Tales From the City
We have been home now for almost 24 hours and I’m already starting to lose details! I guess that happens when you cram a ton of stuff into a week long vacation. Anyway… New York was a blast! It was a well-deserved and much needed vacation. Don and I did and saw so much. It was amazing. The pictures and stories won’t really do it justice (do they ever, really?). I think the easiest way to share our trip is to break it into sections of interest (hopefully). So, let’s talk about the SHOWS!!!!
Broadway
Broadway was the real reason that we trekked across country and it did not disappoint. We saw The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Sweeney Todd, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Forbidden Broadway. This turned out to be a really good variety. Each show was fantastic. The talent is absolutely amazing. There is definitely a reason why these people are on Broadway and the rest of us aren’t! There wasn’t a weak link in any show. Each and every cast member was immensely talented and well-trained. It made some of the stuff that goes on here look pretty pitiful. For example, Sweeney Todd didn’t have an orchestra. The actors played all of the instruments on stage from memory! That was just awe-inspiring. For those who don’t know, Sweeney Todd is a Sondheim musical and Sondheim isn’t known for being easy. Where in the world do you find good actors who are also accomplished singers and instrumentalists? That wouldn’t happen here. We have a hard enough time finding good actors who can carry a tune! Needless to say, we were extremely impressed with the cast and the production. The story is not one of my faves. It’s pretty dark. Here’s the gist: A man is sent to prison, he comes home to pick up his life and nothing is the same as when he left. So, he becomes obsessed with revenge. He’s a barber by trade, so he starts killing people when they come into his shop and his friend the pie lady grinds up the bodies to use in her meat pies. Fun musical, hu? It was definitely worth seeing due to the talented cast. Patti LuPone from Life Goes On (remember? With Corky and Kellie Martin?) was the Mrs. Lovett, the pie lady.
Our favorite show from the week was definitely Wicked. I was really looking forward to finally seeing it, especially since we missed it in LA last summer. It was AMAZING! It was so worth the wait. I love the score and it means so much more now that the story has been fleshed out a bit. It is such a huge musical. The story is grand, the roles are grand, the sets are grand, the costumes are grand, the music is grand. It is probably my new favorite stage musical (The Sound of Music still takes the cake on film). The female leads were fabulous and Glinda was even an understudy- that’s how good Broadway is! I’d even venture to say that the girl playing Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) was better than the CD. I know that’s sacrilege to some of you. Here’s another potentially controversial opinion: Now that I have seen both, I agree with the people who say that Avenue Q stole the Tony from Wicked. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Avenue Q. It’s witty and has a cool concept, but Wicked is just “Wow”. Plus, it gave us two great female lead roles to covet. I cannot wait to see it again. It is coming to San Diego this summer. Don already checked on tickets. They go on sale May 5th. We will be ready this time! So, family and friends, if you are interested in trying to do a group thing, get on it NOW. We will definitely be going.
Of course, my mom was surprised to hear that we enjoyed Wicked more than Phantom. I do hate to say it, because I love Phantom and we had great seats (we had good seats to every show, but these were the best). It was pretty cool to see the show right when it was celebrating its new honor as longest running show in Broadway history. However, it is becoming a little dated. It will be interesting to see what new effects they’ll be able to use when it comes to the Venetian this summer. It will be nice to see a tech makeover. This was my second time seeing Phantom and Don’s first and both of us would go back in a second.
The newest show we saw was The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We hadn’t originally planned to see it but ended up with a deal and some free time. Mark gave me the soundtrack for my birthday, so I knew that it was a cute show. I’m glad that we were able to see it, because it was very light-hearted and laugh-out-loud funny at times. This would be a great show for high schools to do if it weren’t for two songs/parts: My Unfortunate Erection and a song about one of the contestants and her two dads. They are both great parts but probably not public school appropriate. It is a really fun show with a soundtrack worth checking out. Especially take a look at The I Love You Song.
