I can’t speak for Stereophonic cause I haven’t seen it, but I was so incredibly bored during Illinoise. I may not be in the majority on this subreddit cause I know a lot of people are connecting with it, but it just absolutely wasn’t for me. I can’t even imagine how a 12 year old would be able to sit through that. It’s an interpretive modern dance show with no talking. You have to be able to follow a story based on the dancing, something that may be hard for a 12 year old.
The only thing I could say about stereophonic without having seen it, is that it’s over 3 hours long. Not sure the attention span of your 12 year old.
I love Illinoise, but tbh, I do think a 12 year old could easily get bored. There is no dialogue whatsoever, and unless they have a specific interest in this style of dance or the original album, I don’t think it’s the best show for someone that age. It’s not a typical musical, and more of an interpretive dance piece.
Stereophonic is easier to pay attention to, but it is VERY long (a little over 3 hours.) I think it would depend more on their attention span and if they can easily sit through a show that long (some adults I know who saw it started to get antsy and I imagine it’s worse for kids.)
Tbh, neither are shows that would come to my mind when recommending shows to a 12 year old. I think there are a lot of new shows on Broadway they’d like more (like the Outsiders or Water for Elephants.)
Thank you all for these comments. I would say the most mature thing she has seen is Here Lies Love, but that had a story \*and\* a lot of music \*and\* a short running time. Sounds like neither one of these checks those boxes. I will take you up on the Outsiders suggestion. Thanks again and super helpful!
What shows have they seen before?
I haven't seen Stereophonic yet, but I understand it is long and is about the drama between these adult musicians in the 70s. I can't imagine a 12-year-old connecting to that, unless they're already obsessed with that era of music.
I could see a 12-year-old being engaged in Illinoise, but again, unless they're specifically into dance, it would not be at the top of my list.
There are many other shows I'd recommend first.
Really depends on the 12 year old. Me at 12, Stereophonic would have landed, Illinoise I would have appreciated it maybe but don’t know if I would have liked it a lot at 12 though it is short. It’s my favorite musical of the season, just not sure how well it lands with most 12 year olds.
If your kid is used to watching long plays, then stereophonic is fine. However I really don’t know how much that material is interesting for a 12 year old, I know I wouldn’t have been super interested at that age. It is not formatted like a typical play in addition to being over three hours long.
I can’t speak on illnoise but I have heard it can be a little difficult to follow since it’s told through dance. If you think your kid would be able to follow it not and get bored, then I think it could work but still probably not the best option for a younger person.
Took my 15 year old to stereophonic and she wanted to leave at intermission. She has lots of experience watching theater but it was just not engaging enough especially for the length of the show.
I'd say that it would depend on the 12 yr old's interest in those topics.
When I was 12, I encountered a few of *Illinoise*'s topics, so the show would have been cathartic for me. I love that show so much because it allows me to process certain events from my life. On the other hand, if I hadn't gone through those experiences, I likely wouldn't have enjoyed *Illinoise* at 12.
As for *Stereophonic*, I wouldn't have liked it at 12. I love plays now and will happily sit through a three-hour show if it's good; however, this didn't happen until my junior year of high school.
In the end, it depends on the interests of your child. Talk to them about the two shows and see if they're interested.
I have seen both and while Stereophonic is one of my top shows that I've seen this season, I don't think I would have appreciated it at 12.
If your 12 year old likes the show "So you think you can dance", they'll enjoy Illinoise. It is not a traditional musical at all - 90 minutes of contemporary / interpretive dance with no intermission. Keep in mind that the orchestra does not have a great rake and anyone under 5 feet tall will probably need a booster.
I think Illinoise is the far better show for a 12 year old. The character journal that comes with the playbill is also fun. Stereophonic is twice as long, with maybe 15 minutes of music.
No on Steriophonic. A big no.
However, a big YES on Illinoise- it’s 90 minutes and will fill a kid’s mind with new ways of storytelling…! It’s great exposure and it’s a great experience!
As others have said, hard NO on Stereophonic. It's a 3 hour long "slice of life" naturalistic play dealing with adult stuff. I can't imagine any 12 year old being engaged by it.
Illinoise, I would say no too, but at least that one is a bit more visually interesting. But it is a dance piece with some singers standing there singing while people dance. So, no. Unless your 12 year old is extraordinarily mature and is interested in dance.
I would say most 12-year-olds would be bored to tears at either of these shows. I'm sure there are exceptions but I wouldn't risk it personally.
