What broadway play?

[MarkBearSF]

1 hour ago, Got2Cruise said:

Great. Can’t wait to read your review. The only show I wish I saw when I had the chance was Brian Cranston in Network. I should have when I had the chance. Maybe I’ll go with my Mom to Kiss Me Kate or Oklahoma. Both look very high quality. I was not impressed with the performance from Cher at all. Maybe because I’m a huge Cher fan and have high expectations for all Broadway shows. 

 

I'll try to remember to followup with show reports.  Luckily, I had a chance to catch Brian Cranston play LBJ in All The Way five years ago (Network closed before my trip this year)

A caution about Oklahoma. It is a VERY divisive production. Stripped-down, with a violent edge (and finale) but no changes to the text. Most have found it revolutionary, but many purists hate it with a white-hot vigor. (Since it's one of my least-favorite R&H musicals, in spite of its place in history, I'm expecting to be in the former group)

 

As for The Cher Show, Stephanie J Block has received raves from critics and word-of-mouth. And the Tony. Personally, I know quite a few people who have enjoyed it. I don't know what was going on for the Tony number, but it wasn't a good representation, I'm told. (Reminds me of the bizzare Tony performance by Catherine Zeta-Jones from A Little Night Music a few years ago. She was NOTHING like what came through the TV screen) That said, it IS one of those bio musicals. And the general word about it is that SJB and the show are fun, but the number showlighting the Bob Mackie (Tony winner) outfits are the high point of the show.

Edited June 11, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[markeb]

3 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

 

I'll try to remember to followup with show reports.  Luckily, I had a chance to catch Brian Cranston play LBJ in All The Way five years ago (Network closed before my trip this year)

A caution about Oklahoma. It is a VERY divisive production. Stripped-down, with a violent edge (and finale) but no changes to the text. Most have found it revolutionary, but many purists hate it with a white-hot vigor. (Since it's one of my least-favorite R&H musicals, in spite of its place in history, I'm expecting to be in the former group)

 

As for The Cher Show, Stephanie J Block has received raves from critics and word-of-mouth. And the Tony. Personally, I know quite a few people who have enjoyed it. I don't know what was going on for the Tony number, but it wasn't a good representation, I'm told. (Reminds me of the bizzare Tony performance by Catherine Zeta-Jones from A Little Night Music a few years ago. She was NOTHING like what came through the TV screen) That said, it IS one of those bio musicals. And the general word about it is that SJB and the show are fun, but the number showlighting the Bob Mackie (Tony winner) outfits are the high point of the show.

 

As an actual native of Oklahoma, I’ve always been ambivalent at best about Oklahoma!  I find it stereotypical, so maybe a complete redo would be interesting. (Yeah, wheat may still be the top cash crop, but the wind rarely goes sweeping down the plain!)  of course, Oklahoma is the only state with a state song from a Broadway musical...

[George C]

I was glad to see Shirley Jones presenting she was on SS Norway about 1985 and I got the chance to talk to her a little. 

[lenquixote66]

I am 6' 5  and there are many theaters without sufficient leg room.I try and get an aisle seat for this reason.

[George C]

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I am 6' 5  and there are many theaters without sufficient leg room.I try and get an aisle seat for this reason.

Same here I am 6’4” with bad knees , always ask for aisle but with some theaters I will just not book. We have a great theater in Dallas that gets the touring companies with lots of leg room, seeing beautiful again there in about two weeks. 

[lenquixote66]

3 hours ago, George C said:

Same here I am 6’4” with bad knees , always ask for aisle but with some theaters I will just not book. We have a great theater in Dallas that gets the touring companies with lots of leg room, seeing beautiful again there in about two weeks. 

We have several theaters on Long Island where I can get first row seats with plenty of leg room . I saw a production of Man of LaMancha that was equal to if not better than the Broadway show.

[George C]

45 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

We have several theaters on Long Island where I can get first row seats with plenty of leg room . I saw a production of Man of LaMancha that was equal to if not better than the Broadway show.

We left South Pacific on broadway because at intermission because of leg room, less than a year later they were in Dallas with many of the same cast , only thing non broadway shows do not have are the major stars , love seeing Oscar winning actors there. I know parents saw Man of LaMancha with Richard Kiley in. 1969 in April same month that I got drafted. Dallas also has a small theater that won Tony a couple of years ago for best regional theater. 

[Nitemare]

We are seeing Hadestown in September, bought the tix right before nominations came out (and prices went up).

 

Network was rough, but Cranston deserved the award, he was amazing.

 

Last time we were in NYC we ate at the "secret" upstairs place from Joe Allen's.  And were seated right across from Joe!

[MarkBearSF]

11 hours ago, George C said:

We left South Pacific on broadway because at intermission because of leg room,

 

Yeah - The Vivian Beaumont Theater, by virtue of its unusual thrust configuration, can have seats without much legroom, but in unexpected locations. Others are just fine. Luckily, last summer, we had great seats for My Fair Lady (our third visit to that theater) but our first visit for War Horse had seats waaaaay off to the side that were both uncomfortable AND had a limited view.

I was fortunate that the South Pacific tour that hit SF had a great cast, including the amazing Carmen Cusack in the lead. I was VERY impressed and surprised to read at the time that she had no Broadway credits but had done extensive work in London and regional theatre in the US. So I was NOT surprised a few years later, that she attracted great notices and a Tony nomination in her Broadway debut as the lead of "Bright Star" in 2016. (and she was about the only bright star of the production - it didn't last long)

Like many of you, I need aisle seats for the same reason. (I also have had issues with seats being too narrow to sit in without taking over both armrests - I'm not skinny, but the issue is my shoulders). And between my need for legroom and my husband's difficulty with stairs, we only sit in the orchestra. However, undaunted, I rely on advance seat selection and ibuprofen to get through the show.

London has a great resource which details seats to avoid in all of the theatres  (like SeatGuru for the West End) called "TheatreMonkey" - I wash there was an equivalent for Broadway.

Edited June 13, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[lenquixote66]

15 hours ago, George C said:

We left South Pacific on broadway because at intermission because of leg room, less than a year later they were in Dallas with many of the same cast , only thing non broadway shows do not have are the major stars , love seeing Oscar winning actors there. I know parents saw Man of LaMancha with Richard Kiley in. 1969 in April same month that I got drafted. Dallas also has a small theater that won Tony a couple of years ago for best regional theater. 

The wife of one of my friends is an actress..She studied at the HB studio in the village. They put on productions several times a year.DeNiro,is one of the grads. The plays are directed by alumni of the theater and are free to graduates.However,each person is allowed to bring two guests. My wife and I have been to more than 100 plays ,always great.

We have been to theaters all over the US (including Texas)and Canada.

[George C]

My brother directs plays  in Florida , and used to bring up people from there to see shows, since he is part of there union we twice were able to talk to the cast after the play was over ,  first time it was for Gentleman’s guide to love and murder, which we loved , whole cast came out , lead character was saying there was 7 people helping him change clothes , he as in almost every seen playing different men and woman. Other time it was Bronx tale cast talked about being directed by Deniro and that creator Chaz Palminteri still would see show every couple of weeks and sometimes tweaked play. 

[lenquixote66]

I previously posted that I am going to see Hillary and Clinton on July 17 but just read on line that the show is closing June 24. If anyone posting here has tickets for the show after June 24 you have to address this .

[George C]

20 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I previously posted that I am going to see Hillary and Clinton on July 17 but just read on line that the show is closing June 24. If anyone posting here has tickets for the show after June 24 you have to address this .

Play still is listed on tkts for half price tickets

[lenquixote66]

7 hours ago, George C said:

Play still is listed on tkts for half price tickets

The final performance will be Sunday June 23.The play cost $4.2 million to produce and so far they made $4.7.

[hallux]

I'm not sure if it was suggested but I've been to see Come From Away.  It's based on a book written about the real-life experiences of the residents of Gander, Newfoundland on Sept. 11, 2001.  The town of 10,000 was suddenly saddled with 6,500 guests of varying races and nationalities and everyone had to "cope".   The show was very high-energy, the cast was engaging (there were times I felt like they were looking right at me and I was near the back of the theater), the theater was actually SMALLER than the ones on some ships (compared to RCI's Anthem of the Seas).

 

I thought it was good, and it wasn't horribly expensive (when considering the price of a Hamilton ticket).  The theater is JUST off Broadway, less than a block at the very top of Times Square.

[George C]

7 minutes ago, hallux said:

I'm not sure if it was suggested but I've been to see Come From Away.  It's based on a book written about the real-life experiences of the residents of Gander, Newfoundland on Sept. 11, 2001.  The town of 10,000 was suddenly saddled with 6,500 guests of varying races and nationalities and everyone had to "cope".   The show was very high-energy, the cast was engaging (there were times I felt like they were looking right at me and I was near the back of the theater), the theater was actually SMALLER than the ones on some ships (compared to RCI's Anthem of the Seas).

 

I thought it was good, and it wasn't horribly expensive (when considering the price of a Hamilton ticket).  The theater is JUST off Broadway, less than a block at the very top of Times Square.

Yes we talked a lot about Come from away, we all just loved it , I would see it again on a future trip. 

[lenquixote66]

14 hours ago, hallux said:

I'm not sure if it was suggested but I've been to see Come From Away.  It's based on a book written about the real-life experiences of the residents of Gander, Newfoundland on Sept. 11, 2001.  The town of 10,000 was suddenly saddled with 6,500 guests of varying races and nationalities and everyone had to "cope".   The show was very high-energy, the cast was engaging (there were times I felt like they were looking right at me and I was near the back of the theater), the theater was actually SMALLER than the ones on some ships (compared to RCI's Anthem of the Seas).

