Avenue Q

We had a guest in town for a few days who wanted to see some theater, and he couldn't make it to our Hello Dolly date. He was bummed and wanted to see something funny, and since he is a friend of my husband, we knew he would love the raunchy humor of Avenue Q. It's playing at New World Stages which is a great place to see lots of off Broadway theater. My husband purchased tickets ahead of time on TodayTix and it was our first time doing so. The seats were great...

For $45 we sat in row E towards the center. I had a friend who also saw it by coincidence at the same performance, and she got front row tickets for $25, but she moved back to the 10th row just so she wasn't in spitting range. So in the future, you can probably get away with rush tickets for this show. This was also for a Saturday matinee, so keep that in mind. 

The puppeteers were wonderful as they always are. The sound quality was a bit low so it made hearing lyrics difficult (and I know ALL the lyrics so that's bad) 

 I especially enjoyed watching all the doubling up, like seeing the actress who plays both Lucy and Kate Monster be on stage but talk for someone else. This happened with Rod and Princeton as well. The show is a little dated, but not to the point where you can't enjoy it. When I first saw it in 2004, during the Bush administration, the lines in "For Now" were George Bush. Now, it's "Donald Trump." Other small line changes I noticed were during "Mix Tape", because instead of a cassette, Princeton now makes CDs for all his friends.

Hello Dolly

 This was the second time I got to see this production of Hello Dolly. BTW, I should remind you that I've never seen a live production of this show until this broadway revival. I saw the movie when I was in high school and thought that it was ok, and I believe I gave it a 7/10. This was a birthday gift for me from my friend, and he was able to get tickets because....

Donna Murphy was playing Dolly, not Bette Midler....

That's ok, because I've already seen Bette. We sat in the balcony once again. Row E on the house right. The ONE issue I have with the seats was that there was a pole RIGHT in front of my friend's seat. BOO! We were able to move down in the second act to row C, and aside from the obnoxious kweens in front of us, it was a great spot. 

 

 This time I paid more attention to the costuming, the story line, the singing and choreography, and of course the cleanliness of the show. Because the show has already opened and the Tonys have been dealt out, they really feel like a tight knit cast. The supporting cast was SO strong. In fact, Aaron mentioned that the millinery scene that he previously had disliked ended up being one of the best this time around.

Cats

I finally got to see the Jellicle Ball in person! It was magnificent! Aaron thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Still days later he talked about the show and I was able to put the Cast recording on and he didn't protest. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this live and it brought back a lot of memories. 

 

The show is the same no matter when you see it so it is hard for me to find modern pictures. It's so 80's looking, I love it. The only complaint I had had nothing to do with the show but rather the audience. Do not bring children to Cats. It's confusing and they will be bored. They are rude, and you are an asshole if you make others have to deal with your snotty ass kids.

We had great seats in the mezzanine, right on the aisle, row F. It was broadway week so it was 2 for 1. I'd totally do it again for that price.

The Front Page

On a whim, we decided to check out the Front Page on broadway. I had passed the theater a million times because of work, and seen the names on the marquee, so I knew they were relying on good writing and star power. I convinced Aaron to purchase some tickets via TKTS, and we were given great seats right on the aisle in the orchestra. 

 The whole cast was very tight, but I found the female roles to be lacking in dimension. The men were seen as funny, and in control, while the women were so flat that I was happy when they exited, which is sad because I usually love Sherie Rene Scott. Nathan Lane of course was the main pull for me. I've now seen him in multiple productions and he never ceases to amaze me. We were disappointed that John Goodman had called out that night. Oh well.

We had great seats right on the aisle and I couldn't have asked for a better night of live straight theater.