The Broadway show thread where we discuss all things Broadway

[rebeccam31]

I ended up with back to back weekends in New York next month. First trip we're seeing Come From Away, Great Comet, and The Price (love Mark Ruffalo!). The following weekend we're seeing Dear Evan Hansen (which I've seen) and Groundhog Day. Very excited!

 

[Kewz1]

My family and I are heading to NYC next month. We're seeing Hamilton and Wicked. Considering adding Great Comet to the list.

I scrolled back a bit and read the reviews. I'd love to hear some more opinions...should we or shouldn't we??

Btw, it's myself and husband and our two kids, 20 & 22.

Thanks!

 

[wilkeliza]

My family and I are heading to NYC next month. We're seeing Hamilton and Wicked. Considering adding Great Comet to the list.

I scrolled back a bit and read the reviews. I'd love to hear some more opinions...should we or shouldn't we??

Btw, it's myself and husband and our two kids, 20 & 22.

Thanks!

Great Comet is a hit or miss depending on the person. My fiance and I absolutely love it but it is an all over the map musical and based off of a Russian novel. I love that it goes from traditional Opera all the way to club music. I also love all the interactions (I have 2 egg shakers and a note plus the dumplings they give out to some people before the show starts) but some people don't like what I'd put in the "experimental" theater realm.

 

[Araminta18]

The off-broadway show I was planning on seeing got canceled, so I just booked tickets for Amelie instead! Can't wait--that makes the schedule Dear Evan Hansen, War Paint, Hamilton, Anastasia, Amelie, and then Groundhog Day.

It's a fantastic season--there's like 5 other shows I wanna see but just don't have room for. Sunset Boulevard, Hello Dolly, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bandstand...

 

[Simba's Mom]

The off-broadway show I was planning on seeing got canceled, so I just booked tickets for Amelie instead! Can't wait--that makes the schedule Dear Evan Hansen, War Paint, Hamilton, Anastasia, Amelie, and then Groundhog Day.

It's a fantastic season--there's like 5 other shows I wanna see but just don't have room for. Sunset Boulevard, Hello Dolly, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bandstand...

Alright-someone going to see Amelie! DS is a professional musician and has a friend playing that show. I hope it's good.

 

[BrdwayBoy]

It's been a while since I've posted in this thread - and I've missed it! It's been a rough couple of months - spent a lot of time traveling between hospitals and rehabs to visit my grandmother (who raised me) and unfortunately, we lost her a month ago. I haven't really felt up to doing much of anything, but luckily I have a great boyfriend who knows how much theatre means to me and has been pushing me to get out. We've caught up with In Transit, Great Comet, Phantom (again), Aladdin, Paramour, The Front Page, The Book Of Mormon (finally!), Chicago (with Mel B... what a mess) Hamilton (after a 10 month wait), Come From Away, and Miss Saigon. One of the greatest experiences I had was back in December when we were lucky enough to win tickets to The Dead, 1904. A once-in-a-liftime experience that I still can't get over

Hoping to catch Groundhog Day and Amelie soon but we are heading down to WDW next month, so we're trying our best to take a little break on our adventures - we'll see how well that goes.

 

[superme80]

It's been a while since I've posted in this thread - and I've missed it! It's been a rough couple of months - spent a lot of time traveling between hospitals and rehabs to visit my grandmother (who raised me) and unfortunately, we lost her a month ago. I haven't really felt up to doing much of anything, but luckily I have a great boyfriend who knows how much theatre means to me and has been pushing me to get out. We've caught up with In Transit, Great Comet, Phantom (again), Aladdin, Paramour, The Front Page, The Book Of Mormon (finally!), Chicago (with Mel B... what a mess) Hamilton (after a 10 month wait), Come From Away, and Miss Saigon. One of the greatest experiences I had was back in December when we were lucky enough to win tickets to The Dead, 1904. A once-in-a-liftime experience that I still can't get over

Hoping to catch Groundhog Day and Amelie soon but we are heading down to WDW next month, so we're trying our best to take a little break on our adventures - we'll see how well that goes.

So sorry to hear about your grandmother. What a fantastic boyfriend you have.

 

[wilkeliza]

Saw way too much theater with a friend in town. I usually like to space my shows out a bit but in a weekend he did 6 shows in 4 days and I saw 4 of the 6.

This season is phenominal so far. Miss Saigon was not a show I was familar with but the show is just sublime. The balads are some of the most beutiful musical songs I've heard. There were two issues at our show which was a preview performance. A Trump supporter yelling during the Act 2 opener Bui Doi about soliders being left behind too and Go trump. Being unfamiliar with the show at first it sounded like and ensemble member playing a disgruntled returning solider. It wasn't until the Go Trump that I really realized it was someone not apart of the production. The second issue was that the helicopter didn't work at first. The production paused for less then 5 minutes and then back tracked a couple measures so we could experience the grand scene. I think I'm going to go back so hopefully I can see it with out the issues.

 

[BrdwayBoy]

So sorry to hear about your grandmother. What a fantastic boyfriend you have.

Thank you. Yes, He's great and I'm lucky to have him.

Saw way too much theater with a friend in town. I usually like to space my shows out a bit but in a weekend he did 6 shows in 4 days and I saw 4 of the 6.

This season is phenominal so far. Miss Saigon was not a show I was familar with but the show is just sublime. The balads are some of the most beutiful musical songs I've heard. There were two issues at our show which was a preview performance. A Trump supporter yelling during the Act 2 opener Bui Doi about soliders being left behind too and Go trump. Being unfamiliar with the show at first it sounded like and ensemble member playing a disgruntled returning solider. It wasn't until the Go Trump that I really realized it was someone not apart of the production. The second issue was that the helicopter didn't work at first. The production paused for less then 5 minutes and then back tracked a couple measures so we could experience the grand scene. I think I'm going to go back so hopefully I can see it with out the issues.

I love Miss Saigon. I played John a few years back and loved it. I took my boyfriend to the screening of the London production back in September and he fell in love with the show. He couldn't wait so we ended up seeing one of the first previews of this production and all he can do is talk about going back. LOL

 

[rebeccam31]

It's been a while since I've posted in this thread - and I've missed it! It's been a rough couple of months - spent a lot of time traveling between hospitals and rehabs to visit my grandmother (who raised me) and unfortunately, we lost her a month ago. I haven't really felt up to doing much of anything, but luckily I have a great boyfriend who knows how much theatre means to me and has been pushing me to get out. We've caught up with In Transit, Great Comet, Phantom (again), Aladdin, Paramour, The Front Page, The Book Of Mormon (finally!), Chicago (with Mel B... what a mess) Hamilton (after a 10 month wait), Come From Away, and Miss Saigon. One of the greatest experiences I had was back in December when we were lucky enough to win tickets to The Dead, 1904. A once-in-a-liftime experience that I still can't get over

Hoping to catch Groundhog Day and Amelie soon but we are heading down to WDW next month, so we're trying our best to take a little break on our adventures - we'll see how well that goes.

I'm so incredibly jealous you got to see The Dead! That looked just beautiful. I see Come From Away on Friday, and then The Price and Great Comet on Saturday. I'm very much looking forward to it but wish the city was going to be warmer!

I'm so very sorry about your loss. I hope you enjoy your escape to Disney World!

 

[L&Lfan]

I can't wait to read the reviews of the Hello, Dolly! revival!

 

[BrdwayBoy]

I'm so incredibly jealous you got to see The Dead! That looked just beautiful.

It was truly a gorgeous experience. My boyfriend was just "eh" about it until we got there and he realized Kate Burton plays Vice President Sally Langston on SCANDAL, then he was totally excited - it was adorable to see how excited he got once he knew who she was. When we were being escorted to the dinner table she introduced herself, asked our names and what we wanted to drink with dinner. I took a minute to tell her how excited he was to have the opportunity to see her perform in such an intimate setting and she couldn't have been sweeter (I only did it because she had introduced herself as Kate and not as her character - Gretta).

Dinner was truly wonderful - we were seated at the main table in the center of the room with the actors and to try to find the words to describe that experience... :::sigh::: The food was delicious, and it turns out that a few of the cast members even lived in or were very familiar with our neck of the woods (Rockland County) and one of them even taught at my middle school. Throughout dinner, the actors would chat with us and then drift in and out of scripted dialogue putting us right in the middle of the action. I mean - I had dinner with Boyd Gaines and Kate Burton!

After dinner we were escorted upstairs for the final scene in the bedroom between Gabriel and Gretta and to watch Boyd and Kate so close - it was breathtaking.

When I looked up the show afterwards, I was amazed to find that our tickets would have cost $1,000 each - it made winning the tix and only paying $19.04 each seem all that much more exciting. The Building it was in was gorgeous - just a really special evening all around.

Unfortunately the next day, that TERRIBLE stomach bug caught me and I felt like I was ready to audition for The Exorcist.

This is from my instagram.

 

[rebeccam31]

It was truly a gorgeous experience. My boyfriend was just "eh" about it until we got there and he realized Kate Burton plays Vice President Sally Langston on SCANDAL, then he was totally excited - it was adorable to see how excited he got once he knew who she was. When we were being escorted to the dinner table she introduced herself, asked our names and what we wanted to drink with dinner. I took a minute to tell her how excited he was to have the opportunity to see her perform in such an intimate setting and she couldn't have been sweeter (I only did it because she had introduced herself as Kate and not as her character - Gretta).