 

I thought it was good, and it wasn't horribly expensive (when considering the price of a Hamilton ticket).  The theater is JUST off Broadway, less than a block at the very top of Times Square.

It was a great play wit h special meaning to me. I was supposed to be at 2 World Trade Center that morning.

[MarkBearSF]

Sadly, The Prom posted a closing date of August 11. (Not unexpected, though)
I still wouldn't be surprised to see an early close for Frankie & Johnny. And for the Be More Chill "shoe to drop"

 

[George C]

37 minutes ago, MarkBearSF said:

Sadly, The Prom posted a closing date of August 11. (Not unexpected, though)
I still wouldn't be surprised to see an early close for Frankie & Johnny. And for the Be More Chill "shoe to drop"

 

I am surprised cast was excellent. Glad we had the chance to see it.

[MarkBearSF]

45 minutes ago, George C said:

I am surprised cast was excellent. Glad we had the chance to see it.

I'm really looking forward to seeing it on Wednesday. I'm sure that it will be a total loss for investors, though.They announced a tour earlier this week - hopefully that's funded. I hope it makes it to SF.

[George C]

One of my favorite plays of all time I saw in closing weeks in early 1970’s , two by two , of all the stars I have seen I thought Danny Kaye was amazing. As this entire thread proves nothing like a live broadway play.  We have front row tickets to Beautiful in Dallas Sunday theater is gorgeous, great acoustics and legroom. Saw play twice in nyc. 

[MarkBearSF]

14 hours ago, George C said:

One of my favorite plays of all time I saw in closing weeks in early 1970’s , two by two , of all the stars I have seen I thought Danny Kaye was amazing. As this entire thread proves nothing like a live broadway play.  We have front row tickets to Beautiful in Dallas Sunday theater is gorgeous, great acoustics and legroom. Saw play twice in nyc. 

 

Agreed. (Would've loved to see DK in 2x2). I saw (most of) Beautiful a couple of times again in recent weeks when the tour just played a short extra run at the theatre where I usher in SF. The current tour cast is great. I especially like the actress playing Cynthia Weil (of course, it's a great role)

[MarkBearSF]

With the Be More Chill closing announcement, (Aug 11 - like The Prom) the obvious candidates from this season have cleared the deck. Also, I expect that Cher and Pretty Woman won't make it past the holidays. King Kong has always been an outlier. It will run as long as the deep-pocketed producers in Australia feel it suits their marketing purposes. (It likely seldom has covered its costs and usually runs at a loss).

Also, Beautiful and Waitress are unlikely to survive next winter. I suspect WB will continue to support Beetlejuice through lean months, but that could change. The long term prospects for Tootsie and Ain't Too Proud are unknown at this point, as are those for the upcoming Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morrisette), Tina (Turner), and Moulin Rouge. The current revivals (Kiss Me Kate, Oklahoma!) are closed runs, and the upcoming Music Man revival will also likely have Hugh Jackman on limited dates.

Edited June 21, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[sparkle]

Please add our recommendation for Come From Away.  I saw it last summer with a friend in NYC, and then again in November in Toronto.  Everything about it is great, and we loved the music.  The band got a standing O along with the actors.  We plan to see the touring production when it comes to our town this fall.  It is very hard for me to believe Dear Evan Hansen beat Come From Away for best Musical. SMH.  Has anyone seen them both?  Can you let me know what you thought?

 

We also saw Ain't Too Proud in Toronto in Nov. and loved it.  I am not sure if the show was changed any before it opened in NYC in February.  If you grew up with the Motown Sound, like we did, it is an excellent one.  

 

We have tickets to Hamilton (via the "Verified Fan" ) that we got last year, going to see before our cruise in August. 5th row in the Mezz, $501 for 2 with the service charges.  Not happy about the price, but we will save money somewhere else (no dinner at Gallaghers!)  Would like to see Frankie and Johnnie in the Clair de Lune because I love Audra McDonald, we'll see what DH says.  Looks like it's running until Aug 25th.  It's not hard to spend more $$ in NYC on the Pre-cruise than the cruise LOL

 

Also, for those of you that loved Hamilton and have a sense of humor, try to catch Spamilton.  The touring production is playing in Phoenix until mid August, then West Hartford, CT for a month.  I'd like to see that again since I laughed so hard I missed at least a third of the show. If we had more time off after the cruise, I'd be tempted to head up to CT to see it again. 

 

A word to the wise, if any ladies plan to see a show at the Lyceum Theater, please don't drink anything the day of the show.  They only have 4 toilets for the ladies (they seat over 900).  The staff has told me they would LOVE to put in more, but cannot as it is an Historic Theater.  I found that out the hard way, a couple years ago seeing The Nance with Nathan Lane. 

[lenquixote66]

We are going to see The Prom in two weeks.We are going to see Tina next summer. Friends of ours saw Hillary and Clinton two nights ago and said it was OK.