Memorial Day Trip - 5th show?

[Oak2]

Posted: 5/2/17 at 11:41am

Howdy, y'all. You were of great help to me when deciding what shows to see in first Broadway trip back over Labor Day weekend, so I was wondering if you could help with this one. I'm planning on taking another trip over Memorial Day weekend, and plan to see 5 shows. One of these slots is already filled with an already bought ticket to Hello, Dolly!. I'm planning to rush Groundhog Day and Great Comet as well, since they're nominated for Best Musical. So that leaves 2 more slots open.

I'd like to see Dear Evan Hansen, but it looks like it's already sold out, and the only chance of seeing that would be lottery - and I prefer to rush or use TKTS if I can for budget. Come From Away I don't necessarily need to see because I saw it already when it was at Ford's Theatre, though I loved it immensely so wouldn't mind seeing it again if there's nothing else that would be worth a view. And then as for the other Best Revival noms, I see Falsettos isn't showing anymore while I saw Miss Saigon in that one movie theater telecast of the West End production, and it sounds like Broadway is the same cast/production, so I don't think I need to see that again.

So with that, what 2 shows should I put as priority to try to see, especially before the Tony's? IF I do manage to win a lottery ticket to Dear Evan Hansen I'll of course see that so I'll have already seen all the major Tony noms (minus Falsettos, which can't be helped), but I'd like the other two shows to be strong ones as well that might have a chance of winning in other categories. Any advice? I apologize if this was long-winded, I'm autistic and bad at keeping my thoughts concise. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 5/2/17 at 11:48am

My current top recommendations are The Great Comet (immersive and spectacular), The Play That Goes Wrong (the hardest I've ever laughed in a theatre), and Miss Saigon (a beautiful classic). All totally different genres, but all fabulous productions!

[bear88]

Posted: 5/2/17 at 11:49am

It may not work going forward, especially on a holiday weekend, but Dear Evan Hansen has released a few tickets on Telecharge four days before the show. I would start on Sunday and keep checking the site. Early- to mid-afternoon seems to be the best opportunity.

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 4:31pm

Sunset Boulevard

[canadian fan]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 4:44pm

Dollhouse Part 2 is getting lots of great reviews on here. I second The Play that Goes Wrong. But you have to enjoy that type of humour.  Bandstand might be another option if you want to stick with musicals.

[little_sally]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 4:48pm

My favorite two shows currently running are Great Comet and A Doll's House, Part 2, and I wholeheartedly recommend both.

[Oak2]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 5:23pm

Thank you for all of your responses and advice!. Just to clarify, I'm already planning on seeing "Great Comet", along with "Groundhog Day" and "Hello Dolly" - and I'm not currently planning on seeing "Miss Saigon" or "Come From Away" because I've already seen them with their current casts. It's 2 other shows that I'd like to try to see (only 1 if I strike it lucky and manage to get into a showing of Dear Evan Hansen).

I do mostly prefer musicals to plays, but I will look up The Play That Goes Wrong and "A Doll's House." If it's Part 2, would I be at a disadvantage if I did not see Part 1?

As for musicals, Bandstand and War Paint both sound like appealing choices so far. Bandstand sounds like it appeals to me in terms of theme and music, and War Paint I'm considering looking into since it features 2 of the Best Leading Actress nominees (And as I only got into musicals last year, I've never seen either Ebersole or LuPone perform before).  Is War Paint worth checking out?

Sunset Boulevard is also tempting, though I heard it's just more of a concert. And while I do like ALW, I'm not a big fan of most of the music in that one - it's just not my taste. I may still consider going if Close's performance is really enough of a powerhouse to be worth seeing despite not really digging the score.

 

Updated On: 5/3/17 at 05:23 PM

[theater_tech]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 5:28pm

If you see "War Paint" just for LuPone and Ebersole, you will get your money's worth. It's a completely fine show (score and story-wise), just don't go in there hoping to be blown away. Definitely see it for those two legendary ladies, especially if you've never seen them perform before.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 5:30pm

A Doll's House, Part 2 works just fine without ever having seen the original Ibsen play. Reading a Wiki summary wouldn't hurt, but everything is well-explained, and the two are tonally very different anyway. I recommend it too- my favorite play of the season, and Laurie Metcalf is perfect in it. 