I just have one gripe, one observation and one tourist tip. The Gripe: Where has theatre etiquette gone? It has always bothered me that people don’t dress up and make a big deal out of going to a show. I thought it was just a Vegas thing. Now I know that it’s not. Some people were dressed to the nines and others definitely were not. I guess some people think that live theatre is as casual as attending a movie. I always think of it as a respect thing. These people give their hearts and their lives on stage every night; the least we can do is leave the jeans at home. That isn’t really the worst of it, though. Did anyone ever pass on that it is not appropriate to scream and holler at live theatre and classical music events? I suppose that’s the common form of showing appreciation, but I was taught that you holler at sports events not at the arts. Didn’t we all get that talk from our Choir/ Theatre teachers? I think that someone should educate the audience on theatre do’s and don’ts. Like Do clap, Don’t scream. Do arrive on time; Don’t climb over people during the first Act. Please refrain from talking, rustling candy wrappers and singing the score. Yes, even on Broadway, someone had to sing along behind us and ruin the punch lines with early deliveries. I thought that Don was going to throttle the stupid girl. Also, it would be really nice if people were aware that there are people sitting behind them especially when they are tall and I am short. At Phantom, we were seated third row Center Orchestra and a family of mostly children sat in front of us. I thought that I had lucked out until the father brought over a five to six inch pad for his daughter to sit on. What the hell is that about?! They were in the second row for goodness sake! I did not fly across the country and pay full price to have a bratty kid become taller than most adults by sitting on a stupid pad in front of me! So, in my assertive fashion, I questioned the father about the necessity of creating height for his daughter and pointed out that I am a short adult who would also like to see the show. She didn’t use the pad.
The Observation: People have been saying that Vegas is going to be Broadway-West. There’s even an article in today’s RJ about it. I don’t know how anyone realistically thinks this can happen. Of course, it would be a dream come true. But, New York has a fabulous artistic community and happens to respect art in its intended form. We want to make shows fit Vegas (i.e.: 90 minute condensed versions. Even Avenue Q is getting chopped up, I’ve heard.). I don’t want Broadway-lite. Plus, how can it work when casino managers and owners are more concerned with profitability than the art (and it shows)? I don’t see a good future for such a tradition laden art form in such a tradition less town. I hate to say it, but until our fair city can respect the shows they’ll never thrive. I think that it was totally unrealistic for the Wynn to expect to sell out two shows a night with Avenue Q. That theater is huge! It was bigger than every theater we were in except Wicked’s. They don’t even do two shows a night in New York, so why would we do that here? Did they even research these shows before signing them?
Tourist Tip: If you ever plan a trip to Broadway, be sure to take advantage of the TKTS ticket booth in Times Square. We got half price tickets for most of our shows using this service. The catch is that you can only go the day of the show and not all the shows are available every day. It’s a crap shoot, but well worth the savings. We booked advance tickets for the shows that we had to see and used TKTS for the rest. Supposedly, we have the same thing here in Vegas. We’ll have to research that and give you all an update.
Wow! That was a lot. I think I'm going to have to do installments.
To be continued...
Broadway
Broadway was the real reason that we trekked across country and it did not disappoint. We saw The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Sweeney Todd, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Forbidden Broadway. This turned out to be a really good variety. Each show was fantastic. The talent is absolutely amazing. There is definitely a reason why these people are on Broadway and the rest of us aren’t! There wasn’t a weak link in any show. Each and every cast member was immensely talented and well-trained. It made some of the stuff that goes on here look pretty pitiful. For example, Sweeney Todd didn’t have an orchestra. The actors played all of the instruments on stage from memory! That was just awe-inspiring. For those who don’t know, Sweeney Todd is a Sondheim musical and Sondheim isn’t known for being easy. Where in the world do you find good actors who are also accomplished singers and instrumentalists? That wouldn’t happen here. We have a hard enough time finding good actors who can carry a tune! Needless to say, we were extremely impressed with the cast and the production. The story is not one of my faves. It’s pretty dark. Here’s the gist: A man is sent to prison, he comes home to pick up his life and nothing is the same as when he left. So, he becomes obsessed with revenge. He’s a barber by trade, so he starts killing people when they come into his shop and his friend the pie lady grinds up the bodies to use in her meat pies. Fun musical, hu? It was definitely worth seeing due to the talented cast. Patti LuPone from Life Goes On (remember? With Corky and Kellie Martin?) was the Mrs. Lovett, the pie lady.
Our favorite show from the week was definitely Wicked. I was really looking forward to finally seeing it, especially since we missed it in LA last summer. It was AMAZING! It was so worth the wait. I love the score and it means so much more now that the story has been fleshed out a bit. It is such a huge musical. The story is grand, the roles are grand, the sets are grand, the costumes are grand, the music is grand. It is probably my new favorite stage musical (The Sound of Music still takes the cake on film). The female leads were fabulous and Glinda was even an understudy- that’s how good Broadway is! I’d even venture to say that the girl playing Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) was better than the CD. I know that’s sacrilege to some of you. Here’s another potentially controversial opinion: Now that I have seen both, I agree with the people who say that Avenue Q stole the Tony from Wicked. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Avenue Q. It’s witty and has a cool concept, but Wicked is just “Wow”. Plus, it gave us two great female lead roles to covet. I cannot wait to see it again. It is coming to San Diego this summer. Don already checked on tickets. They go on sale May 5th. We will be ready this time! So, family and friends, if you are interested in trying to do a group thing, get on it NOW. We will definitely be going.
