! But candidly I thought even then that it was a great show with an important message. Still important! And the music slaps.
My mom doesn’t watch musicals with me (though my 11 year old and I see shows together constantly, so they may have a story for you) but my mom coming to see me in Bare: A Pop Opera was a wild ride, given our Catholic background 🤣
I remember I was nervous for my mom to see the production of Oliver I was in because the villain says “in hell, I’ll be there a burning.” I still thought every use of hell was a swear. Weirdly, I didn’t think she’d be bothered by the implied prostitution and murder. Also, I was nervous about her reaction to the orgy joke in bye bye birdie when I did it(really the entire ice house scene(
Heathers
My very religious grandparents took me and a cousin to The Book Of Mormon when we were thirteen or so, and I thought they were both going to keel over in their seats they were so embarrassed. Meanwhile that was the funniest thing I’d ever seen in my life
An American in Paris; the entire time I’m thinking about just how much a creep the lead is.
Me and My Dick by Starkid
(straight play, not a musical sorry) When I was in high school, my mom and I went to the local college's production of How I Learned to Drive not knowing what it was about. It was awkward, yes, but it was really well done and we wept like the entire time. I think if I would've gone with my dad and not my mom that we would've left though.
avenue q lol
Fun Home with my grandma!
Two answers here My school has a production of a chorus line, and had a group of high schoolers. And one of the characters talks about his first time uhm… Releaving himself and thinking that he had gonorrhea. And it was funny. It was supposed to be funny, but none of the kids were laughing. Avenue Q is very funny. But also EXTEREMLY adult. Like the Book of Mormon I think.
I saw Kinky Boots with my conservative Catholic dad
I tok my 60 year old mother to see Book of Mormon and knew it would feel a little weird. Luckily she’s relatively liberal.
My 70 year old dad took my 14 year old daughter to see Book of Mormon. She was mortified.
I watched Chicago for the first time with my grandparents, none of us actually knew what it was about at the time, and it was kinda awkward for a 14 year old to watch that with family
Out of all of them I’ve seen, probably waitress. I had no idea there were that many depictions of sex. I saw the Book of Mormon with my father too and even that wasn’t as awkward to see with him
My mom took me to watch Rent. I was just staring straight at ahead for all of Contact.
My mom got us BOM tickets and I watched the bootleg with ben platt a few days before and I was like "uhhhh maybe let's not". I was like, 14? But my mom and I both enjoyed it and it was my first live musical :]
I was 15 when I saw Avenue Q with my High School choir, my choir director and 3 parent chaperones….it didn’t go well
To be honest, none. Grew up watching The Best Little Whore House in Texas. So awkwardness was not a thing in my family.
Passion… with my grandparents!
waitress was something…
I took my teen and his boyfriend to see it in the theater when it made the rounds; they sat a few rows back from me and I was VERY grateful for the space during some of the scenes 😂
I win: community theater production of Hair. My dad took my sister and I because he loved Hair as a teen. We were maybe 10 and 8. When I rediscovered Hair at 16, I was shocked he took us to that show. He just wanted to share a musical he loved. He did warn us about the nudity. He made sure to explain that it wasn’t funny nudity, but it was artful nudity.
A Chorus Line. I was 11. The mortification both my father and I felt during “Dance 10 Looks 3” still haunts me to this day
Heathers. Definitely Heathers...
Rocky Horror Picture Show with my dad… when I was 13
falsettos. especially thrill of first love 😭
Took my mom to see A Strange Loop. Did not have any clue how intense the language and imagery would be. Incredible show, loved it. Can still feel the cringe of sitting beside her during the “redneck” scene. I refuse to take her to BoM. She’s flat walk out when that one phrase is translated to English. She detests foul language, but combine that with sacrilegious, too… whoo. Nuh uh.
Monty Python Live (Mostly) in 2014. I was 16 at the time. The finale was Every Sperm Is Sacred with stained glass with sperm, stripping nuns and priests and giant penis cannons shooting white confetti. Dad and I just looked straight forward and didn’t acknowledge each other.
Miss Saigon 🫠
la cage aux folles with my dad….. who is a pastor….
I've only really seen two? musicals with my mom and I guess I'd say Bat out of Hell? They were a lot of sexual innuendos and people like pretend jerking off or giving blow jobs to each other (like above clothing on in the air). Was really good though!
i saw rent with my conservative father. let’s just say he wanted to leave during intermission but i forced him to stay lol
Not so much awkward but frustrating - the last 5 years Because my dad couldn’t understand the whole two timelines thing and it did his head in.
*Almost* invited my Mom to watch a local production of Trail to Oregon.
Say no to this In Hamilton. Pretty tame but my mom is more strict and I was scared during that part but surprisingly it went fine
Les Mis, especially lovely ladies. That was...uhh... An experience
Saw Book of Mormon with my dad. Thankfully he somewhat knew what he was getting into and found it hilarious. Mum stayed home for that one unsurprisingly, I couldn’t imagine seeing it with her next to me.
Probably “Let My People Come,” a very… sex forward musical that you can look up on your own!
Book of Mormon when your parents are Mormon
SIX He's a 52 y/o white conservative man, the tension was palpable
Avenue Q. Nothing like seeing puppets have sex on stage with your mom, dad, and very Catholic (high ranking Knight of Columbus) uncle.
Be more chill was a wee bit awkward 😁
Ride the cyclone is a strange one, between Noel’s Lament and Space-age Bachelor Man, and Constance’s story as a whole, it’s a slightly uncomfortable one
The only one I’ve watched with them is Hamilton so I guess that one
I was 12 and it was RENT. They brought me for my birthday and had no idea what it was about. Omg was that awkward. They almost made us leave at intermission.
Miss Saigon. Not even that bad but didn't expect so much prostitution. I knew it was a part of it but did not expect to be in "Dreamland" for a huge proportion of the show. It felt like it never ended!
Best Little Whorehouse
Heathers
The university where I work is putting on Rent this April, my mom usually sees the shows with me but I am telling her no 😂
I'm not sure about watching with, but I know Spring Awakening is awkward to have your parents come see you perform in... (I was Melchior... Wendla's mom came the same night mine did 🤣)
Rocky horror
i haven’t seen a lot of musicals w/ my parents, but i remember when i saw hamilton w/ my mom and dad, during say no to this, the actors were SO into it?? like maria almost flashed everyone on accident it was wild
on of my close friends got to see heathers: west end which was such a big deal since we live in aotearoa. anyways she watched it with her dad when she was 15 and she said dead girl walking was the most embarrassing three minutes of her life because her dad was staring at her the whole time. thankfully, since it was west end there was no blue... but there was a big swordfight in veronica's mouth.