Posts Tagged ‘theater’

Three Broadway Shows to See Before Mid-January

You’ve just missed your chance at seeing the last Broadway performances of Once, Side Show, Cinderella, Pippin, The Real Thing and This is Our Youth.

Before it’s too late, I suggest you buy your tickets for these shows which are scheduled to close (or move from their original home) mid-January:

It's Only a PlayIt’s Only a Play – An insider look at what happens on the opening night of a Broadway show, the title sums up how the characters are supposed to feel when the show doesn’t quite get the reviews hoped for. Now with Martin Short replacing Nathan Lane, Katie Finneran, F. Murray Abraham, and Stockard Channing, “It’s Only a Play” is a non-stop laughfest, poking fun at pretty much every major show on Broadway. It helps to see it with someone who is conversant with the current Broadway line-up, especially if you’re not a regular theater-goer. Now playing at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street), It’s Only a Play moves to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th Street, starting January 23. Tickets: www.telecharge.com.

Rock of the AgesRock of Ages – Unbelievably, this long-lasting, feel-good rocker is about to have its farewell tour. Closing on January 18, the show will no longer bring you those familiar 80s faves like “Any Way You Want It,” “We Built This City,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and “Don’t Stop Believin.” Constantine Maroulis (sixth-place finalist from the fourth season of American Idol) leads the final line-up.  Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 West th Street.  Tickets: www.telecharge.com .

The story about Berry Gordy’s creation of the Motown sound, starting in 1959, is a bit too long, with too much crammed in, but it’s still a crowd pleaser. Starting January 18, Motown: the Musical is concentrating its focus on its tour companies. This is your last chance to relive those Detroit phenoms like the Supremes, the Jackson Five, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson. The young Michael Jackson is a knockout. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 West 46th Street.  Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.

For more detailed information on these and other Broadway shows, a good source is Playbill,  www.playbill.com, where you can sign up for a newsletter of upcoming theater events.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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“Stars in the Alley” Offers Free Broadway Concert on May 21

Do you love live theater? The Tony Awards, honoring the “best of Broadway,” will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on June 8. Tickets are sold out, so you’ll have to resign yourself to watching from your home if you want to see Hugh Jackman host the black-tie event. www.TonyAwards.com

However, Broadway fans have an opportunity to enjoy another theatrical event — live  on Broadway —  as only New York City could hold. And it’s free!!  The event will be held rain or shine.

Stars in the AlleySTARS IN THE ALLEY, presented by United Airlines and produced by The Broadway League (www.broadwayleague.com), will take place on Wednesday, May 21 from 11am-12:30pm in Shubert Alley, between Broadway and 8th Avenue, Manhattan. Entrance to the concert is on 44th Street. An annual event leading up to the Tony Awards, the FREE Broadway show gives you a tasting menu of what’s hot on the Great White Way this season, in an outdoor setting in the heart of the Theater District. www.broadway.org/info/stars-in-the-alley.

Stars in the Alley

Courtesy of broadwayworld.com

The outdoor concert celebrates everything Broadway with star appearances from this year’s Tony nominees and songs from nearly 25 shows, accompanied by a live 12-piece orchestra. Non-musicals will also be included, with performances from a variety of current shows.

Hedwig

Courtesy of broadwayworld.com

2014 Tony-nominated actors/actresses scheduled to appear include Adriane Lenox (After Midnight), Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder), Kelli O’Hara (The Bridges of Madison County), Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Andy Karl (Rocky), Joshua Henry (Violet), and Tyne Daly (Mothers and Sons) as well as performances from all 2014 Tony Award-nominated musicals now in performance on Broadway including After Midnight, Aladdin, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, The Bridges of Madison County,  Bullets Over Broadway, Cabaret, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, If/Then, Les Misérables, Rocky and Violet.

Norm Lewis

Courtesy of broadwayworld.com

The show will be hosted by star of stage and screen Norm Lewis, who has just taken over the legendary title role in Broadway’s record-breaking The Phantom of the Opera.

PARTICIPATING MUSICALS INCLUDE:

After Midnight

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder

Aladdin

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical

The Bridges of Madison County

Bullets Over Broadway

Cabaret

Chicago

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

If / Then

Kinky Boots

Les Misérables

The Lion King

Mamma Mia!

Motown The Musical

Newsies

Once

The Phantom of the Opera

Pippin

Rock of Ages

Rocky

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Violet

Wicked

WITH ADDITIONAL APPEARANCES FROM:

Act One

All the Way

Casa Valentina

Holler if Ya Hear Me

Mothers and Sons

Of Mice and Men

On the Town

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Post-Easter Activities in Manhattan: Car Show, Egg Hunt, Gauguin and Broadway

Despite the chilly weather, Easter marks the start of some pretty wonderful New York City events this year.

