The Mountaintop

Wow, what a piece of theater! 2 greats on 1 stage! Angela Bassett will receive a tony nomination for best female in a lead role for sure! (If she doesn't, I will be SHOCKED!) Samuel L. Jackson was good as well, but he was playing Martin Luther King Jr., no easy feat. It's a limited run, so there isn't much more time to see it.
This theater is GREAT for seeing shows. It's super intimate and small. We sat in row E in the orchestra all the way against the wall. Though it MIGHT be considered partial view (we couldn't see stage left which they rarely stood in) they were GREAT seats! We were literally 20 feet away from the actors. You could see every facial expression. I don't think I'll ever dislike seeing a show in this theater. Previously, we've seen Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and God of Carnage here. For BBAJ, they really transformed the theater so that it was covered in red christmas lights and even had a horse hanging upside down from the ceiling....Aaron was a little shocked that this was the same theater.
I will say that this was one of my least have theater experiences as of late. Not because of the theater or the performers, but because of the audiences members sitting next to me. They showed up late, talked, texted, and even answered the phone TWICE! My blood was boiling! I missed some important plot points and Aaron had to explain it later.

Peter Pan

I'm a HUGE Peter Pan fan. Not only the actual musical, but just the story in general. I always enjoyed Disney's version, Hook, Finding Neverland, and EVEN the erotic child one that came out in 2003. My parents even took me to see a production of it back when I was 3 and they said I was just so happy with glee at seeing Peter fly.

Unfortunately, this show was NOT that wonderful. Cathy is just too OLD. She's 59. She can still do the tricks which is great. I'd love to be able to do half the acrobatics at her age. But her vocals were strained sounding. Aaron said it best.

"Peter Pan sounded like Lucille 2." He's referring to Liza Minelli on Arrested Development. Yikes! The wires that helped them fly were great though. You couldn't even really see them. At the curtain call, however, she flies out over the audience and you can totally see her harness, the wires, and the freakin machine moving her over the audience. Not cool!

Our seats were HORRENDOUS! I bought the cheapest section (301) which came to $35 a person. But the actors were SO small. We couldn't even see facial expressions. At times, you couldn't even tell who was talking. Also, the costumes were horrible. You couldn't tell who was an indian, who was a lost boy, and who was a pirate. You should never have trouble figuring out those 3 types of characters.
In the end, Aaron didn't like it because it was a kid's show....and he was right. It IS a kid's show. But we both enjoyed the music and Aaron enjoyed Captain Hook!

Bonnie and Clyde

WOW! I actually REALLY liked Bonnie and Clyde! For real, I want the soundtrack! It had a few issues (it was lengthy) but for the most part, I thought that it was a great addition to the musical theater world. Too bad it's closing at the end of the month! The costumes were great, the music and lyrics I enjoyed, and Jeremy Jordan is smoking' hot! I didn't like all the gunfire though. Hopefully, word of mouth can save the show! It really deserves to stay open.
We sat in the mezz....row F on the house right side. Nothing was partial view. We've previously seen the Motherfucker With the Hat and A Chorus Line here, both in the orchestra. After seeing something in the mezz, the theater feels very small.
This show really is beautiful and what's more is that they use real pictures from the real Bonnie and Clyde. Makes it feel more real.

An Evening With Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin

How exciting it was to see this show, not just because I was witnessing the Broadway MAGIC that is Patti Lupone, but also because I was popping my Ethel Barrymore theater cherry. (I only have one more theater to go before I can say that Ive been in every broadway house!) The house is great. It's not too large so a two person show is nice to have here. It feels very intimate. It was a little cold in there though.
I was in row N on the aisle. We were under the mezzanine but nothing was obstructed (unless you want to consider the HOT mess of a hairstyle the old lady in front of me was sporting.)
These two are theatrical geniuses!

