I would definitely see SOUTH PACIFIC. Even though Paul is out at the moment, the replacement is great and the rest of the cast is just incredible as well. You shouldn't miss it.
Also, I would say Gypsy, In the Heights, Billy Elliot, Avenue Q. (in that order)
I'll be there around the same time as you (Jan 30 - Feb 5) and this my schedule: Pal Joey, A Final Night with George W. Bush, Jersey Boys, South Pacific, The Story Of My Life, Mamma Mia, South Pacific, In The Heights and possibly Shrek or a Guys & Dolls preview.
I hope this gives you some ideas. :) Just waiting for tickets to go on sale for some of these shows.
I did the ticket lottery for In the Heights, and won (!!), so I would recommend trying that. Also, I used a code someone posted here on the boards for Gypsy, and I got two second row seats for $50 each. They were better than the first row student rush seats that are $27, and I didn't have to wait in line!
JERSEY BOYS is very difficult to get tickets to...SHREK is, I hear, mediocre at best..., check out GUYS & DOLLS if you can (it hasn't started performances but it's a classic musical).
SOUTH PACIFIC is fantastic but I've heard many people complain it is too slow (which I can't say theyre 100% wrong about...it does drag at points).
Have an amazing time no matter what you decide to see! There's a lot on Broadway right now that is worth running out to get tickets to, despite all the closings and cancellations of upcoming shows.
South Pacific is long, but I have to say, when I saw it, the show FLEW by. The actos really wrap you into the story and you don't realize how long it is. At least that is what happened with me. Even if you feel it drags a bit, it is still a MUST-SEE.
Yes, do check out off-broadway as well. HOME at the Signature recently received raves and at $20 a ticket, that's a bargain. I also caught WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN at Red Bull which was a raucous, well-acted black comic treat.
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
South Pacific. Enjoy. If you can get in earlier I would also suggest: Spring Awakening, Gypsy and Hairspray. Sad that all these fantastic shows are closing.
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali