The Broadway show thread where we discuss all things Broadway

[AllisonK]

Definitely. The lottery odds are long but I'd totally play if I was in town. And if it doesn't come through, there are just a slew of other great shows playing right now. I've seen some great theater this year.

I did the lottery when I was there a few weeks ago and lost (not surprising, so we ended up grabbing tickets to School of Rock from TKTS) but my mother and I walked past the theater at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday and there were already people lined up for Wednesday evening's show.... so ridiculous.

 

[Chaitali]

My daughter's friend lucked out in the Hamilton resale line a month or so ago. Lined up for a matinee around 7 in the am. Second in line and got a ticket. I think she was really lucky though.

Good to know there is hope

 

[SingingMom]

Well, she's actually Dolly Gallagher Levi so I always assumed she was an Irish girl married to a Jew (Ephraim Levi). But most actresses do seem to play her as a stereotypical Jewish yenta, imo.

Yes I know, but it was really distracting! The Irish brogue mixed with a yenta was too much. lol

 

[SingingMom]

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.

I totally agree with your review of Pump Boys! lol Talented cast but DUMB show. lol

 

[L&Lfan]

Just throwing this out there......but is there ANYONE who thinks Hamilton is overrated?????

 

[BrdwayBoy]

Just throwing this out there......but is there ANYONE who thinks Hamilton is overrated?????

Me. MEEEE. MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Though I do think all of the design elements, choreography and direction are FANTASTIC, I can't get caught up in all of the Hamilton-mania.

 

[NJlauren]

Just throwing this out there......but is there ANYONE who thinks Hamilton is overrated?????

I don't think it's overrated, but I think the hype is out of control. I think it's so different than most other shows that it's getting extra attention. Sorta like Rent when it first opened but social media makes it even worse. I think the hype is crazy, I haven't seen anything like it, will be interesting to see how it does at the Tonys.

I know one person who didn't enjoy it and one who hates nontraditional musicals and won't see it.

 

[crazymama]

Just throwing this out there......but is there ANYONE who thinks Hamilton is overrated?????

I think that is a totally fair question... and yes the hype is a bit much but I have to say that.. I. CAN'T. STOP. LISTENING. TO. IT!!!! AAAAIIIIEEE! COMPLETELY OBSESSED!!

 

[NJlauren]

So I saw white rabbit red rabbit tonight.... Has anyone else seen it?

My actor was Bobby Cannavale...

ETA: part of the show is knowing nothing about it, so if you may see it don't google it outside of the shows website

 

[Kewz1]

I think that is a totally fair question... and yes the hype is a bit much but I have to say that.. I. CAN'T. STOP. LISTENING. TO. IT!!!! AAAAIIIIEEE! COMPLETELY OBSESSED!!

Me too! As are my daughter and husband.

But I do think it's ridiculous that folks are willing to go to such great lengths - and expense - to see this show.

While I do plan on entering the lottery I'm very happy with all the other great options we have as "back up."

Kristen

 

[superme80]

I'm not a huge fan of Hamilton. I prefer more traditional musicals, but I don't mind something new. The constant push of it in my face via the internet is annoying.

 

[rebeccam31]

I don't think it's overrated, but I think the hype is out of control. I think it's so different than most other shows that it's getting extra attention. Sorta like Rent when it first opened but social media makes it even worse. I think the hype is crazy, I haven't seen anything like it, will be interesting to see how it does at the Tonys.

I know one person who didn't enjoy it and one who hates nontraditional musicals and won't see it.

I love the show. I saw it early in its Broadway run because of a friend who had seen it at the Public, and I've seen it twice more. I think it's well-crafted, smart, at times funny, and really moving. I think the characters are complex and the actors are fantastic. Yes, the hype is crazy, but it has brought Broadway to the mainstream in a way that does indeed remind me of Rent. That's not a bad thing--kids in my daughter's school know what Hamilton is and want to see it. A bunch of non-theater kids she knows are coming with us to see Matilda at the end of the month because "Broadway seems maybe not so uncool..." So, the hype has its upsides. I just try to cling to that and ignore the articles about how Lin-Manuel just blew his nose.

 

[NJlauren]

I love the show. I saw it early in its Broadway run because of a friend who had seen it at the Public, and I've seen it twice more. I think it's well-crafted, smart, at times funny, and really moving. I think the characters are complex and the actors are fantastic. Yes, the hype is crazy, but it has brought Broadway to the mainstream in a way that does indeed remind me of Rent. That's not a bad thing--kids in my daughter's school know what Hamilton is and want to see it. A bunch of non-theater kids she knows are coming with us to see Matilda at the end of the month because "Broadway seems maybe not so uncool..." So, the hype has its upsides. I just try to cling to that and ignore the articles about how Lin-Manuel just blew his nose.

