Seeking Dolly advice

I'm visiting NYC for the first time in many years in July. The 11th thru the 21st.

I want to see a Broadway show with my mom. For a variety of reasons, this might be the last time we see a Broadway show together. A tradition between the two of us that started on my 8th birthday in 1978 when she took me to see The Magic Show. She bestowed a love of theater and NYC on me.

Anyway, I figure Hello Dolly is a good choice. We're going to be there for Bette's return, but that's a bit too rich for my blood. There are plenty of great seats for Bernadette's last week. My question is- do I get a couple of mezz seats now? Or maybe wait till day of and go to TKTS and try my luck and getting cheaper orchestra seats?

The large number of seats made me wonder- and please, I understand people adore Bernadette- IS Hello Dolly with her the show to see? Is she amazing in it? No fanboyz- I know because I'm a LuPone fanboy and could NEVAH give an objective opinion about her!

Thanks, guys!

Updated On: 6/9/18 at 02:07 PM

I think the mezz is fine. Sightlines are good and you can see the whole stage. And with the wonderful production numbers, I love seeing the whole stage. But I'm pretty short and I generally have a problem with orchestra because of that. I usually prefer mezz for musicals (as center and front as possible - but that's probably pretty obvious).

I saw Bette and Bernadette. The Divine Miss M was an icon of my college years (I'm a lot older than you) and I'm glad I saw her. But I thought Bernadette was marvelous in the role. See it with her. And based on this potentially being your last BW trip with your mother, I think - for me - I'd rather have the tickets in hand rather than sweating it out and worrying about it.

Based on my experience with the show, you'll be happy with Bernadette and mezz.

I saw Bernadette Peters last Wednesday at the 8pm performance of “Hello, Dolly!” and thought she was absolutely marvelous. She has wonderful comedic timing and there were times she had the entire audience cracking up. Sure, it takes you “out of the moment” from the show, but it was freaking hilarious. I couldn’t have been happier with this show being among my first-ever Broadway experiences, earlier that day having seen “The Band’s Visit”. I’m seeing Bette Midler in August before the show closes, but I’m really glad I got to see Bernadette.

I also had front row center mezzanine A104 and the view couldn’t have been more perfect. With the exception of a very tiny bit of height from the balcony wall in front of me that blocked the very front of the passerelle, which was really never an issue, I’d pick this seat again in a heartbeat.

I leaned just a tad forward to get this picture of the stage from my seat...

Updated On: 6/9/18 at 03:04 PM

Thanks for all the wonderful advice!!

Quick question! I'm tall, and there is a seat in the Orchestra, on the extreme left side in row K with no seat in front of it. A blessing for me.

Is this a good seat? Will I miss anything? I guess as long as I get to see her at the top of the staircase, its ok.

Should I snag this, or should I just do mezz?

lovebwy said: "Thanks for all the wonderful advice!!

Quick question! I'm tall, and there is a seat in the Orchestra, on the extreme left side in row K with no seat in front of it. A blessing for me.

Is this a good seat? Will I miss anything? I guess as long as I get to see her at the top of the staircase, its ok.

Should I snag this, or should I just do mezz?





I don't recommend the row k orchestra. I sat two rows behind, In row m, and while it's great to see everything so close, you will miss Dolly's entrance at the top of the stairs, and a few other things. You won't miss much, but I wouldn't sit there.

Also, you may want to order your ticket through the Today Tix app. They have the same discount as telecharge, but no ticket fee for Hello Dolly. You'll save nearly 30 dollars that way( for you and your mom).

Yes sir, Dollypop!

Thanks again for all the wonderful advice. I'm so happy to be going to see this with my mom. Can't wait!

Dollipop, I am 2 1/2 years younger than you and, while I do not have the same passion as you do, I love HD. (I have only seen it 15 times or so, which is an amateur compared to you).

I am trying to get to the show one more time, because I am assuming there is a good chance I will not get to see it again on Broadway once this run ends. I can theoretically see it in Tampa in 2019, but I REALLY can't see Betty Buckley in the role, and there is a good chance I will pass on it. I also have HATED the 'summer stock' productons that I have seen sufficiently to avoid them in the future.

Given your total passion for this show, I am curious as to .what are your other favorite musicals and plays are, and how much lower your love of those shows is?



PS -- I probably love Mame and the original Follies as much as you do HD; the problem I have is that I have never seen a production of Follies or a Mame who did not pale next to the originals. I have concluded that the likelihood of ever seeing a truly satisfactory version of either is remote, which is very disappointing.

Updated On: 6/9/18 at 11:05 PM

OP, go for Bernadette. Bette Midler gives an amazing performance, I have heard, but if you want this to be a seminal memory of seeing shows with your mother, I think Bernadette is the better choice. The tickets are cheaper (even for great seats!) and she puts on one of the most nuanced Dolly Levi performances I've yet seen or heard. You will not regret it in the slightest if you choose to see her!

About K23- K25, while it may not look like there is a seat in front of you, the view from those seats is poor, very extreme angle. You will always be aware that you are looking from an angle. And when you miss something that others are laughing at it will be disturbing. Please switch if you can. (Just my opinion, YMMV)

lovebwy said: "Guys, again thank you so much for your great advice. Your enthusiasm has me very, very excited!

Unfortunately, after I posed my seats K 23 and K 25 question, I kept refreshing to see any response. Suddenly, the telecharge site said I had only a minute to complete my transaction, or it would be cancelled. I pulled the trigger on those seats. Of course, I came here later and was horrified by the reviews for those seats.

Are you guys sure there is a seat in front of K 25? Looking at the map, it really looks like there isn't, for some reason. Man, if I have to miss the staircase entrance, I will be bummed.

I wrote an email to telecharge customer service and asked if I could exchange for tickets of equal value, in different seats, for the same date and time. Anyone know if they might accommodate me? I explained to them the map situation, and me thinking there was no seat in front, and not realizing I'd miss the staircase entrance. Kinda mad at myself for this, but oh well.

In any case, I'm very, very psyched to be going. I've been loving Bernadette since I was 7 years old and she was on Carol Burnett. I saw her 5 times in Follies in New York. And then I saw it without her in LA. I have to say, Victoria Clark sang it better, but there was a certain intangible, star power that was missing. I can't really even put my finger on exactly why, but Bernadette was the better Sally. It just worked better with her.

Dollypop, what is it about the show that you love so much? If you can describe it in a few lines, I don't wanna make you write an essay (which I'm sure you could!) What makes Dolly different from other classic musicals for you?"

Any response from Telecharge? If not, you can call them at 212 239-6210. I've exchanged seats several times, and they're usually very nice about it. They'll make you purchase the new tickets, then they'll refund the old ones. Just make sure you know which seats you want instead.

Before I call telecharge, how are the Box seats. The two front seats in the second box (the one further away from the stage) are there. Are those good?