If You Could Only See One More Broadway Show...

[Robert Taylor]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 11:04pm

This weekend when I come up to New York City it will be very special and quite sad for me as it will be the last time I will be able to grace the fair city for at least two years. In a month's time I'll be packing up and shipping off from Ohio cross country to California to attend graduate school, and any trips I make back east while at school will be short, sweet and located only in Ohio.

Besides saying an indefinite goodbye to the two best friends any person could ever ask for (and eight to ten other great friends who live in NYC), I'll also be saying "goodbye" to Broadway, something I've fallen deeply in love with over the past three years.

So the question comes up...what should be the last Broadway show I see? Something that will remain with me until I can return years from now...should I go with a classic and revisit "South Pacific," closing my eyes and being swept away by the epic overture once more? Or what about "Billy Elliot" or "Next to Normal," which are quickly becoming favorites of mine? And then there is perhaps "Hair"...

Ah well, you guys can't make that decision for me...and I'll be sure to let you know what my final decision is...

But it got me wondering. If you knew you would never see a Broadway show again and had to pick one show to cap it all off, what would it be? Why? I'm talking shows that are open now.

And, maybe for fun, in addition to one open now, what about one that has been closed?
Updated On: 6/22/09 at 11:04 PM

[Rudy2]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 11:08pm

It's easy for me because Angela Lansbury is my eminent living hero, so "Blithe Spirit" would be my choice of shows currently in production.

[Madcap Maisie]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 11:10pm

For me it would be N2N

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 11:11pm

I would have to go with Next To Normal, as it moves me soo much and I would want to experience those visceral performances again....

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 11:34pm

HAIR.

Joyful, moving, and important. The cast is fantastic, the direction is incredible, and the experience is really something to cherish. Definitely HAIR.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:06am

Well, WICKED or Next to Normal for me. It might wind up being Next to Normal though since there is a bigger chance of catching WICKED on tour.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:07am

I think it would be Billy Elliot because it is the closest to my heart.

[lull89]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:13am

Probably of the currently running shows, it would be the beautiful and heartfelt production of Waiting for Godot, since it's pretty much about life itself, and would leave me with a lot to ponder on as I moved on with my life away from the theatre district.

Of shows that have closed, right off the top of my head I want to say [tos], since it's a nice reminder of what my priorities should be in the future, and it's damn hilarious.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:16am

After seeing almost everything currently playing, I would say HAIR would be a nice farewell to Broadway (until we meet again).

[broadwaygirl99]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:16am

That's really hard. I have emotional attachments to many shows.

Beauty and the Beast was closest to my heart for a while but I have current obsessions like Billy Elliot, Tale of Two Cities, Spamalot and I know you are going to kill me but Good Vibrations.

I guess it would be Billy Elliot though cause I would really see that with any cast, the others need specfic people in it to make it that much more spectacular.

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:28am

South Pacific. The score alone would probably make you cry.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:37am

definitely Hair for me. i mean your last memory of broadway for a while is being on a broadway stage? after seeing one of the most amazing productions going on right now? come on. can't beat the love in that.

[[tos]fan999]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:41am

I would go with HAIR.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 1:31am

You are going to be away for a while. Don't go with something that's a hit NOW. Go with something that's a hit always. A.K.A. South Pacific.

[Just_John]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 2:13am

If I would never see oen again I would revisit Avenue Q. But if you're just not going to see one for two years I would suggest Blithe Spirit.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 3:06am

Quite the dilemma indeed. While I Love Gerb's reasoning for Hair...experiencing it on stage....it will be going on tour soon as will several other shows.

So....I would go with N2N as you have the lowest chance of getting that away from Manhattan.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 4:26am

Ugh, that's so hard for me to imagine being away from Broadway for that long. I wish you the best of luck though!

I'd probably go with Hair or Billy Elliot. Maybe In the Heights.

For shows that have closed, definitely Patti LuPone Gypsy - if only I could relive being at that last performance again.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 5:38am

My opinion is kind of divided. I'll go ahead and say South Pacific. I'm not at all sure of the current cast, but the way you describe the feeling of being overtaken by the orchestra at the beginning is actually the reason. South Pacific is just such a classic and the current revival is so very strong. Sitting there in the Vivian Beaumount, from the first note to the final bow I was utterly transfixed by this gem of a production. Each song holds its own place in the pantheon of great musical theater songs and it is in many ways just this perfect, still relevant musical.

On the other hand, a big part of me wants to suggest West Side Story. As divided as the response to this show is, I think it would do for you what no other production can do. The current revival is a classic show (obviously), but done in a completely original way. Because of this, you would essentially kill two birds with one stone, seeing one of the classics and an original musical all in one. Not to mention the score, much like South Pacific, is simply phenomenal and given such a new spin in this production.

As for past show, my suggestion is actually possible. I would go to Lincoln Center (if you take my first bit of advice, you could make it an all-day adventure) and watch the Original Touring Production of Sondheim's 'Company'. The quality isn't perfect, but it is a moment captured of this truly fantastic show. Especially because you are leaving New York, I think it is an appropriate musical to end on. Not only does it depict so many aspects of New York, but in Robert's choice to leave his friends and not show up for his birthday celebration, "Being Alive" could easily reflect your need to now move on to this new stage in life (graduate school) and leave those you love so much behind.

I hope this helps you. It really is an interesting discussion and I wish you the best of luck.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 8:08am

Robert Taylor -- with so very many diliking WSS I would not chance seeing it as your swan song. And that, too, will tour (I can't imagine it wont -- although I don't remember it being announced)

Of course, only you can truly answer that question and I suppose it comes to this:

Is there a show that was high on your desire list that you didn't get to? If not, what is the show you willmiss the most and have the least possibility of seeing again?

[Weez]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 8:19am

If it were me... I was leaning towards Hair, because it would make sense to go with a revival of a classic rather than risk a new, unknown quantity, but I've still not seen In the Heights, and I'd really like to.

Hell, does it strictly have to be Broadway? Can I go for Twelfth Night? :3

My last Broadway show at this current time is 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Which is as good a show as any. If I were choosing a West End show, it'd either be La Cage aux Folles or War Horse.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 8:30am

I love N2N, but if I were in your situation, I would choose Billy Elliot. BE is fully more epic- encompassing a wide range of experience and wonder.

[jagfkb]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 9:13am

Currently running? Definately Mary Poppins, as I make it a habit to see it once a year. Not many people would agree with this, but I do feel it's one of the best on Broadway.

Not running? Either Beauty & the Beast (It was my first aswell, so it sort of completes the cylce) or The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a show I've made a lifetime goal to see atleast once.

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 9:15am

Although In The Heights and Hair are my favorite shows I would go to see Hair.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 9:26am

I'm going to agree with lull89 and see Waiting for Godot. It's uplifting and heartbreaking.

[kristinchenofan570]

Posted: 6/23/09 at 12:10pm

I would see N2N or Wicked. You can't go wrong with either one of those, but if you've already seen one of the two, see the one you havent seen yet!