Dinner was truly wonderful - we were seated at the main table in the center of the room with the actors and to try to find the words to describe that experience... :::sigh::: The food was delicious, and it turns out that a few of the cast members even lived in or were very familiar with our neck of the woods (Rockland County) and one of them even taught at my middle school. Throughout dinner, the actors would chat with us and then drift in and out of scripted dialogue putting us right in the middle of the action. I mean - I had dinner with Boyd Gaines and Kate Burton!

After dinner we were escorted upstairs for the final scene in the bedroom between Gabriel and Gretta and to watch Boyd and Kate so close - it was breathtaking.

When I looked up the show afterwards, I was amazed to find that our tickets would have cost $1,000 each - it made winning the tix and only paying $19.04 each seem all that much more exciting. The Building it was in was gorgeous - just a really special evening all around.

Unfortunately the next day, that TERRIBLE stomach bug caught me and I felt like I was ready to audition for The Exorcist.

This is from my instagram.

What a fantastic experience! I'm glad it was just as lovely as I thought it would be. Thanks for telling us about it.

 

[rebeccam31]

Back from theater weekend number one. I just adored Come From Away. I expected to like it, but I was utterly charmed. I was afraid it would feel too emotionally manipulative, but I've got to say that it didn't at all. It was perfectly wonderful--a gem of a show. I really want to find time to take my daughter back to see it.

The Price was a really good production of a mediocre play in my opinion. The acting was top notch (especially Danny DeVito--in his Broadway debut!). Overall I enjoyed it a lot, but I have seen Arthur Miller plays I like better.

The Great Comet is just crazy fun. We had fabulous onstage seats (one of my party is possibly the world's biggest Josh Groban fangirl), and they were better than I could have anticipated. There was a tremendous amount of interaction with the cast, and we were able to see everything just by shifting position a little. I don't really know how to describe the show, but I liked it very much. It's definitely lacking in character development, but it's still moving, and what a spectacle it is! The renovations to the theater are beyond gorgeous. At the stage door, Josh Groban thanked my friend for being a music educator (she's my kid's orchestra director and told Josh Groban how much she appreciates his foundation). I thought she was just going to die on the spot. He was so lovely and gracious with her.

All in all a fantastic weekend of theater. Next weekend is Dear Evan Hansen, Groundhog Day, and I'm finally allowing my daughter to see Book of Mormon....

 

[superme80]

Just got back from a local production of Sister Act. Did not expect to like it. It was so fun. The songs were decent. I felt that the writers didn't spend as much time on the ensemble numbers and Mother Superiors numbers. Other than that I enjoyed it very much. It got a well deserved standing ovation.

 

[rebeccam31]

Dear Evan Hansen continues to be great. Ben Platt is just doing amazing work up there--no idea how he manages that eight times a week!

I'm sorry to say that I did not like Groundhog Day one little bit, nor did any of my party of five (including my 15 year old daughter). I just didn't think that any element of it worked. I really wanted to like it, too, but it just was a bit of a mess in my opinion.

I still can't stop thinking about Come From Away, so I bought tickets to take four teenagers up to see it in May. I'm super excited about that!

 

[smitty0705]

Dear Evan Hansen continues to be great. Ben Platt is just doing amazing work up there--no idea how he manages that eight times a week!

Right?! I don't know how he does it either, but wow what a performance.

 

[Kimberle]

Just got back from a local production of Sister Act. Did not expect to like it. It was so fun. The songs were decent. I felt that the writers didn't spend as much time on the ensemble numbers and Mother Superiors numbers. Other than that I enjoyed it very much. It got a well deserved standing ovation.

We saw Sister Act when it was on Bway. Didn't go in with "high" expectations. We LOVED the show! It was so much fun.

 

[Kewz1]

I just got back from a week in NY. The fam and I saw three shows...

Great Comet - we absolutely loved this show! So much fun and very entertaining. Josh Groban was amazing! My husband got a pierogi and we all received shakers. Fun! Surprisingly, we voted this show to be our favorite one.

Hamilton - it was as good as we expected and I cried at the end. We also agreed that Javier is a better Hamilton (granted we never saw Lin in person). We loved his voice and mannerisms.

Wicked - we saw this in London with Rachel Tucker. It was good then and still good now. Great way to end our visit!

A big thanks to all of you who take time to review the shows and answer questions! I appreciate all your advice and words of wisdom!

 

[wilkeliza]

I always forget this is here.

I've seen quite a bit lately. The favorite being Hello Dolly. It was just a marvelous night of theater. I saw Groundhog Day and while it still needs some tweeking it was a fun evening. I do think it is going to be a show that some will enjoy and some will not. I am finally seeing Come From Away on Tuesday.