Broadway Lovin' Tweens - Foe or Friend?

Today's New York Times looks at the throngs of tweens storming Broadway to get to shows like Legally Blonde. Campbell Robertson's headline is "Tweens Love Broadway, But Can't Save it Alone". The article a general tone of disappointment in the trend of young Broadway-loving teens whose taste hasn't advanced beyond cotton-candy-colored sets and splashy, belty tunes with less substance than sequins and sparkle. Is catering to this audience really a good thing? Well, no. But...

Here's the thing. While I'm as annoyed as anyone at the groups of squealing 14-year-olds dressed to the nines as they wait at the stage doors, what is going to happen as they grow up? I know my taste wasn't exactly refined when I was that age - I just wanted to see Les Miz over and over and over again. And I loved Jekyll and Hyde, and Planet Hollywood, and Times Square. And you know what? I grew up, kept loving Broadway, and started to figure out what was good and what blows.

So I think there's a big glaring silver lining to this current tween trend in theater right now, which is that in 5-10 years, there will be a big audience of young adults who fell for Broadway in a big way at a young age. All of the theater grown-ups that I admire were Broadway-obsessed as tweens/teens. So I say bring em on, the more the better.

Just don't walk slowly in front of me on 8th Ave, or I will crush you.

And speaking of Legally Blonde, I hear there's an incriminating video of Laura Bell Bundy botching the final note of Act One at the MTV taping. If anybody has said video, be a pal and pay it forward, knowwhatimsayin?