The Broadway show thread where we discuss all things Broadway

[Canadian Disney Mom]

I must be in the minority - I actually love Cats! I have seen it 5 times - once on Broadway & once on the Natl tour and 3 times on the Oasis of the Seas lol.

 

[E&Cmom]

I like Cats. It is not my favourite but it was the first real musical I went to see so it still holds a place in my heart.

Love " Hello Dolly". I adore the music in that show. " State Fair" is my least favourite Rogers and Hammerstein musical. I haven't seen it live but I didn't care for the movie at all.

 

[L&Lfan]

The 1945 original or 1962 remake?

 

[donac]

Hello Dolly is one of my favorite shows. Maybe because I had a good experience doing it in high school and then having ds1 do as his first show in high school. I have never seen State Fair and have only seen Mame the movie. I would love to see a production of Mame. It is one you don't see often but has a great score.

Next weekend I am seeing Little Mermaid. I never saw it on Broadway. I did get to work on the Mer sisters mermaid skirts. We took a bought mermaid skirt and jazzed it up. I can't wait to see it shine in the spotlight.

 

[crazymama]

Clearly I am in the minority with my low opinions of Hello Dolly and Mame... I love how many Dissers have rallied to their defense! I wonder if I would feel differently if I was to do them again today with different women in the leads. I did play Sally Cato in Mame and that was pretty fun. I'm willing to open up my mind on those two but I am holding strong on my State Fair stance. LOL!!!

 

[rebeccam31]

I'll be there on Monday! Can't wait to see it and compare our thoughts!

You are most likely getting ready to see it now! Audra was out when I went, which was disappointing, of course. But her understudy was pretty fantastic. Overall I really loved it. It's an important and interesting story, and the dancing is just fabulous (Savion Glover was there doing notes when we were there and sat at the end of our row. ). I thought the first act was tighter than the second but I still liked it. The performances were fantastic. I think the opening number alone was pretty much worth the price of admission. Have fun!

 

[BrdwayBoy]

You are most likely getting ready to see it now! Audra was out when I went, which was disappointing, of course. But her understudy was pretty fantastic. Overall I really loved it. It's an important and interesting story, and the dancing is just fabulous (Savion Glover was there doing notes when we were there and sat at the end of our row. ). I thought the first act was tighter than the second but I still liked it. The performances were fantastic. I think the opening number alone was pretty much worth the price of admission. Have fun!

Just got back from the show. Audra was in and was sublime. I really thought it was great; the dancing was soooo beyond spectacular that there were moments it actually brought me to tears. The entire "travel" sequence with the suitcases was pure theatre magic/heaven. I liked both acts pretty equally - I just wish that some things could have been a little more "fleshed-out" with dialogue. That ensemble is WORKING up on that stage. The out-of-town sequence that I mentioned received extended applause and almost stopped the show. It was great to see Stokes & Audra together on stage again.

Can't wait to see what the reviews are like on Friday!

 

[rebeccam31]

Just got back from the show. Audra was in and was sublime. I really thought it was great; the dancing was soooo beyond spectacular that there were moments it actually brought me to tears. The entire "travel" sequence with the suitcases was pure theatre magic/heaven. I liked both acts pretty equally - I just wish that some things could have been a little more "fleshed-out" with dialogue. That ensemble is WORKING up on that stage. The out-of-town sequence that I mentioned received extended applause and almost stopped the show. It was great to see Stokes & Audra together on stage again.

Can't wait to see what the reviews are like on Friday!

Oh, that suitcase number! It was really great. Definitely my favorite thing I saw this weekend (though I was really delighted by The Robber Bridegroom, too).

 

[Newsies]

I just saw what is coming on tour here this next season and I am in Broadway heaven......Newsies, Book of Morman, Kinky Boots, and Cinderella. Yikes, I want to see them all.

To those who have seen it, thought on " Newsies"? It wasn't big on the movie but always like live productions more. This one we would go to as a family. DDs will be almost 13 and 9 when it plays in July.

Eh... I kinda like it...

 

[Newsies]

I haven't seen too much this semester, but here's what I've seen so far that I figured I'd report back on:

Back at the beginning of the month, I saw the Encores! production of 1776 at the New York City Center. Being an Encores! production, it was more of a staged reading and less of a full-out production. I loooooove 1776, but my friend fell asleep during the infamous scene that's just 30 minutes of dialogue. I feel bad because Santino Fontana wasn't my favorite John Adams, but he's such a peach in real life. I met him (and John Laroquette!) afterwards and we bonded over Frozen.

I also saw Pump Boys and Dinettes at Paper Mill Playhouse a few weeks ago. Lots of talent, set, costumes, and dancing was beautiful, but the show itself was awful. They did the best they could with a terrible book.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I saw Tuck Everlasting last night. I really enjoyed the ballet sequence and most of the cast. The score was fairly awful and the show dragged. I had a nice night out, but certainly wouldn't recommend it as a must-see, unless you have very young children.

It got a rave in NYT for some reason?

 

[rebeccam31]

It got a rave in NYT for some reason?

