Profile for Billy Boy

Beware the partial-view seats on the side sections of the balcony. They are not flagged as partial view and sold at full price, but the stage lights that line the side balcony obstruct about half the stage. Even if you lean over, you will still miss a substantial part of the stage. Also the railings on the balcony are not very secure - mine had about 8" of wiggle to it. No house manager available to fix the problem Buyer beware.

Boy, I must be in Wonderland. I saw the concert (sat upstairs in the Loge) and thought that it was terrific. Exceptional. Linda was in great voice - without her usual over-the-top vibrato. She's never been a raconteur, but her honesty is disarming, whether talking about "two Broadway stars and a tractor driver" or "should have put her Diva foot down when they cut Bring On The Men". Had no trouble with her lyrics, but I knew most of the songs. Her band was terrific as well, with a big sound an...

Did no one in the UK see the musical BEHIND THE IRON MASK (with Sheila Ferguson and Robert Fardell)? It set the standard for worst musical ever.

Unlike London, it is extremely hard to get a good ticket to a hit show at the last minute. Theater, in general, is much more expensive than London, and the theaters are wider, so sight lines are not as good. For shows that are not sold-out hits, there's the TKTS ticket booth, similar to the one in London. I'll let others suggest shows, but I think you can do better than what's on your list.

Based on the title of this thread, I somehow imagined new lyrics to the Cole Porter Classic "Miss Otis Regrets". something like ....And from under his Spidey gown, He screamed "Sh*"t as he tumbled down and down, Julie, Miss Taymor confirms, we're unable to matinee...

In the 70s at the Falmouth Playhouse on Cape Cod. Here's an excerpt from my blog: Later that summer, we did My Fat Friend with John & Patty Duke Astin. Patty got very sick during the show and since there was no understudy, we tracked down Lynn Redgrave (who had done the role on Broadway) to see if she could fill in. She was not available, but she gave us the name of her Broadway understudy who was available, and who we flew in from New York to finish the week, playing opposite John Astin. She...

I live in the neighborhood. Here's two that I would heartily recommend: Stonehome Wine Bar - 87 Lafayette Avenue NY 11217 Olea - 171 Lafayette Avenue NY 11205 Stonehome is closer to BAM (2 blocks away) but Olea is the really special restaurant. And don't be afraid of St. Ann's Warehouse. DUMBO is a fantastic neighborhood. St. Ann's will be opening a new theater soon, right across the street. It's worth the trip just to see the incredible views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn & Manhattan Bridges...

I agree about the ending of BLOOD BROTHERS. My saddest (obscure) musical moment for me is the finale of MARGUERITE. Ruthie Henshall's performance rivaled Alice Ripley in N2N. I saw the show twice (by myself) and felt so embarrassed to be sitting their crying as the lights came up after the curtain call. Then I realized that there were a lot more people in the theater doing the same thing. Music & Book is by the Les Miz folks, so you can imagine how melodic and soaring the score is. imho

As a spinoff to the "Characters That Are Really Only In One Act" thread, name characters who die in Act 1 and are miraculously brought back for an appearance in Act II or III. The obvious ones are Sarah in Ragtime and Fantine in Les Miserables, but there are lots of others....

Well the best overall stage set that allowed for multiple magical moments was an off-Broadway musical called Trixie True, Teen Detective. In one scene, Trixie falls into the ocean and gets chased by a submarine! All of this in the Theatre de Lys. A big bomb in 1980-81, but I saw it 3 times! One of my favorite simple magical moments is Joe's transformation from the young Joe Hardy back into the old Joe Boyd in Damn Yankees. I've seen it done several ways, but a summer stock production on Cape ...

I'm waiting for a Henry Higgins who can actually SING the score. The role is really quite melodic. Imagine a Brian Stokes Mitchell singing the Higgins' songs.

Given how much I love The Light In The Piazza, I'd really like to see the same creative team revive DO I HEAR A WALTZ? Victoria Clark would be great in the lead, and imagine what Venice would look like with the same set, costume and light designers. And Adam Guettel's grandad wrote a lucious score, with melodies no less! Don't forget Sondheim's lyrics too. Let it happen. Take the moment!

...of VERY GOOD EDDIE fame? Is it possible I saw him on the #1 train at Lincoln Center, with a playbill from Light In The Piazza in hand? What's he up to these days?

I saw the show tonight, and Kevin Kern was... well, dissapointng. I hadn't seen the show before, but I had seen the opening number at the Drama Desk Awards, and Tyler Maynard was much better (and cuter) as Mark, the gay bander in love with Matthew, the group leader. Kevin was well rehearsed and had a nice voice, but I never for once bought that he was the boy-with-a-secret in the Christian tuner. Given that it's such an important part of the story (much of the humor is based on the love that ...