The Broadway show thread where we discuss all things Broadway

[LBIJim]

I'm SO EXCITED that Billy Elliott is coming!!!!
Can't wait to see it, even though it is going to be more than a year from now!!

Also looking forward to seeing West Side Story and La Cage and Rain. A lot of DS's choir friends are in a summer youth production of West Side Story, so I'm glad we will be able to see the touring company.

DH is not excited about Bring It On or Memphis, but maybe I can change his mind.

Let me know what you think of Les Mis!

And where is the stage door at the Civic Center?
We may have to check that out!

I take it you're referring to a location other than Broadway. Just a FYI for anyone, La Cage is closing on Broadway this coming Sunday May 1. It's been averaging less than 50% attendance recently.

Jim

 

[Jessica86]

Hello! I am new here but I have been peeking in on this thread for awhile I recently saw Wonderland, has anyone else seen it? I thought it was very cute and the actress who played Alice's daughter could sing like there was no tomorrow!! I also saw Spiderman (Xmas gift from MIL) but I really didn't think it was terrible. I guess I was expecting the worst from what I had read but the way they were flying around the theater and the music made it very entertaining (I also saw trainer Bob from Biggest Loser at the lobby bar!!). I am going to see a matinee of Sister Act in May......I heard it is very good and quite different from the movie.

Also I am so glad to see that some of you enjoyed The Book of Mormon....I really want to try and see it soon!

 

[snapppyd]

Saw Anything Goes in previews a week before it opened. Sutton Foster is probably the best star on Broadway these days. I think I read that Joel Grey is 79. He was just OK in the show. His timing was a little off and his voice and dancing are not what they used to be. A pleasant surprise was Jessica Walter's performance as the mother.



I saw the last 30 seconds of Book of Mormon last Saturday. Went with a friend to NYC. His 80 year old mother was at his home when I picked him up. She asked him to buy tickets to Mormon for her. I tried to warn her that it was somewhat raunchy, but she said something like "Oh yeah, I heard it's very vulgar. I want to see it!" Anyway, when we got to the theatre the matinee was just about to end, the doors were open, so we saw the cast finishing the last song. The audience seemed to really enjoy it. Couldn't get tickets for a Saturday until July.

Jim

My husband definitely agrees with you regarding Sutton Foster - she really is fabulous. We saw her in Young Frankenstein and Shrek - now that is talent. His other favorite is Carolee Carmelo, we saw her in Mamma Mia and Le Stat. Never got to see The Addams Family.

 

[Deb in IA]

The stage door is outside of the west entrance toward the sign on the corner.

Cool! We usually eat dinner at Splash before the show, and it is right across the street from that corner. So, the stage entrance is before the main entrance, behind the big sign over the sidewalk?

I take it you're referring to a location other than Broadway. Just a FYI for anyone, La Cage is closing on Broadway this coming Sunday May 1. It's been averaging less than 50% attendance recently.

Jim

Yes, we were talking about the season for the Des Moines Civic Center and the touring productions that are scheduled there next year.

 

[MissDisney121]

Cool! We usually eat dinner at Splash before the show, and it is right across the street from that corner. So, the stage entrance is before the main entrance, behind the big sign over the sidewalk?



Yes, we were talking about the season for the Des Moines Civic Center and the touring productions that are scheduled there next year.

Yep that is where the stage door is. Actors usually come out after the show. We don't wait every time but we have seen some of the cast members of Rent and last weekend all of the cast members came out. I felt kind of bad for them though because no one really cared about anyone but Constantine. I would have asked for their autographs but i was one of those people who was waiting for constantine too.

How is Splash? I've wanted to go there but I've heard it is expensive and I don't want to spend that much money if it is not that great.

 

[JenM]

Haven't read any of this, but I just want to say that I miss The Whos Tommy! Saw it once, was about to see it for a second time, and it was shut down...

I loved that show! I saw it on Broadway 4 times.

 

[AllisonK]

Hello! I am new here but I have been peeking in on this thread for awhile I recently saw Wonderland, has anyone else seen it? I thought it was very cute and the actress who played Alice's daughter could sing like there was no tomorrow!! I also saw Spiderman (Xmas gift from MIL) but I really didn't think it was terrible. I guess I was expecting the worst from what I had read but the way they were flying around the theater and the music made it very entertaining (I also saw trainer Bob from Biggest Loser at the lobby bar!!). I am going to see a matinee of Sister Act in May......I heard it is very good and quite different from the movie.

Also I am so glad to see that some of you enjoyed The Book of Mormon....I really want to try and see it soon!

Sister Act is SO MUCH FUN! (I'm probably a bit biased since I have a few friends in the show...) I saw it back on the first preview and am going again in three weeks!

I also saw "The People in the Picture" about a month ago. I really enjoyed it and would love to see it again after they open if I get the opportunity. I might try and get rush tickets for Anything Goes one day next week, too.

 

[TifffanyD]

Had the most amazing weekend!

Today is my DH's birthday, so we celebrated all weekend!

Saturday night we saw "Baby It's You", loved it! It's the story of the Shirelles and Florence Greenberg, the woman who discovered them. The music, costumes and sets were wonderful. I can't say enough about the cast - every performance was spot on.

Yesterday we saw the final two performances of American Idiot.

Green Day showed up and gave a mini-concert last night - it was EPIC!!!! They played for about 40 minutes and brought the house down


I am on , and will be for quite a while!!

WOWOWOW I am so jealous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And also happy for you. But mostly jealous, yeah. What a fantastic memory and story that must make!!!

