Upcoming Trip - Suggestions Needed

[mufish]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 10:05pm

Hello everyone! Long time reader, first time poster. Treating myself to a NYC trip in a little over a week, 6/20 to 6/25. Don't get to the city often, so I'm looking to see as many shows as I can while I'm in town. I've got a few shows that I definitely want to see, but I've got a few spots where I'm looking for some thoughts from the board as well as some suggestions about which shows I should buy tickets for in advance. Here's what I have in mind:

6/20: Realistic Joneses

Don't judge! I'm a fan of Michael C. Hall and would like to see him on stage rather than on screen. Also, TKTS will be easy enough for this one.

6/21: Gentleman's Guide and All the Way or Beautiful

Beautiful I'll likely buy in advance, but I'm not sure about GG or ATW. Will their TONY wins make buying ahead a smarter idea?

6/22: All the Way or Beautiful and one of Motown/Book of Mormon/Hedwig

Hedwig certainly isn't a realistic option and Mormon probably isn't that much more realistic, and either would have to be bought in advance. Motown can probably be had on TKTS, no?

6/23: One of Phantom of the Opera/Holler if Ya Hear Me/Rock of Ages

Saw RoA right after it opened when I lived in NJ so that's the last option, but I'm having a hard time deciding between the other two, though I realize the condition of Holler is well documented around here...regardless, because there are few shows on Monday, might TKTS be difficult for the two besides Holler?

6/24: Looking for suggestions for this slot. The candidates are Casa Valentina, Les Miserables, Of Mice and Men, and If/Then.

I'm late to the Broadway party so the list of shows I've seen is short. The only shows I've seen on Broadway are Rock of Ages, Spiderman, Newsies, The Glass Menagerie, and Pippin. Locally, I take what I can get which is the occasional non-equity tour - I've seen Godspell, Addams Family, and American Idiot. That probably doesn't help you much in identifying my taste and it's sort of apples to oranges, but I try to be open minded with what I see.

Also, wondering about Mothers and Sons - seems to be mixed reaction to it. I know it's closing 6/22, but might it be worth working in over the weekend? I'd just move whatever it replaces to Tuesday, making my last question moot.

Any input is much appreciated!

[haterobics]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 10:17pm

Some thoughts:
- Rush for Joneses was pretty easy for a while, and cheaper than TKTS, so I'd look into that.
- GG vs ATW, both weren't very difficult before their Tony nominations, but I'd check now and see. GG has become rather difficult, I know, but I haven't tracked ATW.
- Hedwig and Mormon both have standing room/lotteries? I'd say as a worst case scenario, play the lottery for one and THEN go to TKTS.
- If you like Tupac, then I guess go for it? But try harder to find something. Here Lies Love does Mondays?
- Your last day is all over the place as far as musical/plays and content. I'd say book late based on your mood that day, as well as what you saw already. If you saw more musicals, catch a play, or vice versa...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 10:21pm

Unlikely that you will be able to get tickets for either Mormon OR Hedwig without paying a large amount of money. (300 Plus) Unless you are willing to try rush/lottery/sro.

Yes, GG and Beautiful will be more difficult to get tickets for, but not impossible if you purchase in advance. I've seen both within the last week and would suggest GG. Beautiful has lovely production values and lots of talent, but the book is very week. I loved everything about GG -- the wit, the plot, the score, the lyrics. Its not the perfect musical, but I found it utterly delightful and the best show of the year.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 10:27pm

Mothers and Sons - seems to be mixed reaction to it. I know it's closing 6/22, but might it be worth working in over the weekend?

Tyne Daly is always worth seeing.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 6/10/14 at 10:47pm

Work in All The Way if you can. Masterful performance by Cranston about an incredibly important time in our history. It's almost always on TKTS though rarely for 50%, usually 40% but tonight was 30% so hard to say.

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 12:10am

I second getting a ticket for Here Lies Love. It is not too be missed

I'd also recommend Casa Valentina

It seems Book Of Mormon is always on tour and will be for the foreseeable future, maybe find out when it will be playing near where you live (if that's doable)

[gleek4114]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 1:57am

Also if your a fan and don't mind going off broadway Heathers is fun and enjoyable. They perform on Mondays.

[nicnyc]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 2:24am

I loved The Realistic Joneses - it was my fav play of the season and Michael C. Hall is wonderful in it (as is the rest of the cast) so I wouldn't let anyone judge or dissuade you. I'd also recommend the Les Mis revival (I think it may be the best version of the show - the Valjean is very interesting, Will Swenson is great as Javert and the Enjolras is unbelievable - his voice is so powerful and perfect for this role) over If/Then. Idina is wonderful but If/Then itself is very uneven and there was much of it I did not enjoy...

[mufish]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 9:10pm

Thanks for all the great feedback!

I should clarify that I plan on definitely doing all three of Gentleman's Guide, All the Way, and Beautiful. The way I wrote it out wasn't totally clear. In fact, All the Way is a driving force behind when I decided to make this trip - that, and work is going to be crazy for me in July and August. I'll probably splurge on the ticket for one of the shows, and All the Way might be the one.

