What broadway play?

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, Sheltieluv said:

Hi all!  Could use some advice as we have never been to a Broadway show.

We will be in NYC the weekend of November 2 before departing on a cruise.  I would like to secure tickets for a matinee on November 3.  DH and I would like to see something fun and light-hearted, with a lot of good stage special effects.  I am looking at (in no particular order):  Aladdin, Wicked, Lion King, and Frozen.  I know that a couple of these might be geared more towards kids, but that's ok!  I'm also considering the Ain't Too Proud Temptations show, but I've read that that particular theater is not very comfortable, plus there wouldn't be a whole lot of special effects(?) but I'm guessing.  We do love the music tho!

So, which would you choose?

Thanks in advance for any advice. I appreciate it!

Solely out of curiosity.A cousin of mine wrote a play titled A Prelude to Hamlet.It opened in Syracuse and the reviews were so good,great actually that he brought it directly to Manhattan. By any chance did you ever see it ?

[Sheltieluv]

Market, thanks for your suggestion.   I have always heard good thing about Wicked.  Will check seating and prices.

Lenquixoto, sorry,  but I did not see A Prelude To Hamlet.  Glad it was successful for your cousin!

[lenquixote66]

23 minutes ago, Sheltieluv said:

Market, thanks for your suggestion.   I have always heard good thing about Wicked.  Will check seating and prices.

Lenquixoto, sorry,  but I did not see A Prelude To Hamlet.  Glad it was successful for your cousin!

We are seeing Wicked Sept.7 .

[Sheltieluv]

Another question if I may----

What is the best way to buy tickets for a show?  Should I call the theater box office?  Would they be helpful in finding the best seats for us?  Or should I use one of the on-line sites?  Are they safe/secure?

Sorry for all the naive questions, but this will be our first Broadway experience!

Thank you!

[sparkle]

Sheltiluv,  if you will be in NYC ahead of time, get tickets directly from the box office. If not, you can get tix online but Check how much the service charges are (depending on which site you go through) since that will add $16 up to $40 PER TICKET. I don't have experience with the resellers, but the service fees for the "official" sites are way too high, IMHO.

 

Have a great time at Wicked if you go. We've seen it 3 times and loved it.  I also vote for Come From Away. Saw it twice and going to see touring production of it in Nov.

 

Both are awesome!

 

Turtles, we will let you know after Hamilton on Friday!

[antmaril]

I would recommend “Wicked”. My adult son and I were in NY in May and saw it.  We both thought it was wonderful!  

Edited August 20, 2019 by antmaril

[Nitemare]

10 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

In some regional theaters there are seats on the stage.It is almost like the audience interacting with the actors.That is really amazing.I have been to a few .

 

A few years ago there was a B'way revival of A View From the Bridge that had a couple sections of on-stage seating.  We were inches from the actors and had a full view of the audience.  Great show, so intense that close up.

 

More recently, Mark Rylance (our favorite B'way actor) did a show called Farinelli and the King, with onstage seating.  Being close to the action was much fun, although the show was kind of meh

[lenquixote66]

18 minutes ago, sparkle said:

Sheltiluv,  if you will be in NYC ahead of time, get tickets directly from the box office. If not, you can get tix online but Check how much the service charges are (depending on which site you go through) since that will add $16 up to $40 PER TICKET. I don't have experience with the resellers, but the service fees for the "official" sites are way too high, IMHO.

 

Have a great time at Wicked if you go. We've seen it 3 times and loved it.  I also vote for Come From Away. Saw it twice and going to see touring production of it in Nov.

 

Both are awesome!

 

Turtles, we will let you know after Hamilton on Friday!

Come from Away is one of the best plays I ever saw.I have been a theater goer since 1964.

[markeb]

33 minutes ago, Sheltieluv said:

Another question if I may----

What is the best way to buy tickets for a show?  Should I call the theater box office?  Would they be helpful in finding the best seats for us?  Or should I use one of the on-line sites?  Are they safe/secure?

Sorry for all the naive questions, but this will be our first Broadway experience!

Thank you!

 

If you're not going to be in NYC, for a specific performance of a specific show, you'll need to buy online. Always check the show's own web page, in this case it's https://wickedthemusical.com/. There's a link to tickets which will take you to Ticketmaster. The first 3-5 hits on Google are typically to resellers. Even buying direct, you'll have fees, but they should be better than the resell sites. That Saturday matinee currently has good availability. For instance, the first row of the Mezzanine is available for $100/ticket plus fees. Hopefully someone's been in that seat, but the front of the Mezz is frequently better than middle or further back of the orchestra.