New York Auto ShowIf you love cars, this is the time to get into gear.  The New York City International Auto Show runs through Sunday April 27.  This year’s show has a number of showstoppers with a wide range of electric cars, the 50th anniversary Mustang cars, and the 25th anniversary Miatas.  The second generation Rolls Royce Ghost is a stunner as are the new Mercedes-Benz C Class and BMW four-door 4 Series, both due to arrive in the US later this year.  You can also take a test drive over an off-road course with Jeep (Camp Jeep Outdoor Off Roading Ride Along), shoot a selfie with Nissan for a chance to win a free car, and enjoy other pop-up contests.  The show is an annual favorite and takes place at the Jacob Javits Center, 11th Avenue between 34th and 40th streets, in Manhattan.  Show hours are 10am-10pm through Saturday and 10am-7pm on Sunday.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.autoshowny.com.

Fabrage EggsIf you missed the Big Faberge Easter Egg hunt that took place over the past couple of weeks throughout New York City, you still have a chance to see all the eggs in one giant nest this week.  Visit Rockefeller Center, with your camera, and you’ll see the 282 eggs that made for a great scavenger hunt high and low in all five boroughs.  If you’d like one for your very own, you can bid on the Great Egg auction at www.paddle8.com, with all proceeds going to charity.  Download The Big Egg Hunt app or go online to www.thebigegghunt.org for more details.  Books of all the eggs are sold at Saks Fifth Avenue’s pop-up egg shop.

Moma ExhibitMOMA’s Gauguin: Metamorphoses exhibit is in full swing, now through June 8.  The artist’s paintings from 1889 through his death in 1903 displays rare prints and transfer drawings related to his better-known paintings.  Exhibit is located on the sixth floor of the museum. Ticket lines can be long, but the exhibit is worth it. 11 West 53rd Street, Manhattan, 212.708.9400. www.moma.org, The Museum of Modern Art.

Plays on Broadway in New YorkAnd, for those of you who want to be “in the know” about the theater scene before the Tony’s (Sunday, June 8 this year at 8pm), there’s a crop of interesting shows worth seeing.  Some of my favorite plays are “Of Mice and Men” starring the prolific actor James Franco with his apt sidekick Lennie, played by Chris O’Dowd of Bridesmaids fame. At the Longacre Theater, 220 West 48th Street. Tickets via Telecharge, or 212.239.6200.

Also, intriguing is The Realistic Jones, an odd but thought-provoking show with Marisa Tomei, Toni Collette, and Tracy Letts. At the Lyceum Theatre, 149 West 45th Street.  Tickets via Telecharge, or 212.239.6200.  If you prefer musicals, “Cabaret” will give you a hearty Willkomen at the Kit Kat Club at Studio 54.  The revival of the revival features one of its previous headliners, Alan Cumming, as Emcee.  Studio 42, 254 West 54th Street. Tickets through Roundabout,  or 212.719.1300. Also designed to envelop you in a musical haze is Audra McDonald’s one-woman depiction of Billie Holidayas Lady Day in her final days at the Emerson’s Bar and Grill.  Circle in the Square Theatre, 235 West 50th Street. Tickets through Telecharge, or 212.239.6200. For all listings, visit www.playbill.com.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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“Forever Tango” and “Let It Be”: Dance and Music Take Broadway by Storm

If you’re looking for straightforward musical or dance immersion on Broadway, there are two shows that you should consider. You won’t need to pay attention to the dialogue, or prep in advance by reading a play synopsis.  These shows are all about music and dance.

First, there’s still time for you to see “Dancing with the Stars’” famous duo Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy in “Forever Tango”. Their fantastic run ends August 18, although the show continues through September 15.  The two are an athletic, gorgeous embodiment of the tango, and it’s pure joy to see these television stars close up.  The other fourteen dancers are pretty spectacular, too, and you’ll start to wonder if you might actually be able to dance like that if you had a great partner to guide you around.  Also in the show through August 18 is the Nicaraguan Grammy Award-winner Luis Enrique. The screams and applause from the audience will let you know his importance in the salsa world, even if you might not be familiar with his name. Luis Fonsi, another Latin Grammy Award-winner, takes over on August 20.  While some of the tango numbers may be less than conventional – including the comedic tango numbers – the quality and attitude of the dance and dancers are impeccable.  You’ll be mesmerized by every flick of the leg, every athletic spin, and the remarkable expressions on each dancer’s face.  The eleven musicians who play the accordions, piano, violin, and other instruments are worthy of a concert by themselves; and the costumes are sexy tango.

http://forevertangobroadway.com Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48th Street.
Tickets: www.telecharge.com, 212-239-6200.