[little_sally]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 5:36pm

I agreed with wonderfulwizard11. No need to have any knowledge of the Ibsen original. Part 2 stands on its own. I guess you could just read the very detailed Wiki synopsis though before you go.

[Cfried]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 5:47pm

"As for musicals, Bandstand and War Paint both sound like appealing choices so far. Bandstand sounds like it appeals to me in terms of theme and music, and War Paint I'm considering looking into since it features 2 of the Best Leading Actress nominees (And as I only got into musicals last year, I've never seen either Ebersole or LuPone perform before).  Is War Paint worth checking out?"

Bandstand is a really beautiful production and I'd absolutely recommend it. 


 

[@z5]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 7:12pm

Definitely Sunset Boulevard!!!! So amazing with Glenn Close. War Paint was also very good- interesting story that isn't very known to the general public, and some great performances, too.

I'd personally totally skip The  Play That Goes Wrong, money can be spent on other better shows instead. 

DOnt need to know much about Dolls House before seeing it (and it is an easy $30 rush)- short and good show.

 

[chernjam]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 7:16pm

Having seen this production of Sunset Boulevard twice (and the original 9 times) I can dismiss that it's not just a concert.  And in fact, this production is directed in a way that is far more moving than the original - and musically, with a 40 piece orchestra on stage, the largest on broadway in over 80 years - with Glenn Close and an amazing cast - this is really a once in a lifetime theatrical experience (and with tickets available on TKTS you don't have to shell out the $299 top premium price).

[Zimmy]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 7:23pm

See Sunset. You would be remiss to not do so. It is NOT just a concert. Lotto is $55 and Rush around $45 I think.

i would also recommend The Play that Goes Wrong, if you like slapstick fun. Rush is only $30

Though I hope you can somehow get into DEH. It is worth the ticket price.

[pupscotch]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 7:34pm

Have you considered doing SRO for Dear Evan Hansen? You'd have to line up very early, but if you were already planning on rushing a show it could be a good option, especially for a two show day in which you have available slots.

[josh147]

Posted: 5/3/17 at 10:35pm

One other option - Sweeney Todd off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre... what a great production, and Carolee Carmello as Mrs. Lovett is especially worth it. I'd suggest, though, staying away from the "rush/lottery" tickets there. They're in the second row of the upper deck of a small theatre, and I think you'd miss a decent amount of the immersion. Worth the full price of the ticket, though!

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 10:06am

Oak2 said: "...War Paint I'm considering looking into since it features 2 of the Best Leading Actress nominees (And as I only got into musicals last year, I've never seen either Ebersole or LuPone perform before).  Is War Paint worth checking out?"

I had exactly the same reason for seeing War Paint (I'd never seen LuPone or Ebersole live), and then I regretted doing so. Both ladies are powerhouses, but I thought the story was weak and the score forgettable. Also, the set, which seemed clever at first, was a one-trick pony that became redundant after a while.

Oak2 said: "Sunset Boulevard is also tempting, though I heard it's just more of a concert. And while I do like ALW, I'm not a big fan of most of the music in that one - it's just not my taste. I may still consider going if Close's performance is really enough of a powerhouse to be worth seeing despite not really digging the score."

Sunset is one of my favorite ALW scores and I've seen this revival three times. It is NOT a concert production.

Updated On: 5/11/17 at 10:06 AM

[Oak2]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:04am

Thank you for updating me on the facts re: Sunset. Glad to hear I was misinformed in that regard. However, I'm still up in the air regarding it since, as I had said before, I personally don't like the score to it. A lot of it has to do with my own mental disabilities and attention span issues - the majority of the songs in that go too slow for me, so unless something completely breathtaking is happening on stage, the music WILL put me to sleep. I can not keep focused during slow music - it's just physically impossible for me. It's fine when it's just one song or so in the performance, but when I listened to a cast recording of Sunset most of it was like that for me. I just can't do sweeping orchestral stuff. Again, that's not anything that's the show's fault, and I know objectively the show is great. It's just not something that I personally will probably be able to handle, which is why I'm unsure about spending a slot on it. Again, the only difference would be if there's enough of a strong visual stimulus to be able to offset the lack of audio stimulus during most of it.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 12:04pm

There is enough visual stimuli in Sunset, I agree, Sunset you can't miss.