Agree with a lot of what you wrote. Anytime you can bring a new audience into the theater I'm all for it. If we don't get a new audience the art will die, something I don't want to see. A lot of people i know got into theater because of Rent so it's nice to see young kids getting into theater now, for whatever reason.

However I do think the hype, ticketmaster resale, and articles about anytime Lin blows his nose are overkill. I also saw the show early on, I went to the workshop at Vasser, saw it twice at the public, told everyone get tickets before it blows up...now you can't even get a ticket for nine months out or anytime the show is on sale. The resale market kills the average person, paying to have people stand on the cancelation line! I'm sorry no show, concert or entertainment that last 3 hours is worth a weeks salary, and for me that's where the hype is overkill.

 

[AllisonK]

I'm not a huge fan of Hamilton. I prefer more traditional musicals, but I don't mind something new. The constant push of it in my face via the internet is annoying.

Agreed! I like some of the music but the news seems almost too in-your-face all the time.

 

[rebeccam31]

Me too! As are my daughter and husband.

But I do think it's ridiculous that folks are willing to go to such great lengths - and expense - to see this show.

While I do plan on entering the lottery I'm very happy with all the other great options we have as "back up."

Kristen

Yes! I've seen it three times and still have both my kidneys. The seats I had the first time I saw it were premium seats and were the most I'd ever spent for theater tickets (I think they were $277/apiece). I'm not sorry I spent that; it was totally worth it. But now those same seats are $477 at face value, and they are never available at face value anyway because the scalpers grab them. When we went in April, I checked to see what my original seats were selling for, and it was almost $4000 a ticket.

Agree with a lot of what you wrote. Anytime you can bring a new audience into the theater I'm all for it. If we don't get a new audience the art will die, something I don't want to see. A lot of people i know got into theater because of Rent so it's nice to see young kids getting into theater now, for whatever reason.

However I do think the hype, ticketmaster resale, and articles about anytime Lin blows his nose are overkill. I also saw the show early on, I went to the workshop at Vasser, saw it twice at the public, told everyone get tickets before it blows up...now you can't even get a ticket for nine months out or anytime the show is on sale. The resale market kills the average person, paying to have people stand on the cancelation line! I'm sorry no show, concert or entertainment that last 3 hours is worth a weeks salary, and for me that's where the hype is overkill.

I agree with all of that. It's great that Hamilton is attracting more people to the *idea* of theater, but most of those people can't afford to go. :/ I planned ahead and got my tickets for face value (except once when I lucked into freakishly cheap resale tickets) because my Christmas gift to my daughter's friends this year was a trip to New York to see Hamilton. But if I wasn't aable to pick up the face value tickets, we wouldn't be going.

I will say that way back in September when I saw it for the first time, I expected to be disappointed. I thought it no way could live up to the hype, but for me the actual performance did. That said, spending THOUSANDS (or even a thousand) to see it is ridiculous. Imagine how many Disney trips that could be.

 

[JRawkSteady]

This past weekend, my wife and I got to see two musicals: Disaster and American Psycho. First, we went to see Disaster before it closed...Here is another show that closed WAY too soon. So, yes, it was a jukebox musical..which I usually hate, but this was definitely an experience. For those who don't know, this was a spoof of cheesy 1970s disaster films, like The Poseidon Adventure, Airport, etc. and boy did they get everything right! From the stereotypical characters, to the attitudes, to the tropes - it was perfect. We laughed throughout the entire show. I'm not a fan of 70s pop music, but they did such a good job with it, that it didn't bother me at all. Also, Adam Pascal is pretty much my favorite Broadway star, so it was phenomenal to see him on stage again.

Okay, so the next day we got to see American Psycho and didn't really know what to expect. I really can't stand the music of Duncan Sheik - - I'm one of the few who hates most of the music from Spring Awakening - - so I wasn't looking forward to the music, but I WAS a huge fan of the book and film, so I was excited to see what they would do with it. Again, I was NOT disappointed. In fact, all my expectations were highly exceeded! First off, the staging, sets, lighting design and projections were some of the most creative I've ever seen on stage. Benjamin Walker (the guy who made Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson such a phenomenal show), captivated the audience within seconds and held them there the whole time. The show takes place in the late 80s, so for anyone who lived during that time, you will recognize the attitude, lifestyle and general ambiguity of the time period right away by their use of music, product placement, etc. Now for the music...I didn't love it. I didn't find anything the least bit catchy...BUT I love Sondheim and his music is anything but catchy. The music fit the show perfectly and even though I won't be humming any of the tunes in the near future, I think it worked well.

