Spinoff: Broadway Shows

[cabanafrau]

Les Miserables with Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean. I've seen the show twice more without him, but none have compared. He was ALW's original Phantom pick as well, but he chose to play Valjean instead.

 

[JaxDad]

My brother took me to the Four Seasons restaurant and La Cage Aux Folles at the Palace Theatre after my college graduation. It was very cool!

 

[RedAngie]

Touring production of Gypsy, starring Tyne Daly (from Cagney and Lacey and Chasing Amy). It was wonderful.

I saw her in Gypsy on Broadway about 1990 or so. The cast did a "Garden of Eden" themed scene with Adam and Eve background dancers. The Eves tossed small plastic apples into the audience and I caught one. I still have it and use it as a Christmas tree ornament.

I saw Gypsy again around 2009 with Patti Lupone but that production didn't have the same scene.

 

[L&Lfan]

Eve certainly knew her apples!

 

[elgerber]

Hmmmm, not sure I actually remember. I saw the Nutcracker multiple times as a child (hated it, now I would love to go again). I saw a touring production of Annie in Jr high, so maybe 1982-83? I can't remember if I saw anything before that one.
I am now a season ticket holder for our Broadway season theater, have been for several years.

 

[moon]

I saw her in Gypsy on Broadway about 1990 or so. The cast did a "Garden of Eden" themed scene with Adam and Eve background dancers. The Eves tossed small plastic apples into the audience and I caught one. I still have it and use it as a Christmas tree ornament.

I saw Gypsy again around 2009 with Patti Lupone but that production didn't have the same scene.

The one I saw didn't have that scene either...interesting. They must have added it sometime on their way to Broadway.

 

[RedAngie]

The one I saw didn't have that scene either...interesting. They must have added it sometime on their way to Broadway.

Yes, often touring versions of shows are slightly different than Broadway. Sometimes even Broadway shows change during the course of the run.

 

[luvsJack]

I guess it would be a touring production but my first "professional" show was "Fiddler on the Roof". It was at one of the casinos on the MS coast. LOVED it.

Been to NOLA twice to see "Broadway in NOLA" productions at the Saenger. Wicked and The Lion King. Funny enough, we had just gone to see my great-nephew in a kid's production of Lion King. Not sure if that was it or what but it wasn't nearly as exciting to me as I wanted it to be. Now Wicked? I would go see it once a week if I could. I loved every second of it.

 

[minnie1012]

Peter Pan on Broadway with Sandy Duncan

 

[klacey1]

Original cast of Hairspray on Broadway in 2002. Fantastic!

Original cast Hairspray was my first Broadway show, too.

First regional musical was a touring company production of Grease. I miss living near NYC and seeing Broadway musicals all the time. I've seen a production in Providence, RI and thought it was good but not the same. Dying to see Hello Dolly!

 

[Kimberle]

In the Jesus Christ Superstar thread a few people have mentioned that some production of it was the live show they ever saw.

What was yours? Can be either Broadway or a touring performance in your city. Regional theater/semi-professional OK, but please no high school productions. Musical, comedy, drama, dance, etc.

My first was Sweeney Todd on Broadway back in early 1980. Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury were the stars. Face value tickets were about $10 for the balcony, but we paid $5 for a group rate from my college's Performing Arts department.

I didn't really care for the storyline of the show, but the actors, costumes, music, sets, etc. were all spectacular.

I've probably been to a good 200 shows on Broadway. My first show was Dreamgirls in 1984. I enjoyed it very much.

 

[mom2febgirls]

Does Phantom in Las Vegas count, I saw that about 10 years ago? Other than high school plays I was in I don't recall seeing any Broadway productions until my girls became interested in Theatre. In the last 3 years we've seen a number of tours and also made a few trips to NY.

I'm hoping we get some good shows in DC this year!

 

[superme80]

Annie starring Anthony Warlow at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne on 25 April 2001 when I was 10. A few years later the girl I saw play Molly was a new student at my high school. We were cast in the school musical together and became best friends.

I love Anthony Warlow. I used to listen to youtube videos of him when I was pregnant with my 3rd. My cat would come over and purr.
The first professional show I ever saw was The Phantom of the Opera in San Francisco in 1997.

 

[Diznygrl]

If high school productions don't count (which actually can be very well done), then I guess my first "real" musical would have been Chicago in 1998. Yeesh, I can't believe it's been 20 years!

 

[mantysk8coach]

It was either “Joseph” or “Phantom” in 1996, my senior year of high school. Both were touring productions in Milwaukee that I went to within a few months of each other, but don’t remember which was first. I’d just finished a community theater production of Joseph, so my dad took me to see the professional show. That launched my love of musical theater. Finally getting to NYC this August, and I have no idea what 2-3 shows to narrow my list down to!

