Broadway musicals

[DannyCurry]

Yes, I've downloaded it too ! But thanks to you, I also now know that some of the deals might not be that good (considering the "2 for 1 Broadway week", which I was unaware of earlier)

 

[clairecloutier]

I saw Cats a couple years ago. Wonderful dancing/singing. But @Erin is right that it doesn't have much plot.

 

[VGThuy]

Cats is an adaptation of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, a collection of poems. As everyone else has said, there isn't much of a plot as I think it's just songs sung by various characters, but there is some sort of story about a tribe of cats meeting in a junkyard and them choosing a cat to be reincarnated with the exiled cat Grizabella going back and forth between walking on stage then turning around and walking off-stage throughout Act I and II until she gets to sing the musical's most famous song and then the tribe chooses her and she goes up to heaven to be reincarnated. There's also a kidnapping and some other things I didn't quite understand was going on while songs are sung like "Memory" that sound an awful like Puccini. I do remember the first time I saw Cats on PBS as a preteen. I had no idea what was going on but it fed my theatre-loving heart.

 

[paskatefan]

Am going to see the touring company of "Something Rotten" in Oct. The clips I've seen look great so hope it is.

We saw "Something Rotten" on Broadway - hilarious! We will get to see it through the national tour this season when it comes to Philly. Looking forward to seeing it again.

I would love to see "Come From Away!"

 

[kedrin]

Another vote for "Come From Away"- saw when a friend came to town. It's wonderful.

 

[oleada]

I just wanted to say thanks for posting about the 2 for 1 week - even though I'm a New Yorker, I had totally forgotten about this. My friend and I got tickets for Groundhog Day.

I have Hamilton tickets in January as well. I'm going to try and see Come from Away at some point.

 

[DannyCurry]

I'm packing my suitcase listening to songs from Dear Evan Hansen and I'm starting to get addicted..
So obviously I'm a bit more disappointed than initially, knowing that tickets will be impossible to get for this trip while I really love the songs, but I guess I just have to schedule another trip to NYC soon haha

 

[screech]

When I was there a few weeks ago, there were tickets available for Dear Evan Hansen (from one of the 'discount people' who try to solicit from those in the TKTS booth in time square) starting at about $200. Don't know how reputable they were, though...

Speaking of Dear Evan Hansen, Ben Platt tweeted this youtube video a while ago of someone dubbing over a live performance, and it's kind of hilarious (and sounds how I'd sound if I sang on Broadway).

 

[DannyCurry]

Hi ! So, although I almost missed my flight, I'm beginning my third day in NYC. So far, it feels GREAT. I feel like home here, especially with all the Will & Grace ads haha.
Well, yesterday, I got tickets at Times Square TKTS booths. $163 for 2 tickets, orchestra 4th row, central. I usually don't like to be too close to the stage but I never complain either because it's enjoyable to see closer all the facial expressions of the performers.
Anyway, I went with...Miss Saigon ! Overall a really good show. Great Kim (Eva Noblezada) and engineer (Jon Jon Briones). The only weak one in the cast (IMO) was Alistair Brammer who played Chris. Well, it's not that he's weak. It's just that I just didn't like his singing, at all.

I think I shouldn't have looked at pictures of the shows prior to seeing it, because I didn't get to be surprised by the chopper scene, which is truly well done. One thing that ruined the show for me was the rude members of the audience. People commenting (loudly!!!) and looking at their cell phones. AWFUL. I can't even stand it at the movies, I won't tolerate it at a musical..Why are people so rude ?!!

Well, tonight, TLK !!

 

[Erin]

Glad you are having a great time in New York! Good choice of Miss Saigon - that one is a little like Phantom where even though I'm not crazy about the story, I love the music so I forgive the faults of the story.

One thing that ruined the show for me was the rude members of the audience. People commenting (loudly!!!) and looking at their cell phones. AWFUL. I can't even stand it at the movies, I won't tolerate it at a musical..Why are people so rude ?!

I have never had this experience in New York but have had a couple of bad experiences elsewhere, once in Minneapolis and once in Toronto, both with obviously drunk people. The time in Minneapolis I actually had to complain and get the person removed from the theater because when I asked him politely to be quiet, he asked me if I wanted to "take it outside" which I took as a threat. And given that he had about a hundred pounds on me, not one I took lightly. The audacity of people astounds me.

Anyway, hopefully people are better behaved at Lion King. It's one of my favorite shows and I've seen it three times, including once in New York. To me, the best part of it is the way they do all the different animals. Hope you enjoy!!