The New York Philharmonic

We went to see the NY Philharmonic the other night. It was a night of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. The music was beautiful and neither of us fell asleep. It was amazing to see all those strings in perfect unison.
We had great seats. Row R, off to the right(or left if you're looking at the photo) We could've been closer, but it wasn't like we were watching a play and needed to see facial expressions. We did notice that the conductor/pianist was using an iPad as his sheet music. He was so good that he was actually adjusting his piano bench DURING the song.
It's a wonderful space. Very good acoustics and LOTS of seating. Since I bought the tickets through TDF, they were only $27 which is a steal considering the orchestra seats are normally in the $70 range while the top level is $35.

Lysistrata Jones

Whoa, what a train wreck this was. Where do I begin? Ugh, the opening number was uninspiring, so within the first 5 minutes, I was already against the show. Not a good spot to be in. The idea was cute; take a Greek play, Lysistrata, and modernize it. It was way too trite for my liking and not in the Hairspray over the top way. It wasn't even as good as Legally Blonde. Honestly, none of the music grabbed me. There WAS as Asian girl character though, so it's something I need to remember. My friend Teddy was in it too....one of my friends made it big! Hooray for him!
I was in row C of the orchestra, house right. It was SO close, but honestly, I didn't miss anything. Maybe it was the staging, but they really didn't use the sides of the stage. Previous to this show, I have seen only one other show! (Eek, practically a virgin to the Walter Kerr) I saw A Little Night Music in mid orchestra. The seats were AMAZING!
I don't think this show is meant for a broadway house. Honestly, it needs a much smaller venue. A black box maybe....but it just came from off bway so it can't go back.

Stomp

We saw Stomp last night.....yes, the Stomp from 1994. It honestly felt like stepping back in time, not just because of the style of the show, but also because I saw the touring company when I was a young girl. And the show has not changed from my little adolescent memory. There's no talking in this show, so it's great for foreign tourists. In fact, all you tourists that are looking for a show to go to, see this....and while you're at it, stop talking during Phantom!

The theater is SO narrow. For real! We had great seats in the 8th row. There's not much of a rake that early in the theater, but I really didn't have an issue seeing anything.
By far, both me and Aaron liked the same skits. Our favorites were the kitchen sink (with water) and the zippo lighters.

Follies

Tonight we went to the theater with my father in law and his friend to see Follies. It had pretty good reviews, though people had been saying negative things about Bernadette; that she sounds hoarse and is having trouble breathing. And yes, these things may be true, but it doesn't really matter when you're Bernadette freakin' Peters. Now onto the theater...
Our seats were PERFECT. We were in row S, center section. We were under the mezzanine, but our views weren't restricted at all. We could've been closer to the stage but we definitely saw everything from where we were. This theater is HUGE too. Very wide feeling. We've seen a couple of shows here. Wonderland in row M off to the right, Crybaby in the rear mezz (that was a horrible tragedy of a John Waters story), and Thoroughly Modern Millie twice (once in the rear mezz and once in the front mezz which was a great seat).This show just makes you appreciate the older generation, remember what you forgot, and just enjoy slowing down. The pace of the show is definitely unfamiliar to me. Everything today is a million miles a minute. Aaron said this was one of his top 10 shows he's ever seen AND that he now gets what all the fuss is about this Sondheim guy. YEAH!

OMG, this is love! For real! What more can you ask for?! Bernadette Freaking Peters singing "Losing My Mind." I seriously can die now!

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

There aren't many times that I get to sit in the Palace theater. Mainly, it's because the shows booked there aren't of interest to me. Not the case this time. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a wonderful show about 3 drag queens on a road trip in a bus called Priscilla. The costumes are eye dazzling and the tunes are all the diva hits of the 80's, so you know you want to just get up and dance.
My friend Betsy and I won the lottery and sat in the first row of the orchestra. AA 103 and 105. You'd think it would be a great seat, and sure, it was great for some of the scenes....BUT it was really close and the stage is incredibly tall. When I stood up, the stage was about at my lip level, so let's say that the stage is about 4'8" tall. Quite a tall stage in my opinion. However, to sit in the REAR of the orchestra is also bad, I've heard, as the mezzanine overhang blocks much of the show. SO, for this particular show, the best spot is in the mezzanine. This theater is huge and used to house Beauty and the Beast so you can imagine just how many people they can cram into it.
It's a visual spectacle and it should not be missed.