[sparkle]

6 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

If you're not going to be in NYC, for a specific performance of a specific show, you'll need to buy online. Always check the show's own web page, in this case it's https://wickedthemusical.com/. There's a link to tickets which will take you to Ticketmaster. The first 3-5 hits on Google are typically to resellers. Even buying direct, you'll have fees, but they should be better than the resell sites. That Saturday matinee currently has good availability. For instance, the first row of the Mezzanine is available for $100/ticket plus fees. Hopefully someone's been in that seat, but the front of the Mezz is frequently better than middle or further back of the orchestra.

 

[sparkle]

We actually did sit front row Mezz at the Gershwin and were happy with the seats, but if you have kids or are short, the railing will be in the way. We are not that long legged so we can't speak to that aspect.  When we take kids, we usually get 2nd row mezz. One time I got DH and grandaughter (10 yrs old,)  front row orchestra but she had to look up onto the the stage (even with a booster seat). The stage is raked so she still could see but I wouldn't do that with a grandkid again.

[Turtles06]

8 hours ago, Sheltieluv said:

Hi all!  Could use some advice as we have never been to a Broadway show.

We will be in NYC the weekend of November 2 before departing on a cruise.  I would like to secure tickets for a matinee on November 3.  DH and I would like to see something fun and light-hearted, with a lot of good stage special effects.  I am looking at (in no particular order):  Aladdin, Wicked, Lion King, and Frozen.  I know that a couple of these might be geared more towards kids, but that's ok!  I'm also considering the Ain't Too Proud Temptations show, but I've read that that particular theater is not very comfortable, plus there wouldn't be a whole lot of special effects(?) but I'm guessing.  We do love the music tho!

So, which would you choose?

Thanks in advance for any advice. I appreciate it!

 

I haven't seen Aladdin or Frozen, but I have seen both Lion King (twice) and Wicked, and I would pick Lion King over Wicked.   In fact, I think seeing Lion King is worth it for the opening sequence alone.   There's some great music in Wicked, and I listen to it frequently, but I found the first act a little tedious, a long wait for the very fabulous "Defying Gravity."    That's just my personal reaction, of course, I know others feel differently.

 

I see you have also gotten a recommendation for Come from Away, and I'll second that.  It's one of the best shows I have ever seen, and I have been going to Broadway shows since I was in elementary school.  (Which was some time ago.  😃) 

 

Enjoy whatever you see!

[lenquixote66]

2 minutes ago, sparkle said:

We actually did sit front row Mezz at the Gershwin and were happy with the seats, but if you have kids or are short, the railing will be in the way. We are not that long legged so we can't speak to that aspect.  When we take kids, we usually get 2nd row mezz. One time I got DH and grandaughter (10 yrs old,)  front row orchestra but she had to look up onto the the stage (even with a booster seat). The stage is raked so she still could see but I wouldn't do that with a grandkid again.

We are going with grand kids but I do not know where we are sitting .We will be 8 people taking my wife for a special birthday.Since everything is essentially a surprise for her I cannot be told that much ,lol.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, Sheltieluv said:

Another question if I may----

What is the best way to buy tickets for a show?  Should I call the theater box office?  Would they be helpful in finding the best seats for us?  Or should I use one of the on-line sites?  Are they safe/secure?

Sorry for all the naive questions, but this will be our first Broadway experience!

Thank you!

We are seeing the Temptations show tomorrow.

[sparkle]

I have the OCR (I realize I should say OBCR) of Hamilton.  A couple years ago before a show we went into the bookstore in Shubert Alley. I found a book that had the annotated script (Lin's orig. notes) and pics and got it for a wedding present for my brother and his wife. Also got them the CD OBCR. Once I got home I realized I wanted that book so I kept it ( and the CD) and ordered them one online.

 

Besides Hamilton, I have the OBCRs of Rent, Lion King, Wicked, Spamilton and the soundtrack of The Greatest Showman that I play alot. I have individual songs downloaded on my phone (two of my favs are "Me and the Sky" (Jenn Colallo/Come From Away) and "Welcome To the Rock".

[markeb]

52 minutes ago, sparkle said:

I have individual songs downloaded on my phone (two of my favs are "Me and the Sky" (Jenn Colallo/Come From Away) and "Welcome To the Rock".

 

Jenn Colella's performance of "Me and the Sky" is worth the price of the ticket. And if you hadn't read the story, or listened to the cast recording, it just comes out of nowhere.

 

@Sheltieluv --I won't disagree with Turtles on the beginning of The Lion King. I just enjoyed that I hadn't seen the story in Wicked in any other media. Also, if you can't tell from the last several posts, "Come From Away" is an amazing, and original, production. At least check it out before making up your mind. I don't think you'll be disappointed with The Lion King, Wicked, or Come From Away, but I'll argue Come From Away is the special production of the group.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

Jenn Colella's performance of "Me and the Sky" is worth the price of the ticket. And if you hadn't read the story, or listened to the cast recording, it just comes out of nowhere.