 

[AllisonK]

The first professional show I ever saw was the touring production of Grease in 1995 at Providence Performing Arts Center. I had just turned six and I absolutely loved it.my first Broadway show was The King and I about a year and a half later. I’m ow a season ticket holder at PPAC and just saw An American in Paris a few weeks ago with Something Rotten is coming up in May. I also have tickets to Frozen and Mean Girls in two weeks in NYC.

I’ve been performing in community theater since I was 9, as well. My first show I was a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz. My last show was Mary Poppins where I was a dancer, and I’m in the ensemble of Grease, which is opening in about three weeks and stage managing The Wizard of Oz in May at the middle school where I work. This summer I’ll be co-choreographing Willy Wonka Jr. - originally my friend and I were going to be assisting with choreography and now we are choreographing (the first time for both of us).

 

[Donnainnj]

I am not sure which show was first, but as a junior in High School our Humanities teacher brought anyone who wanted to go and pay the student rate, to 3 shows, The Marriage of Figaro (with Christopher Reeve), Diamonds and Tracers. Since then I have seen a good few more on Broadway. Most fun was Spamalot with the original cast. My face hurt from laughing and smiling so much. Most moving was Les Mis. Just last night I saw Rent with a touring company.

 

[Imzadi]

My first was Sweeney Todd on Broadway back in early 1980. Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury were the stars. Face value tickets were about $10 for the balcony, but we paid $5 for a group rate from my college's Performing Arts department.

I didn't really care for the storyline of the show, but the actors, costumes, music, sets, etc. were all spectacular.

How did I miss this thread?

I wonder if we were in the same audience together for Sweeney Todd? I too went with a class in college that went to see several Broadway shows all semester, for a deeply discounted group rate. I wouldn't have picked that show otherwise The storyline isn't something that would have me eagerly standing in line for tickets for. My roommate didn't go. She let me use her ticket to take my BF instead. However, Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou were superb. It's hard to believe she was Mrs. Lovett, when I see her as Jessica Fletcher on old reruns of Murder She Wrote.

I remember, back then, the last 2 rows of rear balcony seats in Broadway theatres were only $25. Front mezzanine went for $30 and the orchestra seats were $35 - $45. We thought that was so expensive back then. And they were. But, they were also affordable. (I like seeing the same show over & over when I really love the show. For the price of those tickets, I want a guaranteed good time. ) The 1st time I saw Les Miserables, it was with Colm Wilkinson. What a voice! 3rd time I saw Les Mis on Broadway the tickets were up to $65.

I used to see so many shows back then. I had a stack of Playbills that I was going to put in a black Playbill binder, the way I had seen someone else do that in his library. He was an older gentleman and had a few binders on his bookshelf from over the years. But, ticket prices keep going up and I don't go very often now, as I'd rather spend that money on something else. I'm not one for trying to win the lottery seats at the last minute or get Standing Room Only tickets. And no discount tickets as I like to sit up close now, not in the balcony, and definitely not off to the side with "obstructed view." So I pick my shows more carefully now.

The 4th & last time I saw Les Mis, it was when Alfie Boe came to Broadway, a couple years ago. I had seen the Les Miz, 25th Anniversary, show many times on PBS. He's got such a beautiful voice. On his opening night, we could have gotten 11th row Orchestra seats for $165 each, I think was the price. And that wasn't for a Premium seat, about $185. On his second night, the price drops down to $135 and we could get 3rd row center Orchestra. So that is what we did. Worth. Every. Penny. to see him live. But it's 3 times the price of my first ticket for the same show. And for 2 people to go, it's double that.

 

[PigletsPal2]

The first professional show I ever saw was a regional production of "Barnum." We were fortunate enough to live in London for two years, where we were at one theater or another almost every weekend. Off the top of my head, I remember seeing Catherine Zeta-Jones in her West End debut "42nd Street," Colm Wilkinson and Michael Ball in "Les Miz," Michael Crawford in "Phantom," Elaine Page in "Evita," "Cats," and "Anything Goes," and many British actors most people don't know in "Brigadoon," "Chess," and "Forbidden Broadway." Both of my DDs were very into musical theater and they made friends with several of the actors/actresses in Les Miz and Brigadoon.

I met Colm Wilkinson at an album (really CD) signing in London, and I told him that if I ever left my DH, DH was going to come looking for him! He laughed, but Mrs. Wilkinson did not.

A couple of years ago (for our 50th wedding anniversary), we went to NYC and saw "Bright Star," written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. At the interval, Steve Martin came out on stage and played his banjo for about 15 minutes.

Queen Colleen

 

[Julie's Haircut]

During sophomore year of high school our English class took a field trip to see the Ibsen play Hedda Gabler, which we were studying at the time.

The first show I saw on Broadway was Sugar Babies, around 1981, starring Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller. There was no real plot. It had about 12 to 15 unrelated old time vaudeville skits: musical, comedy, magic, ventriloquist, burlesque, etc.