Previous to this show, I'd seen West Side Story in the orchestra(maybe row M, and perfect seats) and Legally Blonde (front row again, neck hurt but worth it for the price).

The Book of Mormon

I went back to see Book of Mormon tonight. My friend Betsy and I waited in line for the standing room tickets. How long did we wait, you ask? 5.5 hours! Yep, from 12:30 to 6 we sat our asses on the concrete sidewalk and had to hold strong and not let any lottery losers cut in front of us. We were behind the last row of the orchestra, and there were excellent views, folks.

I would even go as far as to say that the view was better than my 5th row mezz seats earlier this summer. Of course, we did have to stand and my back hurt a little from sitting on the sidewalk, but again, it was well worth the wait, we made some friends in line, and we were able to go to Blockheads and get a drink before the show.
Here we are with our tickets. At the SRO line, they actually let you get a max of 2 tickets per person.

We saw the original cast minus Josh Gad. His understudy was much less "weird" but very talented and gave his own performance while still not letting the audience feel as if they missed out on something.

Rock of Ages

Oof! What a disappointment this show was! I don't even know where to begin, so maybe I'll start with talking about the theater. It's a smaller venue and the stage is very deep, noted by Aaron. We were in the mezzanine, row E house right. I should point out that House Right should be called "partial view" because there are entrances upstage left that can't be seen. There is no such entrance upstage right, so try to sit House Left....oof, confusing, I know. Seats weren't bad as far as being far away from the actors, though it could've been because the show was just THAT bad!

Before this show, I had seen Xanadu twice. Both times I saw it, I was in the front orchestra....front as in front row. It was a bit close, but we had a ball at that show.
I wanted to like it, I really did. Who doesn't like rock songs from the 80's, the big hair, and cliches....this show just mocked everything that is 80's, and as Aaron put it, the show was just charicatures of SNL charicatures of 80's people. There were maybe 5 good laughs throughout the show.
When it comes down to it, it's a juke box musical. And if I've learned anything over the few years I've been watching shows, avoid the juke box musical....why you ask? Because when you go to one, the audience members surrounding you know all the songs and feel like they should join in and sing WITH the actors. Yes, I know it's Rock of Ages and it's a "concert" setting, but I'm also referring to Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia. (The only exception I've encountered is American Idiot, though I think part of the reason why no one was singing along was because the show actually had respect for the art of theater) This show was just bad. I wouldn't even go for $20. I'm annoyed I paid TDF prices. I would say avoid this one at all costs, maybe even if you had a free ticket. See it if you're completely shit faced because otherwise you'll be aware of what bad murder of theater is happening on the stage in front of you.

US Open

Tennis anyone? We went to see the second round of the 2011 Us Open. We saw Wozniacki and Djonkovic. Both were the #1 players in the world at this point in time.
We sat in section 336, so on an angle. Aaron said that he didn't like sitting there for women's tennis because the ball doesn't go as fast and it's hard to keep track of it. But for men's he enjoyed it. We were out of the sun though so that was a big plus.