Yes, the reviews in general are mixed to positive, but the word of mouth on it is pretty poor, really. I'm hoping for the best as we're seeing it on the 13th, but I know a lot of people seem puzzled about the critical raves.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

Yes, the reviews in general are mixed to positive, but the word of mouth on it is pretty poor, really. I'm hoping for the best as we're seeing it on the 13th, but I know a lot of people seem puzzled about the critical raves.

I think American P maybe should have gotten better.

 

[rebeccam31]

I think American P maybe should have gotten better.

It does sound that way. I will probably never see American Psycho (not really my thing, nearly always travel with kids, have squeamish friends ), but I am fascinated by it. It sounds like there is some good creative work going on there, not to mention a nearly universally praised performance from Benjamin Walker. Theater needs some envelope pushing sometimes. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the Tonys will do with it.

I'm also seeing Waitress the 14th. I'm looking forward to that a great deal. (Well, and Fiddler which is a show I have always loved.)

 

[BrdwayBoy]

This may be random, but I was wondering if anyone on this thread would be up for maybe putting together/attending a Broadway Dis meet? Meet in NYC and have dinner and then see a show? Just a thought...

 

[rebeccam31]

This may be random, but I was wondering if anyone on this thread would be up for maybe putting together/attending a Broadway Dis meet? Meet in NYC and have dinner and then see a show? Just a thought...

I wouldn't be opposed, but I travel from rural Pennsylvania so it would have to be just the right timing. Would be fun if it could work, though!

 

[Kewz1]

Just found out this afternoon that I'll be in NYC May 16-21. DH has business during the day so I get to play tourist in one of my favorite cities. Now I'm putting my list together of which shows we want to see that week. So far I have:

She Loves Me
Something Rotten
Bright Star
Les Miz (DH hasn't seen it)
Wicked (which we saw with Rachel Tucker in London - she was awesome)

My plan is to go to TKTS everyday and see what's available. I see some of you have mentioned codes and flash sales. How do I find out more about that?
Also big thanks to the poster who mentioned the lottery for Hamilton. Might as well give it a shot. Someone has to win, right?

TIA,
Kristen

 

[BrdwayBoy]

Just found out this afternoon that I'll be in NYC May 16-21. DH has business during the day so I get to play tourist in one of my favorite cities. Now I'm putting my list together of which shows we want to see that week. So far I have:

She Loves Me
Something Rotten
Bright Star
Les Miz (DH hasn't seen it)
Wicked (which we saw with Rachel Tucker in London - she was awesome)

My plan is to go to TKTS everyday and see what's available. I see some of you have mentioned codes and flash sales. How do I find out more about that?
Also big thanks to the poster who mentioned the lottery for Hamilton. Might as well give it a shot. Someone has to win, right?

TIA,
Kristen

There are websites out there that have the discounts available - Playbill.com, TheatreMania, and BroadwayBox.com all have them. With the exception of Wicked, all of the shows on your list should be available at the TKTS booth. There's also a TKTS app that displays which shows are up each day and what amount the discounts are.

TodayTix is another app - not really great if you're looking for a discount - but they do have a few digital lotteries that you can enter on your phone. Of course you can buy full-priced tickets through them as well - the only catch is that you don't know your seat location until you pick up your tickets in front of the theatre.

 

[ctinct]

Just found out this afternoon that I'll be in NYC May 16-21. DH has business during the day so I get to play tourist in one of my favorite cities. Now I'm putting my list together of which shows we want to see that week. So far I have:

She Loves Me
Something Rotten
Bright Star
Les Miz (DH hasn't seen it)
Wicked (which we saw with Rachel Tucker in London - she was awesome)

My plan is to go to TKTS everyday and see what's available. I see some of you have mentioned codes and flash sales. How do I find out more about that?
Also big thanks to the poster who mentioned the lottery for Hamilton. Might as well give it a shot. Someone has to win, right?

TIA,
Kristen

Check out broadwayforbrokepeople.com.
It has information on lotteries, discounts, and rush policies. Since you will be staying in the city, it may be possible to rush some of the shows. Also, the Broadway chat boards on broadwayworld.com sometimes have info on how the rush lines for certain shows have been lately, or you can ask your own question about a specific show.

If you are eligible (and a lot of people are) it may be worth the $34 of whatever it is to join TDF. Broadwayworld has a thread about what shows are available to TDF members. You can purchase for specific dates at deeply discounted rates, but I'd only join if you are ok with not being able to purchase a ticket this time. How often found you get to NYC? I think the membership is good for a year.

One more thing. Something Rotten sometimes offers mezzanine tickets at a reduced rate to its lottery losers. Happened to me a few weeks ago, although I ultimately went with another show.

Oh, and I saw brdwayboy mentioned todaytix. You'll often find people on broadwayworld offering referral codes that will save you $20 of so; it also gives them a future discount, which is why you'll see so many people offering them.

 

[Kewz1]

Thank you BrdwayBoy and ctinct for all the help! Off to check out the links...

One more question...I know this is very subjective but can you recommend some places to eat pre-show? I don't mind touristy it just has to be good!

Thanks again for taking the time to respond!

Kristen