Swing Joined: 3/2/23
You all miss the point.....I am a lifetime theater person - even had a show that was set to open once. I have seen and enjoyed scores of shows,,,,loved the experience. BUT NOW....the Brooklyn audiences, and this one playhwright/theatergoer, are lost. I have little idea of what is playing, what is coming, what is closing. After COVID, the New York Times, as an exaample, stopped showing the listing of Broadway shows.....Now, i am at a loss....I suddenly see a commercial onTV but have no idea what the slow is all about.....if i have heard of it at all. Congestion pricing is the latest nail in the coffin....We, in th e'outer boroughs' have problems with mass transit at night...to see a show...if we know what show is running. Comming home on mass transit at 1am to a deserted streetcorner is not exactly fun. I would have gone to see a funny look at the 'Jaws' shark play(?) but did not know about it.....Braids??? no idea.You are losing a major part of the usual audiences....now, you rely on the rich inManhattan and the rich touristss.....Not the way I love and enjoy the theater.
Chuck Reichenthal
Featured Actor Joined: 8/30/18
Sir this is a Wendy’s
Featured Actor Joined: 4/1/20
Chuck I’m so sorry to hear that in a borough of NYC, you can not find any information about shows that are playing, nor can you find a safe way to get home after attending the theatre.
But I find your anguish puzzling. Even though I'm some 200 miles away from Times Square, I do know what’s playing, thanks to nytimes.com , washingtonpost.com , Didtheylikeit.com, and of course this message board, which we both obviously peruse. Both the “shark play” and “Braids” that you claim to know nothing about were reviewed by multiple critics and discussed here on this board. How did you miss them entirely?
Even though I don’t qualify as a “rich tourist”, I still manage to come to NYC three or four times a year, and see perhaps 8-10 shows in a year. Whenever possible, I play the lottery for the shows I want to see. I also work the digital rush on Today Tix, and use TDF and BroadwayBox discounts when available. The lotteries and digital rush offer you a much greater chance of success than me, as you can play any day that you have free, whereas I have only a couple of days per trip in which I can attend a given show. And when all else fails, I will then generally seek out the cheaper seats so I get the most bang for my buck. Most of my stays are done on hotel points or free nights that I have earned, so little or no cost there. So yeah, I see a fair number of shows and don’t spend like a rich Manhattanite. You certainly don’t have to spend like one either to enjoy the same shows that I see.
And I would say that about half the shows I see are matinees. If you did that, you would not have to take “mass transit at 1 am to a deserted streetcorner.” In fact, in the summer months you would easily get home with several hours of sunlight still awaiting you. That would allow you plenty of time to read all about the latest shows before dinner.
Sorry, but while I sympathize with those who bemoan the ever-rising cost of attending Broadway shows, it’s hard to shed a tear for someone who lives in NY, professes to be a “lifetime theater person”, but can’t seem to find information on what’s worth seeing in theaters, and what's affordable, on any given day.
Stand-by Joined: 7/9/15
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/08/theater/musicals-plays-broadway-fall.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BE0.3fop.epSLHJKeoa77&smid=url-share
for starters. You might also want to check this very site you're on.
In this day and age you have no one but yourself to blame if you can't keep up. I live in BOSTON and know what's going on
I don't even know where to start but...
It's called the internet. You are on it. You are also on a site that gives you all of the information you say you can't get in the outer boroughs. Seems all my friends there get the information and see shows. So I really don't understand why you started this thread. JMO
Let's not be too harsh. I can have some sympathy for older generations who have not fully adapted to the 21st century. Everything can be done on your phone now. So much so that now businesses and public services now rely on it. Costs are cut by losing staff, humans do not matter any more. Banking, grocery shopping etc. Not to mention the stresses of being able to afford the newest iPad or whatever other technology is needed just to meet basic living requirements.
That said, if you are able to complain here you are also able to look at the listings.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/27/21
i mean, google has been around for quiet awhile.
