# Spam-A-Lot: Okay for a Seven Year Old? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212 "2015-08-07T04:15:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/1 "2015-08-07T04:15:36Z")
Local dinner theatre is putting on Spam-A-Lot in an open-air theatre on a farm. Never seen it myself, so I don’t know how age-appropriate it would be. Okay for the Piper Cub , aged 7? ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/2 "2015-08-07T04:25:48Z")
I _think_ so. I will ask a good friend, whose father has played King Arthur several times, if you like? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/3 "2015-08-07T14:36:24Z")
It probably would be okay, depending on what you as a parent consider “okay.” I played Patsy in a community theater production last year, so I know the show pretty well. There are a few four-letter words; I think the strongest is “shit.” No f-bombs. There are some double entendres which might very well go over a seven-year-old’s head. There are a lot of scantily-clad women on stage at times, but no outright nudity. Exactly how scantily-clad they are will depend on the production. There is some comical violence. I don’t know if you’ve seen the original movie, _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. The musical includes the scene of Arthur’s duel with the Black Knight, which ends with Arthur cutting off both of his arms and legs. The musical also includes the Killer Rabbit scene, where the rabbit bites the head off one of the knights. How the theater accomplishes these effects will make a considerable difference in how “violent” they really appear, but I doubt you will see great spouts of blood or anything. As I said, its comedic violence. There will be nasty things said about Andrew Lloyd Webber. There will (probably) be tap dancing. There will be a song about how there are a lot of Jews in theatre. Knights will say “Ni.” Whether you want your child exposed to such language is something that only you can decide. Seriously, I don’t think there’s anything really inappropriate, although at that age some of the comedy might be a little hard to follow. But I’m sure Piper Cub will enjoy the music and the dancing. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/4 "2015-08-07T14:38:02Z")
I saw it on tour. Pretty tame, a little innuendo that will probably go over a child’s head. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/5 "2015-08-07T14:44:46Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > There is some comical violence. I don’t know if you’ve seen the original movie, _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. The musical includes the scene of Arthur’s duel with the Black Knight, which ends with Arthur cutting off both of his arms and legs. The musical also includes the Killer Rabbit scene, where the rabbit bites the head off one of the knights. How the theater accomplishes these effects will make a considerable difference in how “violent” they really appear, but I doubt you will see great spouts of blood or anything. As I said, its comedic violence. Heh. The OP stated it was a dinner theatre. That rules out the “buckets of arterial spray” approach, IMO. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/6 "2015-08-07T15:50:22Z")
Ah, but the actual play is in the farm field, so there may have been arterial blood there before (pigs, chickens and cows, of course…) ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/7 "2015-08-07T15:51:38Z")
We just saw it at a local community theater. No scantily clad anyone in the production, and all “blood” was red streamers. Language might be the only objection for a child that young. Still, they wouldn’t let anyone under 18 attend, with or without parents. The night we went, it was a pretty gray audience. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/8 "2015-08-07T15:51:50Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > I _think_ so. I will ask a good friend, whose father has played King Arthur several times, if you like? sure - thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/9 "2015-08-07T15:53:02Z")
thanks for the feedback, everyone ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/10 "2015-08-07T17:30:03Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Knights will say “Ni.” Whether you want your child exposed to such language is something that only you can decide. Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say “Ni” at will to old ladies! ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/11 "2015-08-07T17:41:15Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Knights will say “Ni.” Whether you want your child exposed to such language is something that only you can decide. That made me laugh out loud. Thank you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/12 "2015-08-07T17:53:27Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > We just saw it at a local community theater. No scantily clad anyone in the production, and all “blood” was red streamers. Language might be the only objection for a child that young. Still, they wouldn’t let anyone under 18 attend, with or without parents. The night we went, it was a pretty gray audience. 😃 Makes sense. Community/local theater performers don’t want to be stuck with cleaning up fake blood after every performance. It’s not like Broadway (where I saw it many many moons ago and can’t remember how they handled it) - there’s unlikely to be a dedicated cleaning crew. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/13 "2015-08-07T18:00:25Z")
I saw the current Broadway cast doing it in San Antonio a couple years ago. Aside from a couple “shits” there’s nothing worse in it than a Bugs Bunny cartoon. At least, that he’s likely to catch onto. A few double entendres between friends…? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/14 "2015-08-07T19:13:30Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > That made me laugh out loud. Thank you. 😃 I do my best. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/15 "2015-08-07T20:25:21Z")
According to King Arthur - there is nothing offensive. There are references to homosexuality, but nothing overly crude. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/16 "2015-08-07T22:40:17Z")
Eh, the Cub’s godfather is in a committed relationship with another feller, so I think he’ll take it in stride. Thanks for asking King Arthur! (How many people have King Arthur on speed-dial?) ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/17 "2015-08-08T02:48:46Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Eh, the Cub’s godfather is in a committed relationship with another feller, so I think he’ll take it in stride. > > Thanks for asking King Arthur! (How many people have King Arthur on speed-dial?) What can I say? I got connections, baby! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/18 "2015-08-19T08:30:34Z")
The theatre company posted on its tickets page that the production is PG-13, so I think we’ll pass on it. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/19 "2015-08-19T20:14:26Z")
I haven’t seen _Spamalot_, but I’ve seen _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ several times. A friend of mine used to work at a summer camp, and one day when the weather was bad, a couple of the counselors put in a tape of _MPatHG_ to entertain the kids. My friend asked if they were sure that they wanted to do that, and they said, “Sure, why not? It’s funny.” Then my friend reminded them about the scene with Sir Galahad at Castle Anthrax, quoting bits of dialogue. They turned pale, popped the tape out, and found an animated movie to play instead. Is that scene in the play? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212/20 "2015-08-20T15:30:51Z")
I saw the source material at the age of four in the theater. Aside from my brother and me getting our father to saw coconuts in half, no harm was done. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-a-lot-okay-for-a-seven-year-old/727212.md?page=2)