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| Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| Hello all I use to come to NYC several times a year but haven't been in over 10 years. I have been invited to come in with a friend for the nights of Fri Nov 10 and Sat Nov 11th. Question is .. what is available on such short notice that is worth seeing. Havent kept up with the shows there. All the major ones understandably are sold out at this point and some of the others I may have already seen in Toronto as in Bk of Morman, Kinky Boots and Come From Away. Assuming no chances at all of getting a single seat for any of the top shows ... Evan Hunter, Hamilton, would I classify Hello Dolly into this as well?? No I wont pay scalper prices ... lol. Please just throw some shows out that I can take into consideration. Prefer plays to musicals but I am up to anything at reasonable prices .... meaning under $200. Off Bdwy is okay as well, not too familiar with any of them up on Theater Row. Recommendations please and thank you. Sharon |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: NewsGuy 06:23 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| You can download a few apps to give you an idea of what's playing (TodayTix, for example). I have the app, generally using it to see what's available and what's playing, and then generally just end up at the box office getting my tickets directly from them and saving a few bucks in the process anyway. "The Play That Goes Wrong," you can get often for $30 -- you're in the balcony but I've done it twice and highly enjoyed it. "Once on This Island" would also be new for when you come in. |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: BruceinIthaca 03:41 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| Having just spent a lovely weekend in the city myself (aside from three hours in the Mt. Sinai emergency room after my husband tripped and fell near Lincoln Center!--but all is well with him, other than a bruised face), I'd recommend all the shows I saw. Thursday night, we saw "Lonely Planet," which is a moving and at times funny two-hander about the friendship between two gay men during the height of the AIDS epidemic (though that word is never uttered). It makes overt reference to Ionesco's "The Chairs" and resonates those eternal friends, Didi and Gogo, though neither play is necessary to know to enjoy the show. Ernie Burton and Matt McGrath give magnificent performances. The play is lodged in my soul even five days later--and almost a quarter of a century after it was first produced. Friday night (after the emergency room), we saw "Torch Song," in which Michael Urie and Mercedes Ruehl show us how it's done. The play is no longer three separate one-acts (the first two are compressed into the first half, the third now comprises the second act), and my guess is that some of the trimming is all for the better. It's fascinating to observe how far we "seem" to have come--the attitudes espoused by Ma seem out of step for a woman who has been a public school teacher for decades--or they would be more so today--the play retains its period setting. Urie has really developed into one of those actors I would see in just about anything (including "The Hairy Ape") and, never having seen Ruehl on-stage, but only in the movies, it was a wonderful opportunity to see her command the space, while sharing it generously with her fellow actors. Fierstein's endorsement of what the kids are calling "homonormativity" gives a little pause, but his vision is true to himself and consistent, and the other actors, who don't have as much juice written into their roles, are all fine. Well-directed and the 2nd Stage is a theatre that always feel welcoming, without a bad seat (though some are better than others). Saturday matinee we saw Midler and Company (the "and Company" really does matter here, too--everyone, from Hyde Pierce to Creel to Baldwin, Trench, and Feldstein, and the ensemble, are splendid) in what I now think is my favorite musical show, "Hello, Dolly!" It's conventional wisdom that Rose in "Gypsy" is musical theatre's "Hamlet"for women (maybe more like King Lear"). Perhaps. But if so, Dolly is musical theatre's equivalent of Moliere--a blend of comedy and genuine pathos, warmly performed and emotionally engaging (of course, Wilder based his Dolly, or a scene in his play, with a nod to Moliere's "L'Avare"). We were very lucky--I simply walked up to the box office Thursday when we got to town and asked if they had anything for the weekend. After clarifying that I also needed to pay rent this month, we were able to get last row orchestra on the side for 250.00 each. I've gotten fussier about seats as I get older (this was a weekend to celebrate turning 60 the previous Monday), but I also knew we were damn lucky to get anything at face price, and it was the event more than the show itself. Well, it WAS the show itself, and Midler was more magnificent than I had expected (the cast recording does not capture what her voice did in live performance--she may have had an off-day when it was recorded, as Mary Martin is purported to have had when she recorded the London cast recording). It was HER Dolly, with homages in moments to Channing, Shirley Booth in the film of "The Matchmaker" and even some of what I imagined Martha Raye may have managed in terms of physical humor. But it was all hers, and I thought she moved from broad farce to wistful longing in ways that never threatened the coherence of character. Hyde Pierce could not have been bettered as Horace and the addition of the in-one at the top of Act Two was justified in making the character not an also-ran, a prop to hold up the leading lady. I've never seen the young people do so well--Creel was a Cornelius who found his adulthood in the course of a day and could have wooed anyone (male or female). Baldwin was the best Irene Molloy, finding the spirited, at moments very sexy widow who found stirrings of what she had as a young wife when faced with Mr. Hackl: without being skeezy, you delighted to imagine their married life. Barnaby and Minnie Fay can be thankless, but these two were lovable as could be. The dancing, the costumes, the various drops and show curtains--"Isn't the world so full of wonderful things?" It was more than an event--it was one of the nights in the theatre I will cherish forever. Would I have enjoyed it if we had paid 500 a seat? Maybe not as much, I grant you, which is why I wasn't willing to do so (and why we will probably miss Ben Platt in "Dear