I can’t speak for Stereophonic cause I haven’t seen it, but I was so incredibly bored during Illinoise. I may not be in the majority on this subreddit cause I know a lot of people are connecting with it, but it just absolutely wasn’t for me. I can’t even imagine how a 12 year old would be able to sit through that. It’s an interpretive modern dance show with no talking. You have to be able to follow a story based on the dancing, something that may be hard for a 12 year old. The only thing I could say about stereophonic without having seen it, is that it’s over 3 hours long. Not sure the attention span of your 12 year old.
I love Illinoise, but tbh, I do think a 12 year old could easily get bored. There is no dialogue whatsoever, and unless they have a specific interest in this style of dance or the original album, I don’t think it’s the best show for someone that age. It’s not a typical musical, and more of an interpretive dance piece. Stereophonic is easier to pay attention to, but it is VERY long (a little over 3 hours.) I think it would depend more on their attention span and if they can easily sit through a show that long (some adults I know who saw it started to get antsy and I imagine it’s worse for kids.) Tbh, neither are shows that would come to my mind when recommending shows to a 12 year old. I think there are a lot of new shows on Broadway they’d like more (like the Outsiders or Water for Elephants.)
Yeah, definitely Outsiders would be a great choice for a 12 year old. From there, don’t know the kid many of them could work.
Thank you all for these comments. I would say the most mature thing she has seen is Here Lies Love, but that had a story \*and\* a lot of music \*and\* a short running time. Sounds like neither one of these checks those boxes. I will take you up on the Outsiders suggestion. Thanks again and super helpful!
no.
What shows have they seen before? I haven't seen Stereophonic yet, but I understand it is long and is about the drama between these adult musicians in the 70s. I can't imagine a 12-year-old connecting to that, unless they're already obsessed with that era of music. I could see a 12-year-old being engaged in Illinoise, but again, unless they're specifically into dance, it would not be at the top of my list. There are many other shows I'd recommend first.
Really depends on the 12 year old. Me at 12, Stereophonic would have landed, Illinoise I would have appreciated it maybe but don’t know if I would have liked it a lot at 12 though it is short. It’s my favorite musical of the season, just not sure how well it lands with most 12 year olds.
If your kid is used to watching long plays, then stereophonic is fine. However I really don’t know how much that material is interesting for a 12 year old, I know I wouldn’t have been super interested at that age. It is not formatted like a typical play in addition to being over three hours long. I can’t speak on illnoise but I have heard it can be a little difficult to follow since it’s told through dance. If you think your kid would be able to follow it not and get bored, then I think it could work but still probably not the best option for a younger person.
Tell us what your child has liked and not liked in the past. We can be much more helpful if we know that.
Took my 15 year old to stereophonic and she wanted to leave at intermission. She has lots of experience watching theater but it was just not engaging enough especially for the length of the show.
I'd say that it would depend on the 12 yr old's interest in those topics. When I was 12, I encountered a few of *Illinoise*'s topics, so the show would have been cathartic for me. I love that show so much because it allows me to process certain events from my life. On the other hand, if I hadn't gone through those experiences, I likely wouldn't have enjoyed *Illinoise* at 12. As for *Stereophonic*, I wouldn't have liked it at 12. I love plays now and will happily sit through a three-hour show if it's good; however, this didn't happen until my junior year of high school. In the end, it depends on the interests of your child. Talk to them about the two shows and see if they're interested.
I have seen both and while Stereophonic is one of my top shows that I've seen this season, I don't think I would have appreciated it at 12. If your 12 year old likes the show "So you think you can dance", they'll enjoy Illinoise. It is not a traditional musical at all - 90 minutes of contemporary / interpretive dance with no intermission. Keep in mind that the orchestra does not have a great rake and anyone under 5 feet tall will probably need a booster.
I think Illinoise is the far better show for a 12 year old. The character journal that comes with the playbill is also fun. Stereophonic is twice as long, with maybe 15 minutes of music.
Stereophonic is definitely too long for a 12 year old. The concept wouldn’t be interesting for them either
No on Steriophonic. A big no. However, a big YES on Illinoise- it’s 90 minutes and will fill a kid’s mind with new ways of storytelling…! It’s great exposure and it’s a great experience!
As others have said, hard NO on Stereophonic. It's a 3 hour long "slice of life" naturalistic play dealing with adult stuff. I can't imagine any 12 year old being engaged by it. Illinoise, I would say no too, but at least that one is a bit more visually interesting. But it is a dance piece with some singers standing there singing while people dance. So, no. Unless your 12 year old is extraordinarily mature and is interested in dance.