Broadway newbie

[lavieboheme4]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 9:13am

Hey,
I am from Germany and it's my first time on Broadway in the end of may. It would be great if u could help me with some questions:

1. I NEED to see kristen chenoweth and catherine zeta-jones. do they normally play all 8 shows the week (except illness, vacation...)?
2. my bf doesnt want to spend a lot of money . would u buy balcony seats for "a little night music" now or wait and hope that we will get better tickets at the tkts booth (end of may)?
3. any suggestions whether to buy promises promises tickets now or wait?

i hope you can help me, i cant wait to see lovely nyc,

many greetings from snowy germany

Posted: 3/6/10 at 9:35am

If you come to town to see a show, don't come without getting tickets ahead of time. You never know what might be happening in May.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 9:43am

I agree with Joe...if there specific shows you want to see...don't risk them being available when you get here. THere are some discounts floating around for Promises.

CZJ attendance record has been excellent except for scheduled time off.

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 10:31am

I'll echo what the other have said and in response to your specific questions:

-- yes, barring illness or scheduled vacation, Kristin and CZJ play all eight performances per week. As your trip is in the middle of the Tony voting period, I'd expect they would both be in.

-- I would buy tickets now. As was noted, there is a discount already floating around for "Promises, Promises" and if the show opens well, they may discontinue it or make it a lesser discount. So might as well grab it now. As for "...Night Music", take what you can get now because the show hasn't really been discounting and as they get closer to the end of CZJ and Angela's contract, the possibility of a discount(let alone TKTS) will grow dimmer and dimmer.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 7:14pm

I think definitely check broadwaybox.com for discounts for promises and night music. and you have a better chance of seeing a star on a 1-show day.

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 7:23pm

Willkommen nach New York.

Ich spreche ein bischen Deutsch. Ich habe in Stuttgart für zwei Jahre gelebt.

Okay, enough of the German, I don't wish to sound pretentious. I suggest trying to use the discount codes and purchasing the best seats you can afford. Broadway is so much better seen from an orchestra center seat. I think you'll love New York, all my German friends do.

[karen24]

Posted: 3/6/10 at 10:42pm

Just in case you're not familiar with the discount codes people are mentioning above, these are available at several Web sites--you get the code and then are directed to (usually) Telecharge, where you enter the code and can get reduced-price seats. Two of the ones I use most frequently are Broadwaybox.com and Playbill.com (you have to register at Playbill, but it's free.) Not all shows have discount codes available, but a lot of them do. It's definitely worth checking out, and I have never had any problem with the sites--they're very safe. I would also agree that you should look for codes there first, and if you can't find any discounts for Promises or Night Music, you should still get the tickets ahead of time if you have your heart set on seeing those shows.
Have a great time in New York!

[lavieboheme4]

Posted: 3/7/10 at 4:51am

@ scott: your german is brilliant :). i am from stuttgart too :).

thank you so much for your help. i haven't found any discount codes for night music and promises (may 24-30) on broadwaybox so far. does anyone know a code for that period?
any experiences with the balcony in the walter kerr theater?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/7/10 at 5:14am

i was in the balcony at the Walter Kerr. It's small, it's high. LOTS of folks here will tell you they'd never sit there again. I probably wouldn't...but you can't beat the price. I felt I could SEE and HEAR fine but cannot imagine sitting in anything but the first row (There aren't many rows) since the 2nd row is quite steep compared to the first. It's just uncomfortable to be up there.

It is probably too soon to find discount codes for 'big' shows for late May. Ones that covered April were just released recently...I wouldn' expect May tix discounts to be released (IF they are) until Mid April. (Often near the time the current ones expire.) You just need to keep checking back. To the best of my knowledge, the only time there were discounts for Night Music was for the week that CZJ was on vacation. (And I seem to remember they were on TDF/TKTS -- NOT with a regular code....but I could be waaay off.)

Hope you love your visit. NYC is my favorite place to be.

[binau]

Posted: 3/7/10 at 5:16am

If there is no discount code yet from April e.g. WSS, can we still expect one?

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 3/7/10 at 10:24am

doch.

I'd type in German, but I fear it would be considered rude to the mostly English speaking readers.

The code for Promises Promises is through 16 May: PPDMX212 www.broadwayoffers.com

There are none for Eine Wenig Nachtmusik (oops)

If you wait, there probably will be in a week or two, but you risk the chance of not getting as good seats. Your call. Truth be told, I would see if you can get your partner to be willing to invest a little more in your Broadway outings. Good seats really do make a big difference. (My opinion)

I MISS STUTTGART. Bring me a Butterbrezel, bitte! (I'm only kidding, but I miss so much from my time in Germany)

Tschüss

[twosense]

Posted: 3/18/10 at 3:32pm

I saw A Little Night Music and loved it. And I also got my tickets on Broadwaybox. Definitely recommend them and use them often.

Haven't seen Promises, Promises yet but it is definitely up there on my list. I love Kristin Chenowith and was sooooooooo lucky to have seen her in Wicked. I think she truly deserves all the fame that is coming her way now.

Hope you have a great time in New York!

[lavieboheme2]

Posted: 4/19/10 at 4:53pm

thank you guys. you are so nice helping me. if all the guys over there are so nice, i can't wait to come :). i decided to watch the following shows. do u think that's a good mix? or would you recommend anything else(my musical taste is very wide. i am open to lots of musical styles)?

- a little night music (tickets already bought)
- promises, promises
- hair
- next to normal
- avenue q (off-broadway)

many greetings from volcanic ashes struck germany

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 4/19/10 at 8:41pm

That's a great mix. I would highly recommend LA CAGE AUX FOLLES in place of AVENUE Q, however.

Have a great time when you get here and enjoy those shows!!
Updated On: 4/19/10 at 08:41 PM

[chiuptown]

Posted: 4/20/10 at 7:16am

lavie i'm in the same fix, waiting for promises discount for end of may, and day to day thinking i should just splurge rather than miss it. i haven't checked playbill however, and will today. i got a discount ticket to everyday rapture, cant wait! i will see hair as a walk up and maybe la cage too. have fun!

[musikman]

Posted: 4/20/10 at 10:48am

Scott Briefer:

Isn't it eine kleine Nachtmusik?

[lavieboheme2]

Posted: 4/20/10 at 4:21pm

yes, it's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik".

are there any differences between the broadway and off-broadway show of avenue q?

[abitoftap]

Posted: 4/20/10 at 4:33pm

As a UK Broadway visitor (depending on the money!), I'd recommend In The Heights...great tunes, dancing, feel good, modern...

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 4/20/10 at 4:43pm

I believe it is extremely similar. The set isn't quite as high, but still has all of the elements it did on Broadway. There is the same number of people in the cast. Something kind of cool--on Broadway, there were about 17 crew members (one dedicated exclusively to puppets) and now there are as few as 3 running the show from backstage. It's amazing how these people can do it all just as smoothly as on the Broadway show. Other than those slight differences, I don't believe there are any others.

If you haven't seen it yet, I would definitely recommend it. I also saw La Cage in London and would highly recommend it. Tough call! See them both! See them all!