Broadway recommendations?

[Ajax]

I'm going to be in NYC for a weekend in June and I was hoping to take in a Broadway show... I don't want anything too kiddie and I'd like it to be a comedy. Already seen Spamalot. Anybody have any suggestions?

[Bostonfan]

Wicked is a great show! Technically not a comedy, but it has lots of humor in it.

[Rafter]

Definitely recommend Jersey Boys. Saw it last week for the second time. Absolutely love it.

[BigB08822]

I also recommend Wicked. It isn't billed as a comedy but it has a lot of laugh out loud moments, especially from Glinda. I saw that and Lion King when I was in NYC and Wicked was far and away all of our favorites.

[Theatregirl1122]

Definitely recommend Jersey Boys. Saw it last week for the second time. Absolutely love it.

Jersey Boys is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it. It is funny but also dramatic and sad.

For more straight up comedy, I would recommend Rock of Ages. It is a juke box musical using the music of the 80s to tell a story of aspiring rock stars set on LA's sunset strip. It is hilarious, irreverent, and definitely adult.

Broadway.com is a good place to look up shows because they have a trailer for each show. Gives you a sense of what you are going to see.

[soxxy]

Let's do a list:

A Little Night Music - Zeta Jones and Lansbury, sophisticated fun
American Idiot - Green Day Rock
Billy Elliot - Heartwarming fun?
Chicago - Been there, done that, a lot
Come Fly Away - huh?
Fela - Don't know, but Tony nominated
Hair - You know the score (pun intended)
In the Heights - not sure
Jersey Boys - awesome
La Cage aux Folles - enjoyed the original ages ago; Kelsey Grammar Tony nominated
Lend Me a Tenor - Is this a musical?
Mama Mia - You know
Mary Poppins - You know
Memphis - I don't know
Promises, Promises - Burt Bacharach, early 60s humor, Chenoweth
Rock of Ages - see above
Sondheim on Sondheim - concert-like, I love Sondheim
The Addams Family - Lane and Neuwith, selling out, so-so reviews
The Lion King - you know
West Side Story - you know
Wicked - well loved

[Rhianna]

Avenue Q is off-broadway but it's definitely not for kids and definitely a comedy. It was the first thing I thought of.

[silverstars]

I saw American Idiot a few nights ago. It was absolutely incredible--the best Broadway show that I've seen in years. I liked the album, but wasn't expecting the show to be as good as it was. The NYT also gave it one of the best reviews for a musical that I've seen in a really, really long time. It just went up, so tickets aren't going to be cheap, but I highly, highly recommend it.

Come Fly Away With Me is Twyla Tharp's new musical--it's a lot of dancing set to the music of Frank Sinatra (she did Moving Out a few years ago too). Billy Elliot, Mamma Mia, and Hair are all good too. And you usually can't go wrong with the classics that have been up for awhile.

[Rafter]

I saw American Idiot two weeks ago and it was good, but far from my favourite musical. Not as much dialogue and if you don't like Green Day music, I would suggest not going. My husband likened this musical to Rent in a sense.

Another one is South Pacific playing at Lincoln Center. It's very well done, just extremely long. The girl who won that reality TV show casting for Grease is the lead in it now.

I'm seeing Wicked next week. I've heard conflicting reviews, but I'm looking forward to it.

Mamma Mia is another great one.

[Wyliefan]

I'm DYING to get up there and see Lend Me a Tenor with Tony Shalhoub. Not a musical, but supposed to be very funny.

[CarolineL]

We saw Phantom, Oliver, Billy Elliot, Wicked and Hairspray last year in London, and the consensus was that Billy Elliot was the best.

I do think if you like comedy though, you should see Avenue Q.

[screech]

I've seen Wicked and LOVED it - Galinda was hilarious and the story was amazing. And yes, it was wicked.

[fan]

In the Heights is funny and touching, with a great score and great acting. I've seen it twice. go go go.

was a bit disappointed in Wicked. It has good music, but after all of the hype, i found it a bit emotionally disconnected and was a bit disappointed.

[silverstars]

was a bit disappointed in Wicked. It has good music, but after all of the hype, i found it a bit emotionally disconnected and was a bit disappointed.

The music in Wicked is absolutely amazing (I saw it with Idina and was completely blown away), but I agree that some parts of the story aren't as strong as they could be. Compared to the storyline from the book, though, the musical is pretty straight-foward and organized.

[nypanda]

Wicked, imo, is getting stale and formula-directed. The cast is B or C tier at this point, many of the ensemble have been around since the first contract change over and are happily phoning in a paycheck...imo.

I ADORED In the Heights. Very New York - very poignant without taking itself too seriously. I welled up in tears at the end. Only problem is Jordin Sparks is going into the ingenue role next week....really?!? Like there aren't stables full of actual trained singer/actresses in NYC? That said - I saw it the week the High School Musical guy went in and I adored him. So perhaps I shouldn't be such a snob.

I did Promises Promises with Kristin (then Kristi) in 1990. She was quite good then - can only be amazing now. That's the ticket I would line up for.

[Jayar]

Ajax,

Let me know what kind of shows you typically enjoy so that I can give you a recommendation based on that. There are just too many good shows out there to choose from, that it would be best to help you along a bit if I knew what you liked.

[zaphyre14]

"Billy Elliot" was excellent a month or so ago, but it's not a comedy as such, although it has funny parts. Same with "Hair" - the second half is not light entertainment. "The Lion King" is superb but not comedy either; it's one musical I didn't mind paying full price for the tickets.

Of the list above, "Hairspray" probably meets the requirements best, at least of the ones I'm familiar with. I haven't seen "Avenue Q" and my friends who have are split - some thinks it's hilarious; others were definitely not amused and one refereed to it as "Muppet porn." *shrug*

[Theatregirl1122]

Of the list above, "Hairspray" probably meets the requirements best, at least of the ones I'm familiar with.

Pretty sure that Hairspray closed on Broadway in January of 2009.

[AragornElessar]

I LOVED Wicked when I saw the Touring show in Toronto a few years ago and will be trying to see it again in Toronto when it comes back later this Fall. Highly reccomend it and I loved how it turned the story we all know from The Wizard of Oz on it's ear. Even brought in some things from the original WoO books, like the slipper issue. Loved, loved, loved it!!!

I tried to see Jersey Boys when down for CSOI a couple of weeks ago and it was completely sold out. Pity, since it sounds like it's coming to an end of the Toronto run. I haven't heard anything about a hold over, so...

[caseyedwards]

Addams Family would definitely be a PG comedy if it were a movie. I don't think PG-13. Nathan Lane tries to be funnier than the script for sure.