My husband and I may be coming to NY end of Apri. We love musicals that are modern/fun. We've seen Mamma Mia, Book of Mormon, Wicked, Spiderman. Any recomommendations?
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Jekyll and Hyde is in LA right now before its Broadway run and the commercials make it look awful. I loved Once but it is not for everyone. I would also recommend Jersey Boys
"I wish the stage were as narrow as the wire of a tightrope dancer, so that no incompetent would dare step upon it." Goethe
Jekyll is very good - set in Gothic, Victorian London... but the music itself is in a pop style, particularly Constantine Maroulis' title roles (a rock sound) and Deborah Cox's Lucy (with a R&B/soul sound). Much more adult, a bit of a darken romance.
I do love NEWSIES and, as WickedOne said, the dancing is terrific. It's very energetic, well staged, and the story is great. JERSEY BOYS is wonderful. Even my husband, who has to be dragged to anything theatrical, loved it. Fascinating story, very honestly told, and classic Four Seasons music. I don't know if you would consider it modern, though. It's not avant-garde. We have tickets to MOTOWN THE MUSICAL (again dragging you-know-who), but I can't say how that will be because it hasn't gone into previews yet. The music will probably be great, though. The cast looks exceptional. People love ONCE, but I found it a snooze with very downbeat music. And no scene changes at all. Fun, it ain't. Oh, and I just bought tickets for PIPPIN. It's a transfer from Boston, so it's pretty certain it's going to do well on Broadway, and this production has been totally revamped from the 70s version and has garnered lots of praise. Have fun in NYC!
Thanks so much for the advice. From those listed, we've also seen Rock of Ages and Jersey Boys. Enjoyed the first. Jersey Boys isn't my style of music so not my favourite. Sounds like Jekyll and Hyde may be ok as we like pop/rock musicals (Rent one of our favourites). Gonna check out Newsies and will look up Pippin too.
Another interesting one is Lucky Guy...but that caught my interest because of Tom Hanks.
macnyc, thanks for the wishes. We LOVE NY and come once every 1-2 years. This trip is for my (milestone) bday.
I agree. Matilda isn't really very girly. I'm a dude and I didn't think that at all when I saw it in London. He'll probably like it. Get the cast recording and listen a time or two before you rule out Matilda.
Awesome. Thanks again. Will check out Matilda and Jekyll and Hyde. Outoftowner, I like the advice...and often will listent to or download songs from itunes before seeing a show.
FireFingers, we actually saw AvenueQ 2 times. Very funny musical.
So I listnend to the music of Jekyll and Hyde....not catchy at all. Not giving up on it, BUT am not jumping on it either as the videos seem kind of neat. Matilda seemed interesting and I the music seems ok, but am not sure my husband would enjoy. Newsies on the other hand is quite catchy and I liked the songs I listened to first time hearing...which means a lot. So will see.
I know this doesn't help much since it closed, but you would've liked Bring It On. There really isn't anything else besides what you've already seen and what has been mentioned.
>>> and the commercials make it look awful. I saw Jekyll & Hyde also. It was fantastic. It's getting great reviews and the audiences love it. There was also a audience rewards discount available if you are a member.
"Speaking of off broadway though, what is Forbidden Broadway like? I've noticed it in past years and it seems like it would be a fun evening."
Forbidden Broadway is great fun, but only if you've seen a whole bunch of the recent B'way shows, since they parody what's currently and recently played. If you have only seen a half dozen (or fewer) recent shows, most of the references will go over your head.
My wife and I saw Matilda in London and loved it, but all things considered, based on your criteria, I would unequivically echo what some others have said and say "Jersey Boys." Without a doubt.
CZJ at opening night party for A Little Night Music, Dec 13, 2009.
Forbidden Broadway sounds like lots of fun. We've seen many musicals over the years, but not living in NY, they wouldn't all be current ones.
I've seen Jersey Boys. It was good, but definitely not on my top 10 list...probably because it's not my kind of music.
We ended up getting tickets for Wicked and Newsies. This will be my 5th time seeing WIcked (but first time in NY) and am excited to see it again. And the music for Newsies is great and sounds like it has lots of energy. So very much lookign forward to both.
If you're here in April, barring any unforeseen circumstances, you'll be seeing Willeminj Verkaik as Elphaba in Wicked. She's wonderful....you'll have a great time.
You might want to go ahead and see Jekyll&Hyde, if only for Teal Wicks. She was a Broadway Elphaba, and she has gotten nothing but wonderful reviews in the 6 months the show has been traveling around. I saw the show and enjoyed it, and plan to see it again in NY.
JBC2, yes...we'll be in NY end of April. That's awesome...look forward to seeing a great cast in Wicked. Thx. Think we'll just leave it at 2 musicals as it does add up (cost wise) and we'll only be there for a couple days. Can't wait.