If dance isn’t something you’d like to watch but you’d prefer to do, then “Let It Be” might be more suited to your taste.  Suspend belief for two and a half hours and you can almost imagine that the Beatles are really on stage at the St. James Theater, as the four performers (and one guest director) take the audience through a musical chronicle of the Beatles’ famous hits.  Some of the songs are better performed than others, and you might have a debate amongst yourselves as to which Beatles impersonator is actually the truest, but no matter, you’ll have a fun time twisting and shouting all the way to the finale.  Come early to watch the 1960s television commercials and answer the Beatles trivia questions shown on the monitors.  Throughout the theatrical concert, actual video footage from the Beatles’ travels to New York is interspersed with other shots of the time.

http://www.letitbebroadway.com/ St. James Theater, 246 West 44th Street.
Tickets: www.telecharge.com, 212-239-6200.

Does either of these qualify as theater?  That’s up to you. I enjoyed them both.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Broadway Shows to See NOW (and soon)

Theater lovers, if you watched the 2013 Tony Awards two weeks ago, you know there are some shows you have to see.  There are also four that are closing in the next week that I would recommend searching out.  Here’s a list with my comments so you don’t miss out.

I’ll Eat You Last – Bette Midler’s one-woman show depicts the raunchy, aggressive, and sometimes self-pitying life of talent agent Sue Mengers in the 70s.  It’s the Divine Miss M completely transformed into Hollywood’s brash, super-agent, who represented a glittering roster of filmmakers and actors including Barbra Streisand, Steve McQueen, Marlon Brando, Mike Nichols and Cher.  Directed by Joe Mantello.  Closes Sunday June 30. Booth Theatre, 222. West 45th Street, Manhattan. www.IllEatYouLast.com.

Ann – Holland Taylor (the sassy mother on Two and a Half Men) is Texas governor Ann Richards in this one-woman show at Lincoln Center.  The show offers a very personal look into the life of the wise-cracking Richards and her trials and tribulations as both a high-power politician and family woman. Closes Sunday June 30.  Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 West 65th Street, Manhattan. www.TheAnnRichardsPlay.com.

Lucky Guy – Although Tom Hanks didn’t win a Tony award for this show by the late (and great) Nora Ephron, his Broadway-debut performance is still up there with some of the greats.  If you love New York history, and especially the sagas of New York tabloid journalism, this show is for you.  The rest of the cast, including the wonderful Maura Tierney (Maddie on The Good Wife) and Tony Award-winner Courtney B. Vance, is terrific, too. Directed by George C. Wolfe.  Closes Wednesday July 3.  Broadhurst Theatre, 235 West 44th Street, Manhattan. www.luckyguyplay.com .



Silence! The Musical – Not the faint of stomach, this parody of Silence of the Lambs, made a successful transition from off-off-Broadway to off-Broadway with its hilarious depiction of Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Starling (the impression is dead on) , and, especially, the lambs themselves. Closes Sunday July 7.  Elektra Theatre, 669 Eighth Ave., Manhattan. www.silencethemusicalnyc.com.

Others not to miss (but difficult to get tickets) are:

Pippin – Tony winner for Best Revival of a Musical, the magically recast Pippin is a glorious evening of circus, music, theatrics, and Bob Fosse dance.  Tony Award winners Patina Miller and Andrea Martin are breathtaking as are the entire cast of players.  Music Box Theater, 239 West 45th Street, Manhattan.  www.PippinTheMusical.com.

Kinky Boots – Tony award winner for Best Musical, this is another show that’s having a nearly sold-out run.  Without ruining the story, suffice it to say that kinky boots are the salvation for a shoe manufacturing company down on its luck.  Billy Porter, Tony award winner, is memorable.  Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 West 45th Street, Manhattan.  www.KinkyBootsTheMusical.com

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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January and February is a Time for Luxury Hotel Discounts, Fabulous Shopping, and Deals at Restaurants and Theater

While you may have nothing but Barney’s windows, Rockefeller Center and the Rockettes on your mind when it comes to Manhattan in the winter, New York City is a great place to visit after the holidays. There are sales, sales, and more sales. Plus the wonderfully reduced prices of NYC Restaurant Week from January 24 to February 6, Broadway Week, and Off-Broadway Week. You can celebrate Chinese New Year on January 23, shop some more at the Winter Antiques Show from January 20-29, or go to the Boat Show at the beginning of the year. If you can’t leave the kids behind, don’t! From February 5-9, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to introduce them to a bit of NYC culture with a free ticket to a Broadway show on Kids’ Night Out.

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Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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