Stand-by Joined: 3/30/07
What do we know about K-Mart, Ray?
Australia here and know what’s playing both on Broadway and the West End. I do understand the frustration with getting transport back from Times Square if you’re unfamiliar and being left on a dark corner.
I would attend more movies if newspapers still carried movie ads and showtimes. Just sayin’.
Broadway Star Joined: 9/23/11
It's a 100% valid concern about getting home at 1A.M. by subway. The subway alone would worry lots of people of any age and forget about where you might be dropped off. But you do have two easy ways around this. The best is simply to book a hotel room for the day you will be attending the show and then you can just go home the following afternoon. I can think of several good hotels where it would not be more than $200 at most. The second alternative would be to just take a cab to your front door. That might not go more than $50.
Every so often this tired old showgirl of a message board manages a brilliant kick like this.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/23/17
Tom5 said: "It's a 100% valid concern about getting home at 1A.M. by subway. The subway alone would worry lots of people of any age and forget about where you might be dropped off. But you do have two easy ways around this. The best is simply to book a hotel room for the day you will be attending the show and then you can just go home the following afternoon. I can think of several good hotels where it would not be more than $200 at most. The second alternative would be to just take a cab to your front door. That might not go more than $50."
So you’re suggesting someone who lives in Brooklyn should spend $200 for a hotel so they don’t have to take the spooky scary NYC subway home at 11:00pm? And yes an Uber would be considerably less expensive.
An Uber? Is that a new-fangled thing?
And no way that it takes that long to get back to Brooklyn after a show.
Oh, and let's not forget that new fangled things shows do now: the matinee.
Understudy Joined: 2/4/05
Most shows have moved their evening curtains earlier, too. But that news might not have reached Brooklyn yet.
Leading Actor Joined: 12/9/11
Ensemble1677772333 said: " Congestion pricing is the latest nail in the coffin....We, in th e'outer boroughs' have problems with mass transit at night...to see a show...if we know what show is running.
Chuck Reichenthal"
Congestion pricing is a concept at this point. It's years away. It's so many lawsuits away.
Why are you using this as an excuse?
Featured Actor Joined: 4/1/20
Tom5 said: "It's a 100% valid concern about getting home at 1A.M. by subway. The subway alone would worry lots of people of any age and forget about where you might be dropped off. But you do have two easy ways around this. The best is simply to book a hotel room for the day you will be attending the show and then you can just go home the following afternoon. I can think of several good hotels where it would not be more than $200 at most. The second alternative would be to just take a cab to your front door. That might not go more than $50."
Third alternative: Afternoon matinee. Easier and cheaper.
My grandparents used to walk 50 miles just to see the Opry when it came to town. Get those ole creaking bones a movin, Grumpguts!
Stand-by Joined: 6/17/22
Still so many acting like a vicious pack of hyenas going for the jugular! Lighten up on people. Jeez!
They got back to Brooklyn faster during the Gilded Age not sure why it would take so long?
JSquared2 said: "Tom5 said: "It's a 100% valid concern about getting home at 1A.M. by subway. The subway alone would worry lots of people of any age and forget about where you might be dropped off. But you do have two easy ways around this. The best is simply to book a hotel room for the day you will be attending the show and then you can just go home the following afternoon. I can think of several good hotels where it would not be more than $200 at most. The second alternative would be to just take a cab to your front door. That might not go more than $50."
So you’re suggesting someone who lives in Brooklyn should spend $200 for a hotel so they don’t have to take the spooky scary NYC subway home at 11:00pm? And yes an Uber would be considerably less expensive."
Maybe they aren't aware in Brooklyn but there is this new thing I hear called a matinee.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/17/07
If you took the subway home after a Broadway show, why would not get back to Brooklyn til 1am? And even if you did go out for drinks and stayed out that late, the only people I ever see on the subway at 1am are drunk young women in stilettos enjoying their wild night out in the city.
Addressing the ridiculousness of the OPs post is going for the jugular? M'kay.
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