 

[debo]

Wow, Bernadette Peters is taking over when Bette departs in January, so I won't be crushed if I can't get in for Bette.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/theater/bernadette-peters-hello-dolly.html

(Victor Garber is very good, as well.)

 

[VGThuy]

I still can't believe there are like no videos, not even a highlight clip or a performance from a morning talk show or even a good Tony Awards performance (no offense to David Hyde Pierce and that added throwaway song that producer Scott Rudin made him perform at the Tonys due to the fight between Rudin and the Tony producers), of Bette performing as Dolly. Apparently Bernadette Peters will not only take over the role but she'll get her own previews and opening night as well meaning production will close down for a bit. That's rare for a replacement.

 

[debo]

Apparently Bernadette Peters will not only take over the role but she'll get her own previews and opening night as well meaning production will close down for a bit. That's rare for a replacement.

Yikes, that makes a good trivia question. I don't even know how to phrase it to ask Google. Um, demanding Raquel Welch taking over for Lauren Bacall in Woman of the Year? Brilliant Pearl Bailey taking over for Carol Channing in Hello Dolly (if she in fact did)?

 

[skatesindreams]

Brilliant Pearl Bailey taking over for Carol Channing in Hello Dolly (if she in fact did)?

She did; and won a Tony for her performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4eS0x16v1k

 

[Parsley Sage]

Yikes, that makes a good trivia question. I don't even know how to phrase it to ask Google. Um, demanding Raquel Welch taking over for Lauren Bacall in Woman of the Year? Brilliant Pearl Bailey taking over for Carol Channing in Hello Dolly (if she in fact did)?

I checked out Broadwayworld.com and found this:

If memory serves me up right It happened when Ms Peters and the late great Elaine Stritch, replaced Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury in A Little Night Music. The production closed temporarily June 20, 2010, then reopened to previews July 12, 2010, with an official reopening August 1,2010

They also said that Pearl Bailey may have had previews and an opening night but there were other actresses between Carol and Pearl.

 

[screech]

I still can't believe there are like no videos, not even a highlight clip or a performance from a morning talk show or even a good Tony Awards performance (no offense to David Hyde Pierce and that added throwaway song that producer Scott Rudin made him perform at the Tonys due to the fight between Rudin and the Tony producers), of Bette performing as Dolly. Apparently Bernadette Peters will not only take over the role but she'll get her own previews and opening night as well meaning production will close down for a bit. That's rare for a replacement.

This annoys me. IMO she should not be eligible for a Tony next year, though she likely will be. The same show should not be up for production 2 years in a row.
However, I love Victor Garber, and he's joining the Bernadette version too. (Hasn't been officially announced, though Victor's husband apparently mentioned it).

As for videos, I haven't seen Hello Dolly, but I've come across A LOT of different shows on bootleg. Myself I've (via bootleg) watched the original cast of Book of Mormon (also the version with Ben Platt as Elder Cunningham - his broadway debut), I've got Hamilton (original cast), Newsies... there are a TON on youtube. And some with hilarious names ("I'm Sad and Pregernert The Musical" instead of 'Waitress', or "BOM Original Cast Who??? Anthony Ranella Never Heard of Him" for Book of Mormon). Some are simply just 'BOM Act 1' and such. If there's a show you're interested in, let me know and I can see if I have a link for it somewhere!

There's been a lot of noise made recently about filmed Broadway shows. Almost every show is professionally recorded, yet these recordings are not released. Since Newsies and Falsettos were released in theatres this year (and the Broadway version of Newsies is now on Netflix), theatre fans are calling for more shows to do the same.
And the market is there - both Newsies and FAlsettos were so successful that they repeatedly sold out theatres and had to add more dates for the showings. To be fair, both shows were no longer running when they were in theatres, but I still think it would be a great idea to release more shows, especially if they've ended their run. And I highly doubt releasing something like Dear Evan Hansen in theatres would have a huge effect on the live show (since I think ticket sales will already go way down when Ben Platt leaves in November anyway).

There's also now a broadway streaming service as well (for a $$) where you can access professionally recorded shows.

Or shows could do like Jersey Boys and actually make a movie version while the play is still running (even though the movie sucked, especially compared to the play). There's been talk of a Book of Mormon movie ever since the show premiered in 2011. I think most fans would want to see the original actors though, and despite looking waaaaay younger than almost 40, Andrew Rannells unfortunately wouldn't quite pass for the 19 of his character.

 

[VGThuy]

I didn't even think about Tony eligibility. I wonder if she would be eligible since it's the same exact production as Bette's. Since they did something similar for a A Little Night Music a few years ago and it was not eligible with the new cast, maybe the same rule will apply there.

 

[paskatefan]

^ That's how we got to see "Memphis" prior to seeing it on the National Tour!

