Help us spend our money? :)

Hi, all! I was hoping that you could help us spend our money on our upcoming trip to NYC this weekend. My husband, 19-year-old son, and I are coming from Chicagoland, and will be arriving Saturday morning (8/1) and leaving late Monday night (8/3). We have tickets to see Something Rotten on Saturday night, mainly because my son and I LOVE Christian Borle, and have for years, and neither of us have stopped singing the soundtrack of SR since we discovered it around the time of the Tony Awards.

My husband and I decided to splurge and not wait for the show to come here and miss out on the opportunity to see Christian Borle and Brian D'arcy James (who we also like) live and in person! I've heard that we might get lucky enough to get autographs by the stage door. Has anyone had any luck with that with Christian, especially? My son would probably keel over out of sheer delight. :)

It seems like a shame to see only one show while we are out there, but we are trying to be somewhat mindful of the budget, so we are hoping to get lucky and get some good tickets at the TKTS place. Would you help us out with some recommendations of what to see if we can, and also what else to do on Sunday and Monday?

Some of my son's favorite shows are: Legally Blonde, Shrek the Musical, Newsies, and The Book of Mormon. My husband will be happy with whatever we are happy with. Some of mine are: 1776, The Secret Garden, The Wiz, Wicked, West Side Story, Ragtime, and The King and I. (I know that The King and I is playing, but I've been IN it three times in community theatre productions. Would it be worth seeing it there, or should I take the opportunity to see something else?)

In our non musical-pursuing times-any favorite museums? Restaurants? Favorite food-related things to do? (We are all food-people, and my son is studying to be a food scientist.) Favorite other things to do? We don't have a lot of NYC experience! Thank you so much for your help!

Elizabeth

When I saw Something Rotten earlier this month, Christian Borle, Brian D'Arcy James, Brad Oscar, and Heidi Blickenstaff all came out and signed for everyone waiting. One time does not a pattern make, but I'd imagine you've got a pretty good shot. Helps that you're doing the evening show, not the matinee.

I realize you only mentioned musicals, but if you're open to plays and it fits your budget, highly recommend Curious Incident. It has become pretty popular so I don't think there's discount codes out there, and TKTS availability is not a given.

If you're even a little bit into the music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! actually isn't a bad choice. I went just to fill a spot in a binge trip, and came away pleasantly surprised. Nothing earth-shattering or life-changing, but the music is so catchy. As a bonus, it's basically always on TKTS.

Thank you, bwayphreak234! I've always loved The King and I, so we will certainly keep it near the top of the list! (And what a beautiful and talented Anna!)

E.

Thank you, mufish! We hadn't thought too much about straight plays, but that's something to consider, too! Believe it or not, we've never seen Mama Mia! We actually own the DVD, but haven't gotten around to watching yet! That should be up on our list, too!

if you like book of mormon, you will probably like Hand to God. I would also recommend Curious Incident (a play)

Hand to God, Curious Incident, The King and I, Something Rotten.

I also like Aladdin, Matilda, Kinky Boots, Beautiful, Fun Home

Hi Elizabeth,

My favorite museum without question is the Met. I don't know how interested in it your husband and son will be but they did a fantastic job on the China Through the Looking Glass exhibit and it's on pace to eclipse the recent Alexander McQueen (with an extended run, admittedly) in terms of ticket sales. If you've got some time, pay the suggested price and enjoy!

I was recently at the MOMA and while I'm not a big modern art person they do have an impressive collection.

I think Aladdin and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder have the kind of comedy and irreverence that might appeal to your son but I don't know if he'd like the music in AGGTLAM.

It's a shame Doctor Zhivago is no longer running or I'd suggest that for you. The running time isn't long so if you're up for it, I'd consider standing room for Fun Home. You could also take a chance on Amazing Grace. Get rush tickets to save money. I can't think of anything playing now with the lush score/epic scope that I think would appeal to you.

What do you like to eat? Any dietary restrictions? I don't know where you're staying but I'd try to avoid having meals around the theatre district if you're trying to save money. Come downtown! We have Chinese food, French, Spanish, Thai...

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy your trip. :)

Also, if you like classic showtunes and are willing to go along for a crazy, irreverent but fun time, I'd highly recommend Mrs. Smith's Broadway Cat-Tacular.

The hottest show is of course Hamilton. You can try the lottery for 10.00 or splurge on the cancellation line. Other shows I would recommend are Fun Home and Curious Incident. My current favorite is It Shoulda Been You. It is such a good show, but it didn't catch on. It stars Tyne Daly and alot of wonderful Broadway people. It is closing Aug 9th so this would be your only chance to see it. Hope this helps.

I definitely will join those who are suggesting you try FUN HOME. With the $30 standing room tickets, it is easily the best deal on Broadway and also the fact the show is under two hours makes it more bearable to stand during. I guess now it is a matter of determining if you and your family would enjoy it, but if you are willing to get up early to get the tickets at the box office, I saw consider that as an option.

I am part of the group that really enjoyed Something Rotten and found it to be a fun evening and by the sound of how you and your son seem to love the cast and the recording, you made a great choice there!

I do highly recommend Hand to God if you are going to go the route of seeing a play.

On the Town will more than likely be closing soon (although that seems to be what everyone has been thinking for months now). I really enjoyed the production more than I have other productions of that show in the past. The show's book does show its age but I feel the cast and John Rando did the best to make it move well enough and then, of course, that great score comes in to save the day...and you can see it for a reasonable price too.

Wow! So many great theatre suggestions! Thank you! I'll try to respond individually in a little bit!

Okay, help a poor Midwestern girl out... Food-wise, and New York geography-wise, where is "downtown", VintageSnarker? Theatre District restaurants are more expensive, I take it? We are staying at the City Club Hotel, which is also near the Theatre District/Times Square area, so should we not eat in that area?. Why will life be easier eating on the west side, Mike Costa? Sorry for the newbie New York questions!

"Okay, help a poor Midwestern girl out... Food-wise, and New York geography-wise, where is "downtown", VintageSnarker? Theatre District restaurants are more expensive, I take it?"

To me you're more or less safe below Koreatown but there are obviously expensive places and cheaper places spread out all across the city. You can find a good $20/person or under sushi place almost anywhere. Just check yelp first to make sure no one's been getting food poisoning. If you like your seafood cooked, I like the paella at Spain Restaurant on 14th St. If you just wander around Chinatown you'll be able to find a ton of places with good, affordable, and filling food. They might not be the most glamorous though. Just don't go to Little Italy. You might as well stay uptown.

Times Square is full of touristy restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood or chain restaurants. They're okay, but you can certainly do better away price and quality wise. 9th Ave, which is only 2 blocks out of the theater district has some good places. If you just want a casual meal, I like the Westway Diner between 43rd & 44th on 9th. I forget what else there is. But, you can find all sorts of good food over there.