Your Favorite Broadway Shows/Musicals

Was it the national tour or the Vegas show that didn't do well, and I read one story that said people were not laughing like they were at the Broadway one, which seems weird since it's the same show and you wouldn't think the audience would be much different. Unless they had totally wrong expectations going in about what it was going to be.

 

It bombed in Vegas. Tickets were relatively expensive, and that's a very odd market.

 

Avenue Q is an excellent see. It's coming up near the end of the month in Atl. I suggest it to all. Going to see Lion King the following week. Really liked Sweeney Todd, too.

 

My whole family has seen Phantom and I never have, but the music is by far my favorite. I often will get the CD out and listen to it, especially on road trips.
What part did you sing?

I also love Les Mis. I saw it on Broadway and it was very, very cool.

 

This week's special Broadway recommendations, if you're in town and at a loss;

(1) Is He Dead? Comedy, markedly adapted from the original Twain. Starts slowly, but give it fifteen minutes, and it's off and running. Stellar cast, top to bottom,
led by the inimitable, bulletproof Norby Butz. Final performances, this week.
Tickets. Available.

(2) The 39 Steps. A tad cheesy, but knockout-hilarious takeoff on the original Hitchcock picture -- accomplished by a cast of FOUR. Closes at the end of the month.

You'll be glad you did.

 

I was in the Ensemble and sang the track called Wardrobe Mistress/Confidante. I was the Female Fop in the "Il Muto" scene.

 

Agreed on all parts. I could listen to Rent all day. We listen to Broadway on weekend overnights trying to get ready for our shows.

Larson has another show we listen to, but for the life of me, I can't think of the title.

 

1. Sunday in the Park with George. Saw it near the end of its original run, when they brought Mandy Patinkin back to the cast. Brilliant. Took my breath away. Given the chance to see the London revival (since transplanted to Bway) I could not resist and loved it again.

2. Rent. Seasons Of Love remains my alltime favorite song from a musical. Great show, beginning to end.

3. Urinetown. Even funnier and more inventive than Avenue Q, which is saying something.

4. My Fair Lady. Never have seen a full production, but the Tony Award-winning regional theater did a great job using a two-piano arrangement.

5. Wicked. Just missed seeing Kristen Chenowith (personal fave) but still thought the music and story were terrific.

Hon. mention: My favorite Broadway musical is one I've never seen on Broadway. I saw a Pippin revival televised on A&E back when the network actually cared about "A". I saw it in a college production and also when my niece was in a summer theater camp production. Would love to see it revived on Broadway. I'd be on the first plane to see it.

 

First Broadway musical I ever saw was "The Music Man" revival with Craig Bierko (sp?). We had the opportunity to attend a performance a couple of nights before it officially opened and Al Pacino was in the audience in the balcony.

Sam Shepard's "True West" with Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly was quite enjoyable, too.

 

saw this w dick van dyke in the lead in a bdwy revival, lip-synched to all bejesus. could only wonder how great it would have been w robert preston.

straight-play wise, my all-time favorite was dracula w frank langella, and later raul julia. like sweeney todd and chorus line, saw this 12+ times. hyper-stylized, but between edward gorey's sets and langella's presence you couldnt take your eyes off the stage.

later saw raul julia in pinter's 'betrayal' which left most of the audience shrugging their shoulders. tremendous, but maybe more so because of julia. missed him in 3 penny opera AND all his joe papp shakespeare in the park -- what that must have been! how could i have been so stupid?

a moon for the misbegotten w jason robards and colleen dewhurst. sly fox w george c scott. noises off.

boast: does monty python live at city center -- 7 times during their three week NYC (i think) debut count? i sang the bruce's philosopher song from balcony once, getting a michael palin heaved-into-the-balcony Fosters as a reward.

god i wish i kept all my stubs, playbills, and showbills.

 

I've got all my Playbills from about 1990 on. The first half-dozen shows or so I did not think to save.
I figured I'd be able to fill in the collection by going to Playbill for back issues, or to EBay, but I've never been able to find anything.

 

This thread inspired me to go rent "1776" since I hadn't seen it in a few years. Still as solid and amusing as I remember it. Now, will somebody please oooopen up a window!