Evan Hansen," as those seats start at that range on StubHub). All three were extraordinary experiences in their own ways. With a discount, you can get "Lonely Planet" for 50.00 a seat, and we only paid 125 each for Torch Song. Dolly was the expensive one, but we paid close to that for premium seats for Hair a number of years ago, and, while closer, they weren't as satisfying as back row orchestra (only one moment when view was partial--early on when Cornelius and Barnaby were on the top of the set, plotting their day of hooky--lasted for all of two minutes). BTW, we also saw the new French film "120 Battlements per Minute," or "BPM (Beats Per Minute)" as the title has been translated into English, about the development of ACT UP Paris in the 80s and 90s. Heart-breaking, erotic, and stirring, all at the same time. If you live in an area where it is not likely to play (we're getting it in Ithaca in December, but I wanted to see it now), it's worth a "slot." Good luck! |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: joerialto 01:29 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| Go to St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn to see "People, Places & Things." People will be talking about Denise Gough's extraordinary performance for years to come. She won the Olivier in London and will be returning to NYC for "Angels in America" in the spring. Plus, the tickets are reasonably priced - I got a great seat for $51. | |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: Nydiva 09:25 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| Even if you've seen a production before, the version of Sweeney Todd at Barrow Street is well worth seeing. | |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: Michaels 08:01 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| you surely would get a single for DOLLY with some persistence....just keep checking starting 3 days before your performance...ticket would be $229. This show is worth the effort. Evan Hansen is worth trying also...the Sat mat does not have Ben Platt and I suspect that performance would not be too difficult to get. in both cases, just keep trying...single tix should become available. | |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: richmurphy 07:50 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| As always, it is helpful to know which shows you have seen and enjoyed in Toronto, to get a feel for what shows might be to your taste. In cases like yours, I recommend a visit to broadway box, a discount code aggregator. It lists plays and musicals, both Broadway and off-Broadway, with brief information about each. Sometimes, you may have to do a Google search to find more detailed information, to see if the subject matter or cast/creative members appeal to you. Enjoy your visit. |
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| Link | https://www.broadwaybox.com/ |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: sherrie74 10:08 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - richmurphy 07:50 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I have a subscription to Mirvish and Soulpepper and visit many other theatres in area (Shaw and Stratford) so it would take too long to make a list of things I have seen. If a show is good I do not mind seeing it again with a different "vision" or cast. I did look at Broadway Box but if you really dont know that much about them I wanted to get a better idea from those that do ... like you guys! I have to make a decision yeah or nay today or tomorrow. Thanks for your help. | |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 04:22 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| Meteor Shower starts previews soon, I think. I know it has a good advance but that doesn't mean it's sold out. It's a play written by Steve Martin starring Amy Schumer and Laura Benanti. If you see it, let us know what you think! | |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: Clancy 12:37 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - sherrie74 10:53 pm EDT 10/30/17 | |
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| If you are willing to venture downtown, consider 'Tiny Beautiful Things' at the Public. And if you go to the 7pm show, go have dinner nearby and then after dinner go back for the midnight show at Joe's Pub. Nellie McKay on Friday and the radiantly filthy Pam Ann on Saturday. |
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| Link | Tiny Beautiful Things |
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| re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks | |
| Posted by: Stagebuff718 01:16 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - Clancy 12:37 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I'd recommend The Band's Visit, a very good musical, IMO. And I have to disagree about Tiny Beautiful Things; I found it excruciating. It's a live-action blog post, in which the writer answers questions posed by three other actors assuming the identities of writers. It doesn't build, it's just more and more of the same, fragmented and going nowhere. However, the Home Place at the Irish Rep is a good production of a late Brian Friel play. | |
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| re: good lord no | |
| Posted by: Guillaume 02:01 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Unplanned visit to NYC in two weeks - Stagebuff718 01:16 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I'd hate to think someone would come back to New York after ten years and have to suffer through the mundane, plodding, finally anesthetic Band's Visit. | |
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| re: good lord no | |
| Posted by: Stagebuff718 02:41 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: re: good lord no - Guillaume 02:01 am EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| I found it warm, completely engaging, tuneful and nuanced, not any of the things you cite. It was, IMO, the best new musical of last season. | |
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| agreed - I'd jump on THE BAND'S VISIT | |
| Posted by: dreambaby 03:01 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
| In reply to: re: good lord no - Stagebuff718 02:41 pm EDT 10/31/17 | |
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| The production off-Broadway at the Atlantic was one of the highlights of my year's theatergoing last year. It's a very special, beautiful musical, in my opinion. | |
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