Broadway | Annie

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During New York's intense heat wave my friend Casey was in town. We had tickets for the amazing Justin Timberlake and Jay Z concert at Yankee Stadium, but in order to beat the heat during the day we decided to catch a show. At the last minute, we headed to Times Square in hopes of seeing Annie. It was already past 1:00pm when we got there, and the show was to start at 2:00. The line for the TKTS booth was ridiculously long, and let's be real, there was no way I was going to stand outside in the heat. I grabbed Casey, headed into the Palace Theatre lobby, and snagged us tickets to the matinee for $59. Regular price? $118. In other words, we got the same exact discount as everyone wasting away in line at TKTS just by heading directly to the box office. Lesson of the day for all you Broadway-bound tourists: skip the TKTS booth and just go the box office. They're selling the same seats for the same price, and even if the tickets end up a bit more expensive, at least you won't have to wait in line!

As for the show, Annie was great! I've always been a huge fan of the movie. In fact, my mom actually put limits on how often I could watch it when I was younger. Unfortunately, we did miss seeing Jane Lynch as Miss Hannigan (her short stint ended earlier in July), but overall the show was everything I could have wanted. Our $59 seats were smack dab in the center of the mezzanine, so we could see all of the action quite clearly. Plus, I just loved singing all the songs in my head while the girls were belting them on stage. Annie is such a feel-good musical, and it was the perfect choice for a hot, Saturday afternoon.

I definitely recommend Annie, especially for fans of the movie. Keep in mind it is a family show -- the theatre was crawling with little girls (see what I did there?). Granted, we did go to a matinee, so head to an evening show for a more grown-up crowd. While it may not be the show to see on Broadway, it's an uplifting production that reminds you the sun will come out tomorrow. 

For more information, check out the official Annie website HERE. 

Broadway | Priscila Queen of the Desert

During my stay in New York City last spring, I attended a CD signing for the soundtrack release of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. (Learn more about that event HERE). Ever since then I've been dying to see the show. While walking through Times Square with my friend Lisa last weekend, I saw the Palace Theatre and had a great idea. It was about 5 minutes of 6:00PM on a Friday night, and if any of you are big broadway fans you know that means we had literally 5 minutes to enter the lottery at Priscilla. Lisa and I entered our names and about 20 minutes later we were holding in our hands front row tickets to see one of the biggest shows currently playing on broadway. We couldn't believe our luck! Not only had Lisa never been to a broadway show before, but this was the first time she had ever entered a lottery. We were definitely meant to have those tickets!

As 8:00PM rolled around, Lisa and I sat anxiously in our seats with our newly purchased pink boas. When the lights went down, the magic of Priscilla began. The story revolves around three drag queens that take a road trip from Sydney, Australia to Alice Springs so that Tick, played by Will Swenson, can meet his son for the first time. Their journey west is sometimes rough-- their bus breaks down, they get lost, and they're even tormented for being gay. Yet the serious moments of the show only compliment the rest of the lively and upbeat music and dancing. If you enjoy disco and eighties music, this show is for you! From Girls Just Want to Have Fun to Like a Prayer, you will definitely be dancing in your seat. I know we were!

Priscilla also features some amazing costumes. They're brightly colored and change throughout the entire show! I would love to have the Barbie jacket that Nick Adams wears. And speaking of Nick Adams, the cast of this production is one of the most talented I've seen. Tony Sheldon, Will, and Nick are such a wonderful team. It also doesn't help that all of the boys in the cast are extremely good looking. If you're not drooling simply by looking at Mr. Adams, there are plenty of other lovelies for you to stare at! By the end of Priscilla, our cheeks hurt from smiling so much, our voices were sore from cheering, and our hands a bit tired from clapping so hard. What was left for us to do besides run to the stage door?!

For those of you that haven't been to this theater before, the stage door is located to your right once you exit from the left side of the theater. Barricades will be set up. This was definitely the best organized stage door I've ever experienced! The security people had a bag of black sharpies for the stars of the show so you don't have to worry about bringing one. Also, the performers were out the door signing and taking pictures within 10-15 minutes! I would say that Iusually have to wait a half-hour before anyone comes out. Considering all of the make-up and fancy costumes this cast is getting out of, I was really surprised when they came out so soon. 

 

All of the stars were so nice and gracious. Tony Sheldon told me he liked my sparkly pink nail polish, one of the chorus boys asked us how the lottery seats were, and one of the divas, Ellyn Marsh, even recognized us from the front row! Apparently our big smiles and wide eyes let the actors know how much fun we were having. Of course, I had to snap a photo with the gorgeous Nick Adams and a few of the other performers. They were all so great both onstage and off!

If you're looking for a fun broadway show to go to, make sure to get tickets to Priscilla! The lottery begins 2.5 hours before each performance, and they stop taking names 2 hours before, as that's when the lottery takes place. You must have $40 cash only for each ticket. Although the seats are partial view, I would not have traded my front row ticket for anything! The amount of action you miss is minimal, and being up close is always exciting. Besides, the closer you sit the more likely it is that you'll catch a ping pong ball! Believe me, you do not want to miss Priscilla Queen of the Desert!