Of course, my mom was surprised to hear that we enjoyed Wicked more than Phantom. I do hate to say it, because I love Phantom and we had great seats (we had good seats to every show, but these were the best). It was pretty cool to see the show right when it was celebrating its new honor as longest running show in Broadway history. However, it is becoming a little dated. It will be interesting to see what new effects they’ll be able to use when it comes to the Venetian this summer. It will be nice to see a tech makeover. This was my second time seeing Phantom and Don’s first and both of us would go back in a second.
The newest show we saw was The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We hadn’t originally planned to see it but ended up with a deal and some free time. Mark gave me the soundtrack for my birthday, so I knew that it was a cute show. I’m glad that we were able to see it, because it was very light-hearted and laugh-out-loud funny at times. This would be a great show for high schools to do if it weren’t for two songs/parts: My Unfortunate Erection and a song about one of the contestants and her two dads. They are both great parts but probably not public school appropriate. It is a really fun show with a soundtrack worth checking out. Especially take a look at The I Love You Song.
I just have one gripe, one observation and one tourist tip. The Gripe: Where has theatre etiquette gone? It has always bothered me that people don’t dress up and make a big deal out of going to a show. I thought it was just a Vegas thing. Now I know that it’s not. Some people were dressed to the nines and others definitely were not. I guess some people think that live theatre is as casual as attending a movie. I always think of it as a respect thing. These people give their hearts and their lives on stage every night; the least we can do is leave the jeans at home. That isn’t really the worst of it, though. Did anyone ever pass on that it is not appropriate to scream and holler at live theatre and classical music events? I suppose that’s the common form of showing appreciation, but I was taught that you holler at sports events not at the arts. Didn’t we all get that talk from our Choir/ Theatre teachers? I think that someone should educate the audience on theatre do’s and don’ts. Like Do clap, Don’t scream. Do arrive on time; Don’t climb over people during the first Act. Please refrain from talking, rustling candy wrappers and singing the score. Yes, even on Broadway, someone had to sing along behind us and ruin the punch lines with early deliveries. I thought that Don was going to throttle the stupid girl. Also, it would be really nice if people were aware that there are people sitting behind them especially when they are tall and I am short. At Phantom, we were seated third row Center Orchestra and a family of mostly children sat in front of us. I thought that I had lucked out until the father brought over a five to six inch pad for his daughter to sit on. What the hell is that about?! They were in the second row for goodness sake! I did not fly across the country and pay full price to have a bratty kid become taller than most adults by sitting on a stupid pad in front of me! So, in my assertive fashion, I questioned the father about the necessity of creating height for his daughter and pointed out that I am a short adult who would also like to see the show. She didn’t use the pad.
The Observation: People have been saying that Vegas is going to be Broadway-West. There’s even an article in today’s RJ about it. I don’t know how anyone realistically thinks this can happen. Of course, it would be a dream come true. But, New York has a fabulous artistic community and happens to respect art in its intended form. We want to make shows fit Vegas (i.e.: 90 minute condensed versions. Even Avenue Q is getting chopped up, I’ve heard.). I don’t want Broadway-lite. Plus, how can it work when casino managers and owners are more concerned with profitability than the art (and it shows)? I don’t see a good future for such a tradition laden art form in such a tradition less town. I hate to say it, but until our fair city can respect the shows they’ll never thrive. I think that it was totally unrealistic for the Wynn to expect to sell out two shows a night with Avenue Q. That theater is huge! It was bigger than every theater we were in except Wicked’s. They don’t even do two shows a night in New York, so why would we do that here? Did they even research these shows before signing them?
Tourist Tip: If you ever plan a trip to Broadway, be sure to take advantage of the TKTS ticket booth in Times Square. We got half price tickets for most of our shows using this service. The catch is that you can only go the day of the show and not all the shows are available every day. It’s a crap shoot, but well worth the savings. We booked advance tickets for the shows that we had to see and used TKTS for the rest. Supposedly, we have the same thing here in Vegas. We’ll have to research that and give you all an update.
Wow! That was a lot. I think I'm going to have to do installments.
To be continued...
posted by Unknown at 10:23 PM
3 Comments:
Glad to hear you had a good time! :)
There's so much I want to comment on, but then it would be too long... I'll just say I'm jealous about the shows, especially Wicked. Robert and I are going to New York state for his niece's baptism, and I was pretty bummed when I realized we didn't have time to stop in New York City and see it.
Wicked was totally awesome. It's coming to San Diego and La Jolla (?) this summer, so watch for it. I hear that New York state is much prettier than the city, but it is a bummer that you can't go in for at least one show.
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