Will look into rush for Realistic Joneses, and maybe a couple of the others - depending on the show, sounds like it might not only be cheaper to rush vs. TKTS, but less of a pain (I've had the "experience" of waiting in the TKTS line, not opposed to never doing that again). I hadn't really thought of going Off Broadway on Sunday night, so I'll definitely look into Here Lies Love, Heathers, and maybe a couple others. I'll also keep an eye on the rush report and TodayTix to get an idea of what I might be able to hold off on buying.

The good thing about Book of Mormon is the tour is coming to three different cities here in Wisconsin, and the dates are fairly spread out so I think that's my best option. If that doesn't work out, it'll probably still be on Broadway next time I'm able to get out there.

Probably going to heed the advice of choosing Tuesday's show based on my mood that day, seems like none of my options require advance purchase. Otherwise, maybe Shakespeare in the Park if I can win the lottery? Not sure which part of Central Park the theater is in, but I'm guessing it's easy to get there via the subway from Midtown? Is it walkable, at least before the show? Maybe I've seen too much Law & Order, but I'd absolutely avoid cutting through the park afterwards.

Thanks again, really appreciate the insight!

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 9:18pm

The Delacorte is a pretty long walk from midtown...I've done it, but I walk a lot in the city and pretty much every day. It's a relatively short subway ride, you can take the C from Times Square to 81st (or the 1 train to 79th, but that is a couple of blocks west of the park).. You'll have to go a bit into the park once you get there, but there are signs outside the park entrance that's closest to the Delacorte. Walking out of the park toward the west side is completely fine afterwards, there are tons of people who are also leaving, and it's pretty close to the edge of the park.

[haterobics]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 9:41pm

In case the previous post wasn't clear, the C train is directly on the park, and the 1 is a few blocks in.

I know people frown on this, but if you're visiting from out of town and don't want to waste a ton of time, there are a bunch of people on craigslist who linesit for Shakespeare in the Park, and charge $50/ticket.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 9:49pm

I loved Gentleman's Guide and Beautiful and they are so different but I would go with GG. It's almost perfect.

That said, if you can't get tickets to this season's shows, you might want to consider either Kinky Boots or Matilda from last season. Both are often at TKTS and their lotteries are not as awful as at some others.

[gfaustswa]

Posted: 6/11/14 at 10:32pm

I just got back to my hotel after seeing Mothers And Sons. What a treat. Great acting. Great cast. And very interesting, thought provoking story. I give it an A+ All four of the actors (Tyne Daly included) couldn't have been any nicer at the stage door. Get a window card to have them sign! If you can find a spot to see this, I would say don't miss it. I believe you can get tix for as cheap as $29. Check out the Today Tix app. Or just go to the box office. And depending on your age you can probably get student rush tickets for the show also.



Updated On: 6/11/14 at 10:32 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/12/14 at 12:49pm

I recently saw Motown in Chicago and while the music and choreography were fun, I could not recommend seeing it for more than $25, especially with most of the other productions available on Broadway. And as a huge fan of the original Les Miz, I wouldn't recommend this revival to anyone unless they have never seen the show and simply MUST see it.

I would highly recommend:
Hedwig
Matilda
Lady Day
Violet
Cripple of Innishmaan
If/Then only for the terrific cast and design
The Fantasticks (I never tire of this charming production and it is one of the few shows with performances on Sunday and Monday evenings)

[Gurlie105]

Posted: 6/14/14 at 12:39pm

If/Then!! The cast is so good! The set is really out of this world! I also happen to love the music... just be prepared to pay attention its not a big show stopping dance number show... its an intellectual one!

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 6/14/14 at 12:52pm

Another Monday suggestion would be SLEEP NO MORE-- if you've never experienced immersive theater, this will blow your mind. You can find the BWW thread a couple of pages down.

[mufish]

Posted: 6/16/14 at 9:39pm

I'm starting to waffle a bit on Beautiful. The cast recording is great, but reading the reviews thread gives me a little bit of pause. Additionally, it's becoming a tough ticket and it seems like it could still be running if I'm able to return to NYC in a year. It also seems more likely to tour than Gentleman's Guide.

I think I'll at least try the online lottery for Shakespeare in the Park on Tuesday the 24th. Would be a really cool experience if it worked out - otherwise it'll be a game time decision whether to try the cancellation line or see what's on TKTS that night.

The only tickets I'm going to book ahead of time are Gentleman's Guide and All the Way (and possibly Beautiful); the rest I'll wing it. I'm supposed to land at LaGuardia around noon - will go see if there are any rush tickets for Realistic Joneses left when I get into the city. Might heed the board's suggestions about going off-Broadway Sunday and/or Monday night.

Also, random question regarding All The Way - how has the stage door been recently? Obviously Bryan Cranston is bigger than ever these days, but I can't imagine it's as insane as an If/Then, Of Mice and Men, or Hedwig.

Thanks again for all your feedback, it's definitely giving me a lot to think about!