 

[Imzadi]

I walked by the TKTS half price ticket booth in Times Square today. I remembered to bring my cellphone camera, so I snapped a couple shots of what was up for half price, tonight on a Saturday. This was at about 7pm. (That reflection you can see in the background on the right is of Times Square. The ball is at the top in red, above the backwards 2011. )

Sorry the quality isn't better. They had just turned on the lights as I snapped the picture, and the lights fuzzed out the fonts. I'll try to interpret what I remember being up.

Alphabetical order:
1 Arcadia
2 Baby Its You
3 Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (or something like that?)
4 Billy Elliot the Musical
5 Born Yesterday
6 Catch Me If You Can
7Chicago the musical
8 Jerusalem
9 La Cage Aux Folles
10 Lombardi
11 Mama Mia
12 Mary Poppins

"P" demotes play

Discounts subject to Change

1 Memphis
2 Million Dollar Quartet
3 Priscilla Queen of the Desert
4 Rain - A Tribute to the Beatles on Bway
5 Rock of Ages
6 Sister Act
7 That Championship Season
8 The Addams Family
9 The Importance of Being Earnest
10 The Normal Heart
11 The People In the Picture
12 The Phantom of the Opera

 

[TifffanyD]

Sorry the quality isn't better. They had just turned on the lights as I snapped the picture, and the lights fuzzed out the fonts. I'll try to interpret what I remember being up.

8 J (???)

2 Million Dollar ______ (?)

Ooooh neat - it's almost like being there!

I think the first one is Jerusalem and the second is Million Dollar Quartet

 

[laughingasong]

Yup, that's definitely it.

and it is the People in the Picture.

I love theatre so much. It's kind of my passion and I see way too much Broadway shows for my budget!! (I just joined this board, so sorry for the introductory nature of this post haha).

Recently I saw How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe. I absolutely LOVED it.

 

[Imzadi]

Ooooh neat - it's almost like being there!

I think the first one is Jerusalem and the second is Million Dollar Quartet

Thank you both! If I messed up any other names, let me know. Feel free to say, "Umm, I don't think that's the name of a show."


Here's a pic of the Disney store across the street:

 

[Wishing on a star]

Girls night out, , we are seeing Billy Elliot next week. We've dinner reservations at a little French place after. Can't wait!

Hey Kimberle,
Did you eat at the French Restaurant?
I am thinking, in the Theater District, it may have been Marseille?
If so, let me know if you liked it!

 

[AllisonK]

I saw Sister Act again yesterday and it was even BETTER the second time around! The cast was spot on and the show was much tighter! I took my mom for an early mother's day present (even though I'll be home next weekend we're going to a family event all weekend and so she had to come down to start helping me move out of school) and she absolutely loved it!

 

[TimeforMe]

We saw The House of Blue Leaves last week for my birthday. I have to say that I was a little disappointed. The actors were all very good (Ben Stiller, Edie Falco & Jennifer Jason Leigh), but the story itself was a bit odd. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

 

[snapppyd]

Run, do not walk, run to see Jerusalem. We always went to musicals, I have got to say Mark Rylance gave a master class in acting today. We "thought" we were going to see John Gallagher because we loved him in American Idiot.

I am totally blown away by Mark's performance today, OMG! I don't know what else to say The play was 3 hours long, it started out very comedic; the final 20 minutes I had my nails dug into my DH's arm.

Bar none, the best performance I have ever witnessed. Mark, you will win the Tony for this performance

 

[TifffanyD]

Run, do not walk, run to see Jerusalem. We always went to musicals, I have got to say Mark Rylance gave a master class in acting today. We "thought" we were going to see John Gallagher because we loved him in American Idiot.

I am totally blown away by Mark's performance today, OMG! I don't know what else to say The play was 3 hours long, it started out very comedic; the final 20 minutes I had my nails dug into my DH's arm.

Bar none, the best performance I have ever witnessed. Mark, you will win the Tony for this performance

Wow - what an endorsement. What is this play about?

 

[snapppyd]

Wow - what an endorsement. What is this play about?

http://jerusalembroadway.com/news/page/2/


You have to see it to truly understand - and even then you will leave the theater with questions.

Like I said before, we have always stuck to light hearted musicals. I decided we needed to broaden our horizons, and I think I truly picked the best play for that experience.

I really cannot say enough about Mark Rylance - bar none the best actor I have ever seen. This is a limited engagement - I urge anyone who has the opportunity to see this play to do so.

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

My WONDERFUL sister in law organizes a girls trip every april to NYC to have lunch and see a broadway show, I have gone the past 5 years and here is the list of what we have seen

2007: Avenue Q
2008: Young Frankenstein
2009: Chicago
2010: Promises Promises
2011: Jersey Boys

I have also seen
Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, The Producers, Addams Family, Cats, Wizard of Oz
and of all of the them I have to say this past Saturday was my Favorite:
JERSEY BOYS WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would see it over and over again, FABULOUS!

Im hoping to see Wicked in the next couple of months!

 

[Deb in IA]

How is Splash? I've wanted to go there but I've heard it is expensive and I don't want to spend that much money if it is not that great.

It's a bit pricy, but the food is great!

I would recommend reservations, especially if you are going there before a show, as they get really crowded at those times.

Here is their menu:
http://www.splash-seafood.com/dinnermenu.php

We've also tried Azalea, in the Hotel Kirkwood, but I've heard that is now closed.

Do you have any other dining suggestions near the Civic Center? We are always up for trying new places.