All in all, we had a good weekend. Disaster may be gone, but I definitely recommend American Psycho as long as you have no problem with the subject matter. It isn't really as bloody as I expected it to be. That's neither a praise nor a condemnation...just a fact. But it absolutely is 100% adult subject matter, if you couldn't figure it out by the title and source material.

 

[SingingMom]

I have listened to Hamilton, and I really don't love it. I will try to get tickets one of these days, so I can say I saw it. But, it's really not my taste. However, I really dislike people shoving it down our throats, like we are nuts if we don't care for it! The beauty of theatre is that there is something for everyone. But, I don't have to like what the next person does. I despised Rent. I adored Newsies. I loved She Loves Me. I thought Bonnie & Clyde was terrific. I can't stand Cats or A Chorus Line. I can't sit through another production of Annie or Fiddler on the Roof - ever. That's ME. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a gifted, talented, off the wall, phenomenal individual. But HE will tell you he isn't 'god'. I wish some people would stop canonizing him.. lol

 

[erin1715]

Hi all, I'm new to this thread and to Broadway (never seen a show), but that will be changing in a few weeks! My husband I will be there for one night from 5/29-5/30. We will also be back in August for closer to a week, so we planning on seeing at least one more show then.

We want to see Les Miz, and there are two showings on Sunday 5/29. I think we'd prefer to see the evening show. I have done some research about buying tickets - travelzoo has a deal where I could get orchestra seats for about $67, or the cheapest would be rear mezz for $37. Having never been to a show, should I try for the orchestra? And also, would I get a better deal going to the TKTS booth the day of?

 

[crazymama]

This past weekend, my wife and I got to see two musicals: Disaster and American Psycho. First, we went to see Disaster before it closed...Here is another show that closed WAY too soon. So, yes, it was a jukebox musical..which I usually hate, but this was definitely an experience. For those who don't know, this was a spoof of cheesy 1970s disaster films, like The Poseidon Adventure, Airport, etc. and boy did they get everything right! From the stereotypical characters, to the attitudes, to the tropes - it was perfect. We laughed throughout the entire show. I'm not a fan of 70s pop music, but they did such a good job with it, that it didn't bother me at all. Also, Adam Pascal is pretty much my favorite Broadway star, so it was phenomenal to see him on stage again.

Okay, so the next day we got to see American Psycho and didn't really know what to expect. I really can't stand the music of Duncan Sheik - - I'm one of the few who hates most of the music from Spring Awakening - - so I wasn't looking forward to the music, but I WAS a huge fan of the book and film, so I was excited to see what they would do with it. Again, I was NOT disappointed. In fact, all my expectations were highly exceeded! First off, the staging, sets, lighting design and projections were some of the most creative I've ever seen on stage. Benjamin Walker (the guy who made Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson such a phenomenal show), captivated the audience within seconds and held them there the whole time. The show takes place in the late 80s, so for anyone who lived during that time, you will recognize the attitude, lifestyle and general ambiguity of the time period right away by their use of music, product placement, etc. Now for the music...I didn't love it. I didn't find anything the least bit catchy...BUT I love Sondheim and his music is anything but catchy. The music fit the show perfectly and even though I won't be humming any of the tunes in the near future, I think it worked well.

All in all, we had a good weekend. Disaster may be gone, but I definitely recommend American Psycho as long as you have no problem with the subject matter. It isn't really as bloody as I expected it to be. That's neither a praise nor a condemnation...just a fact. But it absolutely is 100% adult subject matter, if you couldn't figure it out by the title and source material.

Really happy to hear your appraisal of American Psycho. I have tickets for August and just hope it hangs around that long! I am a huge fan of the music of Duncan Sheik (adore Spring Awakening) but can see how the music of American Psycho may not grab you. I bought the cast recording and, upon first listen, I was a bit "meh". But...it was the kind of stuff that grew on me the more I heard it and now I really really like it! Takes me back to the clubs of the 80's lol. Fingers crossed that I see it!

 

[SingingMom]

Hi all, I'm new to this thread and to Broadway (never seen a show), but that will be changing in a few weeks! My husband I will be there for one night from 5/29-5/30. We will also be back in August for closer to a week, so we planning on seeing at least one more show then.

We want to see Les Miz, and there are two showings on Sunday 5/29. I think we'd prefer to see the evening show. I have done some research about buying tickets - travelzoo has a deal where I could get orchestra seats for about $67, or the cheapest would be rear mezz for $37. Having never been to a show, should I try for the orchestra? And also, would I get a better deal going to the TKTS booth the day of?

I am a fan of the orchestra. The closer the better. But some would prefer further back, or spending less money. If you wait for TKTS, you aren't guaranteed tickets. Les Miz is my favorite show, and I've sat in the last row of the orchestra, in the middle of the orchestra, and in the mezz on the West End. I would go for the orchestra, especially since this is your first Broadway show experience!