Content Advisories
Donate Donate2024-2025 COMMUNITY SERIES
We want our audiences to have a positive experience with us!
To that end, we make every effort to inform our audience of any adult content contained in our productions. We recommend reviewing the following content warnings before attending this performance.
Little Shop of Horrors
Rated PG-13 – Parental Guidance Recommended
The musical Little Shop of Horrors is loosely based on a 1960’s horror film with dark comedy undertones, but the musical became a cult classic that was eventually adapted into another film version in 1986. The story has elements of sci-fi and gore with some darker adult situations and horrific or violent moments (though played with tones of comedy).
For Common Sense Media’s content information on the movie version of this story, please visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/little-shop-of-horrors.
While the musical isn’t exactly the same, it will give you some idea of what to expect.
Trigger Warnings:
The character of Audrey is in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship and often appears with bruises, broken bones, etc. The audience will hear degrading language hurled at her, as well. The same character abusing Audrey enjoys torturing others, including animals, and even sings about it.
Language:
There is not a lot of bad language in the show, but you will hear some.
Drugs & Alcohol:
There is a character in the show with a serious addiction to nitrous oxide. He often gets high by inhaling it throughout the story, and it eventually leads to his death.
Violence:
This is a horror story, so there will be blood and violence, but it is framed in a darkly comedic way. There are characters mutilated and fed to an enormous carnivorous plant on more than one occasion.
One of the characters is abused by her boyfriend (please see the Trigger Warning section).
Someone threatens to kill someone else with a gun.
Sexual Content:
The character of Audrey is a bit of a provocative dresser.
There is a character who is a sadomasochist who derives sexual pleasure from the torturing of other people.
Audrey talks about getting handcuffed in a sexual way.
A Christmas Story, The Musical
Rated PG – Parental Guidance Suggested
A Christmas Story: The Musical is based on the classic and beloved holiday movie from 1983. Depicting a changing America in the 40s, there are some dated mindsets and phrases, family dynamics and gender roles, but there are charming elements as well!
For Common Sense Media’s content information on the movie version of this story, please visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-christmas-story.
While the musical isn’t exactly the same, it will give you some idea of what to expect.
Trigger Warnings:
There are bullies in the story who pick on the younger kids.
There is a scene in a Chinese restaurant that portrays the restaurant staff with some cultural stereotypes that could be considered offensive.
The main character, Ralphie, really wants a BB gun for Christmas. He’s warned several times that he will shoot his eye out. While it isn’t quite as dire as losing an eye, he does shoot himself by accident (though it is meant to be a little ironically funny more than upsetting).
Language:
There is not actual bad language in this musical, though the character of The Old Man often uses a gibberish form of swearing.
The kids sometimes call each other “smartass.” Ralphie has to eat soap for saying “fudge”… (Only he didn’t say, “fudge.”)
Drugs & Alcohol:
The Old Man and Mother enjoy a glass of wine on Christmas. They also have a very strong drink at a Chinese restaurant.
Violence:
There are bully characters who push the kids around, and eventually Ralphie stands up to them with his fists.
Ralphie has a vivid imagination and dreams himself into fictional situations. One of them is a type of old Western movie where he uses his BB gun to defend his family against bandits.
One of the kids gets spanked by his mother (offstage).
Sexual Content:
None in this one! Well, there’s a lamp that’s a little… risqué? But it’s a MAJOR award!
Waitress
Rated PG-13 – Parental Guidance Recommended
This story has a beautiful and hopeful message about courage and the ability to change your life for the better. However, there are some adult themes such as sex, inner struggles about parenthood, domestic abuse, toxic work environments, and adult language.
For Common Sense Media’s content information on the filmed version of this musical, please visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/waitress-the-musical.
While the musical isn’t exactly the same as the movie it is based on or this stage version, it will give you some idea of what to expect.
Trigger Warnings:
Jenna’s boss Cal is hard-edged and demanding and often threatens his employees with docked pay or termination.
Jenna and her husband have a toxic and abusive relationship. He expects her to hand over all her tips, controls her, and verbally and physically abuses her.
Jenna has very mixed feelings about her pregnancy and discusses openly her desire not to be pregnant. Some of the things she says on this topic may be upsetting to some audience members.
Jenna’s husband Earl tries to force her into having sex.
There are a few affairs in the story.
Language:
There is fairly frequent strong language in this show.
Drugs & Alcohol:
Jenna’s husband often goes out drinking and comes home drunk and belligerent.
Violence:
One character wields a knife, but it is meant to be funny.
Jenna’s husband is physically violent towards her.
Sexual Content:
There are conversations about sex and sexual practices.
There are multiple instances of passionate kissing and embracing.
There are subtle (and some not-so-subtle) sexual innuendos throughout the script.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Rated R – Restricted (Parental Guidance Strongly Cautioned for Audiences Under 17)
While the main character of this story is a 15-year-old boy, the play contains a lot of adult content and language as well as triggering events and environments. The plot is driven by murder, infidelity, and lies.
This theatrical adaptation of the acclaimed novel by the same name follows the story of Christopher, a child with an intentionally unnamed sensory processing disorder. The high-tech staging and fast-paced script are designed to meet Christopher where he is, jumping from what’s going on inside of his mind to the world outside of him suddenly and throughout the play. While the goal is for the audience to experience the world the same way that Christopher does, this manner of storytelling can be overwhelming for some audience members.
Trigger Warnings:
Sensory Advisory- Much of this play uses lighting effects (including strobe lights) and projections, so audience members with sensitivity to these effects should proceed with extreme caution.
The play begins with boy finding a dog who has been killed with a garden fork.
Christopher sometimes has extreme reactions to being touched or to outside stimulus. The audience is meant to experience these things along with Christopher which may be triggering to some audience members.
There is a plot line involving an affair.
There are moments of verbal and physical abuse against a child.
One adult character struggles with anxiety.
Language:
The strong language in the play is the main reason for the R rating. The story takes place in Swindon, England and the surrounding areas, so there are some colloquialisms that are a bit rough-edged. There are also several usages of explicit language.
Drugs & Alcohol:
There are a few ensemble characters who have had a bit too much to drink at the football match.
One ensemble character smokes cigarettes (stage cigarettes).
The character of Roger gets drunk and violent towards Christopher.
Violence:
There are a few moments of violence in the show, some more troubling than others. While we don’t see the actual killing of the dog Wellington, we do see his body with a garden fork in it.
Christopher pushes and hits a few adults when he is panicking.
Christopher’s father Ed hits him quite hard at one point.
The character of Roger menacingly and drunkenly moves to be violent toward Christopher in one scene.
Christopher has a pocketknife that he points at a few characters.
Sexual Content:
There are mentions of an affair and of sex.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Rated G- General Audiences
This classic fairy tale contains no bad language or adult content, but there are (as in many fairy tales) some moments of cruelty from the villains of the story. Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters are very greedy and selfish and treat her very unkindly, verbally abusing her often and treating her like a servant. There are also moments when the stepsisters verbally body shame and mock each other.
For Common Sense Media’s content information on the movie version of this story, please visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/cinderella-1997.
While the musical isn’t exactly the same, it will give you some idea of what to expect.
Want More Information?
Contact Patron Services at patronservices@MCTinc.org or by calling (406) 728-7529.