Memphis

Tonight, Aaron and I went to see Memphis! We had put this show off for a long time...why? Not really sure right now as it was AWESOME! What a great show, filled with toe tapping songs, inspiring choreography, and a lot of heart. I was afraid that it was going to be Hairspray without the white people.
We got our tickets through TDF and were seated in row H of the mezzanine. The seats were decent, though we were under the proscenium and missed the top of the stage. (Not like there was anything up there to see, but I like to see the full picture) The theater was half empty. I'm not sure how much longer this show is going to run with half of the mezz empty, but I'm not a broadway producer. At intermission, we moved to row D center section of the mezzanine and Aaron said "whoa, this is a lot closer." So a 4 mere rows forward and the show is THAT much closer.
The show was energetic and though it didn't really break any boundaries or do anything new, the show was solid. We'd recommend it to tourists. It definitely has more pizzazz than some of the crap out there.

Aside from this show, I've see Gyspy with Bernadette Peters twice here in the mezzanine, as well as Spamalot 3 times (once in the orchestra super close and 2 more times in the mezzanine) and I was always pleased with my seat, never having partial view.

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

We saw How to Succeed the day before my birthday this year. I arrived at the RUSH line 30 minutes before the doors opened and the line was SO long. I was actually afraid that I wasn't going to get in....but lucky for me and everyone else in line, the theater has a lot of "partial view" seats. We sat all the way back in row O on the right side (I'm really happy we were on house right and not house left because very little is blocked on house right and a LOT of blocked house left.)

Here's a picture of where we sat. Pretty much, the whole stage was visible. The only part we couldn't see was a platform for the secretary which was blocked by the boxes above.

The show as a whole was very fun. It was great to see Daniel Radcliffe. He really worked hard. The songs were fun and it looked like the choreographer had a field day. Not my favorite show, but I'm a lot happier about this show after seeing it live.

Book of Mormon

Tonight, we saw Book of Mormon at the Eugene O'Neil theater. We sat in the mezzanine, all the way house right. We were in row D. We were afraid that we might be partial view, but it was a perfect seat. The theater is actually quite shallow so you feel much closer to the stage than if you sat in a huge theater....which I should add, this theater is small.We have previously see Fela here for which we sat in row AA in the orchestra. Yep, the first row. We also saw Spring Awakening here which we sat mid orchestra and that was also spectacular!As for Book of Mormon itself, do yourself a favor and see it. It's SO funny. We were laughing the entire night, smiling until it hurt. So many good songs, and the actors really put it all out there. Elder Cunningham was the favorite among my group, but the best songs went to Elder Price in my opinion.

Yankee Stadium

We went to Yankee Stadium to see them play the Rockies. We sat in the VERY top, the "nose bleed" section. I have to say that these were some of the best baseball seats I've ever sat in. First off, there was no one behind us yelling rude stuff. Secondly, there was a nice breeze that day and since it's the last row, you get the full breeze all to yourself. Thirdly, there was nothing in my way of my view. Lastly, since it was the affordable area, there were many small children, making it very family oriented feeling. So, I'd have to encourage people to sit in the top area.
Here was our view. You can see how the roof was blocking a teeny part of the screen but for $30 last minute, this was a steal.

Met Opera House

Today we went to see ABT's Cinderella at the Met. We sat in the orchestra row L. We were SUPER close, BUT this theater that close up has barely any raked seating. Pretty much, you're sitting exactly behind the people in front of you. So bad visibility.

I would prefer to sit further back and have better view of the entire stage.

As for the ballet itself, we would not see it again. Aaron HATED the stepsisters. I mean, he hated EVERYTHING about them. It was more of a modern ballet, so we'll probably skip this one from now on.

Anything Goes

I had the pleasure of seeing Anything Goes with Sutton Foster the night before she won the Tony for best actress in said role. It was good clean fun but she wasn't neccessarily the best choice for Reno Sweeney. Congrats, Sutton.

Anyway, on to the theater. The Stephen Sondheim, how I love this theater. It's brand new (less than a year old) and it's super clean. The bar does pre ordering for intermission and the bathrooms are huge!

I sat in the mezzanine(row FF) on house left. I felt a TAD far back, but I only paid $20 so you really can't beat that. I have previously seen The Pee Wee Herman show here and we sat in the orchestra, house right. We were in such good seats then.