 

[misskarne]

I've got Hamilton (original cast)

*fingers twitching* Hamilton with the original cast...? *all of the temptation*

There's been a lot of noise made recently about filmed Broadway shows. Almost every show is professionally recorded, yet these recordings are not released. Since Newsies and Falsettos were released in theatres this year (and the Broadway version of Newsies is now on Netflix), theatre fans are calling for more shows to do the same.
And the market is there - both Newsies and FAlsettos were so successful that they repeatedly sold out theatres and had to add more dates for the showings. To be fair, both shows were no longer running when they were in theatres, but I still think it would be a great idea to release more shows, especially if they've ended their run. And I highly doubt releasing something like Dear Evan Hansen in theatres would have a huge effect on the live show (since I think ticket sales will already go way down when Ben Platt leaves in November anyway).

I'm with you. I'd kill to see Hamilton (how insane, I was in New York in March 2016 and didn't even know what it was), and Lin Manuel Miranda has said that they recorded the show with the original cast and that it will be released one day but not yet. But when, Lin, when? How long do we have to wait? And I sort of understand the logic - why give people a $20 DVD they can watch over and over again when they'll willingly shell out hundreds of dollars for tickets to the real thing? But what about the fans who have very little chance to see it live? I would pre-order a professional DVD in a heartbeat. There's a market there, and they're just...ignoring it.

 

[DannyCurry]

Anyway, hopefully people are better behaved at Lion King. It's one of my favorite shows and I've seen it three times, including once in New York. To me, the best part of it is the way they do all the different animals. Hope you enjoy!!

Obviously I loved TLK, had goosebumps several times. The quality of the show is better than in Paris, as expected.
However, there were some letdowns. Simba (adult) wasn't the greatest. Spotted some lazy dancers (ie not on par with the others) and "Can You Feel" was underwhelming. I honestly prefer the version of "Festival of the Lion King" at Walt Disney World or, even better, Hong Kong Disneyland for that song.

Still overall it was a wonderful show. Theater was full and there was a great connection with the audience.
As for people's disrespectful behaviour, unfortunately mom-in-law was one of them yesterday, which is funny because she knows we can't stand people commenting at the movies or a theater, and just before the show, she also said she hoped people wouldn't talk. Go figure. I know that you can be mesmerized and you want to share your enthusiasm, but is it that difficult to keep making pointless comments ?!!!
Also, I was surprised that a Japanese guy was making noise picking up his m&m's in his damn packet.
Of course I know people have their own way to enjoy a show, but for me, commenting and making noise are so annoying and it prevents me from fully enjoying the show. Also, people are real pigs, when you see all the mess they leave on the floor after the show.

Anyway, tonight no musical planned. I think I'll try to see a play.

 

[screech]

IIRC, Lin has said they have no planned release date yet. I'm guessing it'll be a few years - not until interest starts to die down.

He's also tried to justify the ticket prices, saying that scalpers were selling them for hundreds (to over a thousand) dollars, so to help ensure that people were getting legitimate tickets, they had to up their price to compete.

I do love that the show has brought such interest to Broadway - I teach grade 5 in Canada, and I had students randomly shouting out 'Alexander Hamilton' when we talked about Canadian Prime Ministers - so the interest is definitely there.

But in any case, I don't think sales for Jersey Boys were affected much after the movie came out. Yes, it left Broadway in January, but it's coming back again next year.

And for videos affecting people seeing it live - I've seen Book of Mormon live. I've also seen the original broadway cast bootleg, as well as a bootleg with Ben Platt as Cunningham and Nic Rouleau (who has played Elder Price consistently ever since he was Andrew Rannells understudy in 2011 and is still playing it to this day). I've also seen parts of the bootleg with Gavin Creel as Price on the West End. And when I was recently in New York, I still wanted to go see the play live again, though my friend I was with wasn't having any of that, so we didn't. So my interest is still there!

But in any case, to help promote shows releasing their videos, people need to support shows when they come to theatres! Give Newsies great ratings on Netflix so that they'll see the support is there. Buy tickets to see a 'special event' showing in movie theatres. I loved going to see Newsies and Falsettos at the movies because almost everyone there was a Broadway fan, and I was chatting with random people about our love of Andrew Rannells, or how much we loved Christian Bale's horrible singing in the original Newsies.

 

[VGThuy]

Obviously I loved TLK, had goosebumps several times. The quality of the show is better than in Paris, as expected.
However, there were some letdowns. Simba (adult) wasn't the greatest. Spotted some lazy dancers (ie not on par with the others) and "Can You Feel" was underwhelming. I honestly prefer the version of "Festival of the Lion King" at Walt Disney World or, even better, Hong Kong Disneyland for that song.

