For Those of us Who Love Broadway...

[rocio]

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When I'm in NYC in September, I'm going to be able to see 3 shows. I'm seeing Next to Normal with the new cast. I'm struggling with what the other two shows will be...Has anyone seen and can give me a quick review of the following?

Trust (Off Broadway...with Sutton Foster & Zach Braff)
In the Heights
A Little Night Music
The Fantastiks (Off Broadway)

I saw In the Heights in April and I LOVED it. Would have loved to see it with Lin-Manuel Miranda, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with Corbin Bleu. He did great in the show and if I hadn't googled him at the beginning of the show to see why he was familiar and realize he was in High School Musical, I never would have known. I also got to meet him after the show and get my picture with him. He was really nice and kind of quiet. The music is GREAT. I was just listening to it at work again.

 

[Chropistopy]

I saw In the Heights in April and I LOVED it. Would have loved to see it with Lin-Manuel Miranda, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with Corbin Bleu. He did great in the show and if I hadn't googled him at the beginning of the show to see why he was familiar and realize he was in High School Musical, I never would have known. I also got to meet him after the show and get my picture with him. He was really nice and kind of quiet. The music is GREAT. I was just listening to it at work again.

I was leaning toward In the Heights. With a couple of good reviews, I think that has made up my mind on one.

I would really like to see Trust b/c I'm a big Sutton Foster fan...but when will I be able to see Bernadette Peters again...which makes makes me lean toward A Little Night Music...plus Sondheim!

 

[Plutes]

oooooh....I love this thread!! We're only 10 minutes from Manhattan, but don't go as often as I'd like because of the cost (as someone else previously mentioned).

Anyway, my top 5:

1. Jersey Boys (RIDICULOUSLY good!! Saw it 3 times and would go MANY more, if I could afford it!)
2. Wicked
3. The Music Man (Revival w/ Craig Bierko)
4. The Wedding Singer (Yes, believe it or not! Cheese at its best - it was hysterical!)
5. Jekyll & Hyde***

Least Favorite:

1. Addams Family (ICK - even Nathan & Bebe couldn't save this disaster. I thought it was AWFUL)
2. Titanic (Such a disappointment - was expecting so much more)
3. Cats (just...umm...creepy! )
4. Guys & Dolls (last year's revival w/ Craig Bierko, Oliver Pratt, and Lauren Graham. It was just lacking something - no excitement)
5. Brooklyn (short-running show from a few years ago)

***Jekyll & Hyde holds a special place in my heart. The show, I agree, was definitely lacking, but I became a fan of the music several years before it even made it to broadway. I believe it was touring somewhere in Texas when I was introduced to the 'highlights' CD from the show. The music was PHENOMENAL! Aside from the addition of 'In His Eyes', I thought the music used in the broadway production was lacking. The ORIGINAL version of 'Someone Like You' was Jimmy's and my wedding song. If you've never heard it, it's BEAUTIFUL, sung by Linda Eder.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

The Wedding Singer is actually a really good show!

 

[Plutes]

The Wedding Singer is actually a really good show!

We actually saw it about 4 days before it closed. It was such a pleasant surprise. I expected to like it, but I never expected it to be SO entertaining! We loved it!

 

[MyMuse]

Ooohh, definitely have a thing for Broadway.

I'm new to this particular part of the Board - hi, name's Michele

I'm also a short train ride into NYC (love Secaucus Junction!) and I tried to see more Broadway shows.

This year:

Lion King - the one with special appearance by Whoopi Goldberg, but need to see it again

View from a Bridge - awesome

Promises, Promises - excellent! seen it 3x!!!

Rock of Ages - hysterical!

Addams Family - I thought I would like this so much, but I was meh about it.


I have no more scheduled for right now, but I am going to a Al Pacino lecture in October.

 

[wdwscout]

DH and I love to go to Broadway- and try to get there about 4 times a year. We usually go with another couple, or took our kids with us when they were younger.

I grew up in NJ and NYC was where we went on every field trip throughout school. In high school, we usually had at least one Broadway trip every year, sometimes 2.