 

@Sheltieluv --I won't disagree with Turtles on the beginning of The Lion King. I just enjoyed that I hadn't seen the story in Wicked in any other media. Also, if you can't tell from the last several posts, "Come From Away" is an amazing, and original, production. At least check it out before making up your mind. I don't think you'll be disappointed with The Lion King, Wicked, or Come From Away, but I'll argue Come From Away is the special production of the group.

 

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

Jenn Colella's performance of "Me and the Sky" is worth the price of the ticket. And if you hadn't read the story, or listened to the cast recording, it just comes out of nowhere.

 

@Sheltieluv --I won't disagree with Turtles on the beginning of The Lion King. I just enjoyed that I hadn't seen the story in Wicked in any other media. Also, if you can't tell from the last several posts, "Come From Away" is an amazing, and original, production. At least check it out before making up your mind. I don't think you'll be disappointed with The Lion King, Wicked, or Come From Away, but I'll argue Come From Away is the special production of the group.

I posted this before on CC on another thread .I have a personal connection to the events of 9/11 .I was supposed to be at 2 World Trade Center that day but due to a quirk of fate I was not. A good friend of mine died there that day.

[Turtles06]

9 hours ago, markeb said:

I don't think you'll be disappointed with The Lion King, Wicked, or Come From Away, but I'll argue Come From Away is the special production of the group.

 

Since I’ve already said that Come From Away was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, I don’t disagree with you about how special it is. But going back to @Sheltieluv‘s plan, it’s to see a “fun and lighthearted” show, with “a lot of good stage special effects.”  As uplifting as Come From Away is, it doesn’t fit that description. Not even all of Lion King does...So I just wanted to circle back to Sheltieluv’s original question. 

[Nitemare]

One thing to consider when going to NYC for theater if you don't go regularly is to try to see something that isn't going to be touring to your area every 3-5 years for the rest of your life (and for the past decade +, too).

 

Lion King, Wicked and Aladdin have been and will be touring forever. You can see virtually the same show "at a theater near you" at any time in the future.  Frozen will probably tour as well, although the reviews are much less friendly.  Come From Away will be touring, too, but is a much more meaningful story than the others.  Lots of fun in the show, with the choreography and songs, but it is also a show that will stick with you for awhile.

[lenquixote66]

We saw Ain’t Too Proud today. I thought the show was very good but not great. There was an understudy for the lead role but he was very good.

[Got2Cruise]

On 8/20/2019 at 7:05 PM, Sheltieluv said:

Another question if I may----

What is the best way to buy tickets for a show?  Should I call the theater box office?  Would they be helpful in finding the best seats for us?  Or should I use one of the on-line sites?  Are they safe/secure?

Sorry for all the naive questions, but this will be our first Broadway experience!

Thank you!

The most important thing to know when you order tickets on line is don’t order from a ticket broker that is going to add on enormous fees. Sometimes when you google a show one of these come up first because they paid for the spot. You want the “official webpage”  of the show. That page will describe the show and have a link to purchase tickets. Either Telecharge or Ticketmaster. You can chose your seats this way. If you call the box office usually has the attitude of take them or go away. lol. Which is fine if you’re not choosy. 

 

For discount tickets look at Broadwaybox.com Playbill.com Theatermania.com. These will give you a discount code which you will then follow to the Telecharge or Ticketmaster site. 

[Sheltieluv]

Please accept my sincere thanks to all of you for your kind replies.  I appreciate your advice!  As I said in my original post,  this whole experience will be new to us, so it's a bit daunting for this country bumpkin.😊

[lenquixote66]

6 minutes ago, Sheltieluv said:

Please accept my sincere thanks to all of you for your kind replies.  I appreciate your advice!  As I said in my original post,  this whole experience will be new to us, so it's a bit daunting for this country bumpkin.😊

Syracuse,NY,home of the great Jim Boeheim ,former home of Pearl Washington,Vaughn Harper ,Marv Albert and Steve Rubell can hardly be referred to as county bumpkins.

[Sheltieluv]

Not to mention our beloved Coach Mac, Ernie Davis, and others who called Syracuse "home"......

But I live about 40 miles from Syracuse,  in the country, so I am a self-proclaimed bumpkin!😁

We do, however,  bleed orange.

[sparkle]

22 minutes ago, Sheltieluv said:

Not to mention our beloved Coach Mac, Ernie Davis, and others who called Syracuse "home"......

But I live about 40 miles from Syracuse,  in the country, so I am a self-proclaimed bumpkin!😁

We do, however,  bleed orange.

If you want to see Lion King, the Touring production will be in Rochester Dec 19 through Jan 5.