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 12:17pm

Oak2 said: "... A lot of it has to do with my own mental disabilities and attention span issues - the majority of the songs in that go too slow for me, so unless something completely breathtaking is happening on stage, the music WILL put me to sleep. I can not keep focused during slow music - it's just physically impossible for me."

Based on this personal detail - and it pains me to say so - Sunset may not be the show for you. The score does vary in tone and tempo, and there are certainly quite a few upbeat (and even comedic) ensemble numbers with corresponding onstage action, but this is not a "spectacle" in the manner of the original Broadway production from the 90s. The industrial set is designed to evoke a movie studio sound stage and remains fixed throughout the entire show (only small pieces are rolled on and off as appropriate, e.g., a sofa, a desk, etc.); there is no floating mansion as there was in the original. If you require dazzle and bling, proceed with caution.

Also based on the above, you should probably avoid War Paint. To me, the score idled along at the same energy level for long stretches and the visual design quickly became repetitious. The score of Sunset is far more dynamic than War Paint.

Updated On: 5/11/17 at 12:17 PM

[Oak2]

Posted: 5/8/17 at 2:21pm

Sorry it took me so long to reply, I've been pretty busy. Thank you for your honest advice, Lot666. I think I will take that advice on War Paint as well. Upon further review and reflection, I think I made the mistake of letting Tony nominations make decisions for me rather than my own taste - I have to decide for myself, it's my time and money, so what's more important to spend it on - making sure I see everything that's nominated in awards season, or seeing stuff that I'm more likely to enjoy? Based on what youv'e said, I think I probalby won't go for War Paint or Sunset.

However, I'm also thinking I probably won't try for DEH either, because upon further review of that, I'm not sure if I'd personally enjoy it either. A lot of the advertising I see seems to compare it to or talk about how it shares creative personnel with RENT and NEXT TO NORMAL - both of which I hated, so that's not a good sign for me personally. Though beyond that, I'm also thinking of this - based on how hard it is to get a ticket/how well it's selling out, it's reasonable to asusme that DEH will still be on Broadway the next time I visit in a year or two, correct? So perhaps I should put greater focus on shows that WON'T be here the next time I visit Broadway. That's partially why I put priority to seeing Matilda, Fun Home, and The Color Purple the last time I visited over Labor Day Weekend, and I'm glad I saw those shows - loved all 3. (I also saw Aladdin, School of Rock, and Waitress as well in that trip, all of which I also loved/enjoyed at worst, but they're of course still around. Of the 6 I saw in that trip, Id have to say Aladdin was the weakest, while my biggest enjoyment overall was probably Matilda.)

I'm still going to aim for GROUNDHOG DAY and GREAT COMET, as well as my already-bought ticket to HELLO DOLLY. The other 2 slots are still up in the air. I'm considering BANDSTAND now - is that any good, despite not really getting nominations? I suppose I might consider Off-Broadway or Plays as well for the 5th slot. I will consider BroadwayConcierge's suggestion of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. I'll think about SWEENEY TODD as well - I'm personally not a big fan of Sondheim overall, but Sweeney is one of his shows I actually like. (ASSASSINS and A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM  probably my favorite of his that he did both music and lyrics for.)

[bear88]

Posted: 5/8/17 at 2:43pm

Based on your self-description, I think you have a good lineup of shows. Great Comet has its fans and detractors (I loved it), and it certainly doesn't lack for visual stimulation. It's a unique experience, whether you like it or not. (I am a firm believer in reading the short excerpt of War and Peace on which the novel is based beforehand, or at least a summary, so you can just enjoy the show.)

Dear Evan Hansen won't close anytime soon. The best argument for trying to see it now, perhaps using the 'four-day trick' I mentioned above, is to see Platt and the original cast.

But if that doesn't pan out, or you decide against seeing it, it seems like Bandstand wouldn't be a bad choice for you. I didn't see it on my recent trip, but a lot of people praised the leads and it's got plenty of dance.