1. My most memorable (and still one of my favorites) was to see Jesus Christ Superstar in its opening weeks. Here was a school bus full of HS seniors pulling up into a mass of protesters with their signs! Cool This is going to be terrific if so many people are out here saying it's immoral. (and it was terrific)
2. Wicked- (with Chenoweth & Menzel). Just saw it again a couple of months ago and was afraid it wouldn't be as good without them- it was FABULOUS!! We also did the "Behind the Emerald Curtain" pre-show back stage tour.
3. 1776- Another oldie (saw it in 1971) and really enjoyed the tongue in cheek musical look at American Independence!
4. Lion King- We have seen this 4 times and loved it every time.
5. Avenue Q- saw it twice. Laughed just as hard both times.

Lots more- but I'll stick to these 5.


Not too many clunkers in our trips to Bway.
1- Tarzan- it seems I wasn't alone in not enjoying this as much as other shows. It wasn't open all that long.
2- Mary Poppins- It was OK. I just wasn't wowed as much as I had hoped. Maybe I need to see it again?

 

[PeterPan09]

I grew up in NJ too, and LOVED going to shows. I do miss being close enough to NYC to pop over on a Saturday or a Wednesday and standing in the half price line!

Here's some of my all time favorites:

Wicked
Ragtime
Sunset Boulevard (Glenn Close)
Rent-multiple times
Miss Saigon (would LOVE to hear Kevin's story)
La Cage Aux Folles (the George Hearn version)
Chorus Line
Cats
Jekyll and Hyde
Phantom of the Opera
Amadeus
Chicago (with Lilith!)
Me and My Girl (doin' the Lambeth Walk, OY!)


I saw Spamalot since I moved here and really enjoyed it.

 

[JenM]

The last show we saw on Broadway was Billy Elliot (absolutely excellent but had a LOT of cursing)...

LOL...I saw Billy Elliot in London (twice! I loved it!), and some woman nearly screamed when one of the kids swore, then they had to stop the show for a few seconds because everyone was laughing at her and both kids onstage were trying not to crack up. It wasn't even one really a curse word either, it was when Debbie told Billy, "If you want, I'll show you me fanny!"

And they say British audiences are so reserved.

I love Broadway shows, but they're so expensive to see these days so I don't go as often anymore, sadly. But some of my favorites are (in no particular order):

-Les Miserables
-Rent
-Ragtime
-Avenue Q
-The Boy From Oz
-Wicked
-The Who's Tommy
-The Secret Garden
-Man of La Mancha

Show's I've really liked in recent years include Spring Awakening, Rock of Ages, Hair, American Idiot, and In The Heights.

I'm sure I'm leaving a ton of stuff out, but those definitely a bunch of the shows I really like.

 

[princessbride6205]

o
1. Addams Family (ICK - even Nathan & Bebe couldn't save this disaster. I thought it was AWFUL)
2. Titanic (Such a disappointment - was expecting so much more)
3. Cats (just...umm...creepy! )
4. Guys & Dolls (last year's revival w/ Craig Bierko, Oliver Pratt, and Lauren Graham. It was just lacking something - no excitement)
5. Brooklyn (short-running show from a few years ago)

I had forgotten about Brooklyn! I saw that and totally agree it belongs on the worst list.

 

[A.Mickey]

We use to subscribe to Broadway in Chicago Season tickets. We haven't gone in a couple of seasons though.

Top 5:

1. Spring Awakening
2. Les Miserables
3. Showboat
4. Wicked
5. Xanadu <- I had no idea what to expect and this really surprised me!

Least Favorite:

1. Grease with Taylor Hicks (just bad!)
2. Phantom of the Opera (maybe it was the cast I saw...but I just couldn't connect to the musical)

 

[mjaclyn]

DH and I want to plan another Broadway show weekend. What we've done in the past (before we had kids) was a show Friday night, a Saturday Matinee, Show Saturday night and Sunday Matinee. It was crazy but so fun!! We'd always go to the TKTS booth or try the Wicked/Spelling Bee lottery and that's how we could afford it once a year or so. We'd also throw in Forbidden Broadway which is HILARIOUS! If we do that again within the next few months...these are the shows I'm hoping to get to see:

1. Anything Goes (Opening with Sutton Foster in early 2011)
2. Chicago
3. In the Heights
4. A Little Night Music (was SO disappointed that I missed Angela Lansbury's run...but would still be excited to see it with Bernadette. I really like the music)
5. Wonderland (Not much info on this yet except that it's opening early 2011...I love Alice in Wonderland so I'd really like to see this version)

I was also thinking of shows that I missed for one reason or another and never was able to see them before they closed. Here are the top 5 shows I WISH I had gotten to see:

1. Into the Woods (Bernadette Peters)
2. Annie Get Your Gun (Reba McEntire)
3. Cats (I know I probably would have hated it but it ran so long I wish I could have seen it just because...)
4. Sunset Boulevard (Patti LuPone)
5. Sweeney Todd

Also wanted to add another one I was super disappointed in... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

 

[softball chick]

Unfortunately where I live causes me only to dream about seeing a show on Broadway, but I have caught a few of the touring productions around my area. All that I have seen have been AMAZING:

-RENT (w/ Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal) X2
-Wicked
-Legally Blonde X2

Then there are all the shows I wish I could have seen and hopefully will get the chance to see some day, including:

-Jesus Christ Superstar (tried to convince parents to take me to see Ted Neeley...unfortunately unsuccessful)
-Fiddler on the Roof (it's coming to town next season so fingers crossed!)
-Chicago
-Lion King
-Spring Awakening
-Anything with either Idina Menzel or Kristin Chenoweth in it

 

[Tinkershelly]

It was announced yesterday that the touring company of Spamalot is coming to my city! I don't know who is in the cast but this is one show that I was sorry I missed when it was playing in New York and this is an opportunity that I can't miss. DH has been given the "suggestion" that this would be a great birthday present for me. After all, I'm taking him to WDW in December for his birthday and this seems only fair.

 

[Chropistopy]

DH and I want to plan another Broadway show weekend. What we've done in the past (before we had kids) was a show Friday night, a Saturday Matinee, Show Saturday night and Sunday Matinee. It was crazy but so fun!! We'd always go to the TKTS booth or try the Wicked/Spelling Bee lottery and that's how we could afford it once a year or so. We'd also throw in Forbidden Broadway which is HILARIOUS! If we do that again within the next few months...these are the shows I'm hoping to get to see:

1. Anything Goes (Opening with Sutton Foster in early 2011)
2. Chicago
3. In the Heights
4. A Little Night Music (was SO disappointed that I missed Angela Lansbury's run...but would still be excited to see it with Bernadette. I really like the music)
5. Wonderland (Not much info on this yet except that it's opening early 2011...I love Alice in Wonderland so I'd really like to see this version)

I was also thinking of shows that I missed for one reason or another and never was able to see them before they closed. Here are the top 5 shows I WISH I had gotten to see:

1. Into the Woods (Bernadette Peters)
2. Annie Get Your Gun (Reba McEntire)
3. Cats (I know I probably would have hated it but it ran so long I wish I could have seen it just because...)
4. Sunset Boulevard (Patti LuPone)
5. Sweeney Todd

Also wanted to add another one I was super disappointed in... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

I didn't know about Anything Goes opening with Sutton. If I get a 2011 NY trip, then that will definitely be on the list. I also want to see Wonderland. Like you, I love Alice in Wonderland so this has to be on my list.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I'm really excited for Catch Me If You Can (Shaiman/Wittman) and Finding Neverland (Korie/Frankel)

 

[DisneyKevin]

I regret not getting the chance to see Grey Gardens before it closed.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I regret not getting the chance to see Grey Gardens before it closed.

*ashamedly admits that she saw Grey Gardens 14 times, including a special trip when she found out that both Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson were out and their standby's were going on*

That was actually one of my greatest theatre experiences, ever. After the show, Maureen Moore, who played Little Edie that night, took the bunch of us who stayed to meet her onto the stage of the Walter Kerr. It was very surreal, and fun.

 

[Aburns8]

I love Broadway! When I was in high school, back in the early to mid 90's I was lucky enough to travel from MI to NYC for a theater trip.

My 5 all time Favorites:

1. Wicked
2. Tommy
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Blood Brothers (did anyone else every see this?)
5. Phantom

I really don't have any bad experiences. It just stinks that I don't get to see as many productions as I wish I could. Then I moved from Detroit (which has some tours come through) to the VA Beach area which only gets a couple a year.

 

[DisneyKevin]

*ashamedly admits that she saw Grey Gardens 14 times, including a special trip when she found out that both Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson were out and their standby's were going on*

That was actually one of my greatest theatre experiences, ever. After the show, Maureen Moore, who played Little Edie that night, took the bunch of us who stayed to meet her onto the stage of the Walter Kerr. It was very surreal, and fun.

I just couldnt make the timing work.

I really would have liked to see that show with that cast.