Musicals.. (Broadway and West End!)

I searched for a similar topic and couldn't find one so here it is!

I'm a huge huge HUGE theatre fan and go a couple of times a month. I just got back from New York last week where we saw Legally blonde a couple of times, Xanadu, Colour Purple, Wicked (Annaleigh!!) Chorus Line (snore) and of course Little Mermaid.

I enjoyed Little Mermaid a lot but my friend hated it and said it was the worst pile of shit she'd ever seen. Each to their own I guess. It's certainly not as visually stunning as The Lion King or Mary Poppins but it's the Little Mermaid, the songs and characters are amazing. I think they could have done with spending another couple of million in production to smarten it up a bit. It does look a bit amateurish, maybe spent a bit more money figuring out how to make their legs invisble... it was kind of odd having the legs and tail :-\

Legally Blonde is my current obsession.... Laura Bell is AMAZING! And Orfeh... and Andy Karl too for that matter. We saw it twice and got Becky Gulsvig as Elle the second time and she was no where near as good as Laura Bell. We're going back in May to see it a few more times before Laura Bell and Orfeh leave, and then going back in July to see the new cast. Can't wait to see what they do to the London Production!

I could talk about musicals forever so i'll leave it there for now... haha. ;D

 

I think you'll be in good company on here Elle!

Wicked! is on tour in Florida while I am over there so i'm definately wanting to see that, and i'm going to NY after my programme, but I only get a couple of days there so i'm really going to have to chose wisely for what I want to see!
I've seen The Lion King and didn't like it so i'm a bit apprehensive about The Little Mermaid..

.. I'll be in NY at the end of October (if i dont manage to get a few days up there during the programme!) so all suggestions as to what I should see would be appreciated!

xx

 

i know it doesn´t belong to this topic, but...
i also want to fly to NY after my program... are there any packages offered or did you book for yourself? how much do you have to budget? thanks

 

If you look around apparently you can book flights from Orlando to New York for about $200 which is fantastic. Then once there if you don't mind the possibilty of sharing a room with a stranger stay in one of the hostils. Or book far enough in advance and you can get a great deal at the radio city apartments. That's where we usually stay. It cost $350 each for an apartment for the whole week which had it's own kitchen area and two bedrooms. There were four of us staying too and it's right on 47th street so very very close to the action! Also, get a student ID if you want to see shows, then you can do student rush on the day and get front row seats for $26.50. Otherwise you're talking $120 for a seat that could be in row Z!

If I get in the programme then I plan to head over to New York as much as possible to do shows, the second I find out i've got 2+ days off in a row i'm going!


Vicki, if you don't like Lion King, you'll probably hate Little Mermaid so definitely steer clear. In the Heights is supposed to be amazing, my friend randomly saw it once and loved it so much she headed back again a few days later. I really like the over the top, cheesy musicals so for that reason alone Xanadu and Legally Blonde are must-sees! August: Ossage County is a straight play but that's supposed to be one of the best things on at the moment. I didn't see it because straight plays aren't my thing and it's 3 hours long but I know about 4 people who have seen it and loved it.

There's just so many! Xanadu and Blonde are supposed to be coming over to the UK in September-ish though so it may be worth seeing something new out in NY....Oh and Young Frankenstein! That's supposed to be hilarious and on my list to see when I go back in May.

 

You can get the much cheaper, check www.southwest.com or www.orbitz.com. I went to the west coast at the end of my program and got a flight for around $100 including taxes (one way)!!!

 

Oh... and me and my sister are taking my mum to see wicked for her birthday next month... we are really close, like 5 or 6 rows from the front but pretty much alllll the way over to the left side (as you look at the stage). i hope we can see from there. Anyone know?!

 

You'll be able to see pretty well. But you're going to miss quite a bit of what happens on the close left side. Nothing too drastic that will affect the story though.

I found returns for like $190 to NY and it only takes 3 hours to get there! So happy! Feasibly I could go one day and come back the next and get two shows in! Yay!

 

is there a theatre that has tour shows nearby? Im also a huge Broadway fan and love to take in as many shows as I can!

 

HUGE theatre fan, and I just found out that the day after I leave for florida, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is coming to my hometown. I haven't seen that one, so was a bit disappointed-- until I remembered that obvi I'd rather be working for Disney!!

 

I LOVE musicals too!! I've never been to NYC but if I do go I'll definately see a show or 2 or 3. I've wanted to see Wicked for so long as well as The Lion King and the Little Mermaid sounds amazing. Has anyone seen Joseph and the Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat? That's one of my favorites, it was the first musical I ever saw and I think I've seen it about 4 times lol.

 

I haven't seen it yet, I have a bit of a phobia about reality tv stars! lol
I'm kind of gutted that I miss the transfer of Xanadu and Legally Blonde to the West End, I won't get to see them for a whole year so i'll miss the original London casts which is gutting! But... you know, Disney for a year, Broadway just a quick flight away, I guess i'll get over it.

Spelling Bee is so funny! Saw the original cast and had David Schwimmer sat a few seats away! My friend got picked to go on stage as one of the spellers, it was amazing!

 

When i have some time-off i want to take a trip up to NYC (been 3 times already) and i want to see loads of shows. Especially RENT, its my favorite musical. Ive seen it on Broadway 2 times now. Love it.

 

I am SO jealous of you lot, i'm dying to goto New York and Broadway to see the shows there, I luuuuuurve musicals...

 

Rent closes on the 1st June... after so many bloody years! So you'll have to get out there quick! I've listened to the album forever and think there are some wonderful songs but I finally saw it on Broadway in 2005 and it just did nothing for me. It wasn't quite the emotional cry-fest I expected it to be!

Now, The Color Purple was emotional. Again, listened to the album loads, loved the songs but it never really connected. Saw it on Broadway and cried my eyes out. The leading lady Zonya came out to bow and I lost it! I can't believe I only saw it once before it closed!

 

Well at least you got to see it, that's the main thing!


I hate that, when I can't control my crying in the theatre... it's embarassing! :-X
Once I got into an emotional WRECK, where you actually can't stop... you know, where you practically hyperventilate? Yeah that was me in The Lion King.

 

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe RENT is closing, thats ridiculous. I won't get to see it again then :-[ that sucks. At least ive got to see it twice though.

I think its fabulous.

 

awww that sucks about RENT. I've never seen it either but I've always wanted to.
haha i cry at the theatre too when I can't help it. And i still cry when I watch the Lion King lol

 

Yup, the film gets me every single time.

 

I saw Rent in new york too. I didn't think it was great.

We did the lottery so got the front row seats for $20 i think, and i thought maybe we were close to enjoy it fully. :-\

 

There was a group of six of us and only two of us wanted to see Rent so we all lotto'd to up their chances. There was like 80 people and every single one of us won the lotto, it was really embarrassing, we kept having to say pass. At first everyone laughed and then they all started glaring at us! We sat a few rows back and I don't think you lose the impact being close, there's just not a lot to it.


Now, I saw the Lion King on my 19th birthday and cried the whole first 10 minutes with the animals walking through the theatre and the music, it was beautiful! It's just so extravagant and clever and moving... it seems to have all the magic that The Little mermaid is lacking. TLK wows at every number and TLM kind of... well rolls along with no huge spectacle numbers! I still enjoyed it though! lol