My parents took us to occasional summer stock productions at Music Carnival in the Cleveland area, so I don't recall what was my very first show - probably one of the R&H classics at Music Carnival. But my first touring production was also THE MUSIC MAN, starring Forrest Tucker, at the Hanna Theater in downtown Cleveland.
When my parents brought me in NY in the summer of '65, as part of my tour of colleges, I saw three shows on Broadway: the delightful HALF A SIXPENCE, with Tommy Steele; the original production of FIDDLER, which still starred Zero Mostel at the time; and BAKER STREET, which I saw on my own and had bought an orchestra ticket costing $9.90.
When I came to NY for college in the fall of '66, my first show was HELLO DOLLY, then starring Ginger Rogers. I saw plenty of shows via those
$3 standing room tickets, which were a great bargain, given that people sitting a few feet in front of us were paying that costly $9.90 price! The only issue with standing room was that they were generally not sold unless a show was sold out. |