Still overall it was a wonderful show. Theater was full and there was a great connection with the audience.
As for people's disrespectful behaviour, unfortunately mom-in-law was one of them yesterday, which is funny because she knows we can't stand people commenting at the movies or a theater, and just before the show, she also said she hoped people wouldn't talk. Go figure. I know that you can be mesmerized and you want to share your enthusiasm, but is it that difficult to keep making pointless comments ?!!!
Also, I was surprised that a Japanese guy was making noise picking up his m&m's in his damn packet.
Of course I know people have their own way to enjoy a show, but for me, commenting and making noise are so annoying and it prevents me from fully enjoying the show. Also, people are real pigs, when you see all the mess they leave on the floor after the show.

Anyway, tonight no musical planned. I think I'll try to see a play.

I really hate how they sell food and drink in Broadway theatres now. I mean I know it makes them money, but gosh it has turned into a movie theatre. Kelli O'Hara once during a Tony Awards roundtable said she was performing (in Bridges of Madison County) and this guy, she swore, and giving her eye contact and consciously putting M&Ms in his mouth to distract her. Like he'd wait for her to see him and them pop them in his mouth without breaking eye-contact and then hold one close to his mouth and wait for her to look at him again before putting it in his mouth. In her weird actress mind, she thinks the audience does things like that to be a part of the show. Samuel L. Jackson's wife (sorry forgot her name) was in Raisin in the Sun that season and was like "that's not it, they just think they're in a movie theatre now!" I have to side with Mrs. Jackson on this one.

 

[debo]

Along these lines, we all know now to keep our cell phones out of sight at a Patti LuPone show, right?

Also, Hamilton was up on YouTube last year. So many people posted there not to post about it there so as not to draw attention, it was pulled after two days.

 

[VGThuy]

Along these lines, we all know now to keep our cell phones out of sight at a Patti LuPone show, right?

I went to see A Doll House Part 2 and a woman in the row in front of mine had her phone out checking her messages or something as the show was starting and another woman in my row told her to put her phone away rather brusquely. She was my hero.

 

[screech]

Along these lines, we all know now to keep our cell phones out of sight at a Patti LuPone show, right?

Also, Hamilton was up on YouTube last year. So many people posted there not to post about it there so as not to draw attention, it was pulled after two days.

The posters keep re-posting shows under different names. For some of the shows (like the Book of Mormon videos I've seen) they're on youtube. For some, people downloaded them from youtube and then have shared them through uploads via other sites. Some are also on Vimeo instead.
I completely understand Broadway stars who complain about bootleggers - it's distracting to the crowds and to them (Nic Rouleau from Book of Mormon tweeted a few weeks ago that they could see someone in like the 3rd row facetiming the show to someone). Plus, broadway performers get nowhere near the $$ of other actors.
But it's not feasible for everyone to make it to New York, London, Chicago, LA, Toronto, or any other major theatre community city, so for some bootlegs are the only way to see the shows. If they were filmed and released by the company (if only for a limited run!) then it would limit or stop the bootlegs. Or release them for a couple of shows in movie theatres - the theatres sell out, and the companies would get good $$ from that too.
Like I said, though, a few posts ago - there's a Broadway streaming site (I think it's called BroadwayHD) that you can sign up for. It's still pretty limited, though.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

I would like to see the revival of Miss Saigon with Eva Noblezada. Everyone I know who has seen it says she's fabulous. The other one I would like to see, not for Sept. but just in time for Christmas, is (the original Miss Saigon!) Lea Salonga in the revival of Once on This Island.

Our season tickets for this fall are School of Rock & Waitress. Fun Home is an add on & I've been waiting for that one to come to town.

 

[VGThuy]

I want to see Once on this Island too! I fell in love with it many years ago when I first saw the Tony Awards clip:

https://youtu.be/CJ8448PLS_g?t=31

 

[Artistic Skaters]

I can't believe it's been 25 years. I love the musicals like Once on this Island with exuberant singing & dancing that carry the show without the flashy sets & gimmicks.

 

[screech]

For Miss Saigon, I only know of a link to the last performance of the original run (2001) but it's pretty bad quality.
And I don't have a link to Once on this Island.

 

[Seerek]

I went to see A Doll House Part 2 and a woman in the row in front of mine had her phone out checking her messages or something as the show was starting and another woman in my row told her to put her phone away rather brusquely. She was my hero.

Oh dear to this, especially considering that there is a considerable amount of dialogue for which Julie White (or Laurie Metcalf) is in fact sitting/standing right at the front edge of the stage...