Broadway | Newsies

I only lasted a few days back in NYC before heading to a Broadway show! I don’t plan on going every weekend like I did during my internship. One, I will have a much heavier workload, but I also need to be more frugal this time around. Last time I didn’t know if I would ever be returning to NYC, so I lived more in the moment. Now that I’ll be here for the long haul, I have to be more practical with my spending. But since this was my first weekend back and I’m stuck at home without any Internet or cable, I decided to treat myself. After a quick search on one of my favorite websites BradwayInformer.com using the Internet at gold old McDonalds, I decided that this was the day I would win the Newsies lottery! Boo. I didn’t win. Luckily, Newsies is one of the most popular shows on Broadway right now and has sell-out performances. That means they offer Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets for just $30. Yes, that is what it sounds like. With SRO tickets you must stand for the entire performance. At first I was pretty bummed, but it actually wasn’t all that bad. I got to stand right behind the orchestra seats that people pay a ton of money for. There was even a half wall with numbered areas. That means I got my own little space to lean on. This comes in handy for certain parts of the show. Even though I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be in SRO seats (or stands? Bad, I know), I was super excited to be seeing Newsies. I adore the movie, and I even went through this phase in high school where I listened to the soundtrack on repeat. I had heard from multiple friends that Newsies was amazing, and it definitely is! Of course, there are a few key differences between the show and the film, but I really didn’t mind them. The rewrite worked perfectly, and I enjoyed the new characters. I don’t want to say too much and ruin anything, but the news writer in this version is a young woman! Makes for some interesting twists and turns. All in all I thought Newsies was fabulous! The music is so catchy, the dancing is phenomenal (including a tap number!), and the cast is just awesome. The young men that perform in this show do an amazing job. You can tell they are having a great time as performers. They are full of smiles, and that just made me as an audience member have an even better time. There were a few spots that I found to be a bit slow, but they picked up again soon enough. My one complaint with SRO was that there were points in the show where I couldn’t see all of the action. The Newsies set is comprised of moving staircases, and when actors are on the top level, their heads get chopped off from view some of the time. If you’re lucky, you may be able to lean down on the ledge in front of you to get a better view. Being short like me really came in handy! At the end of the show I did go to the stage door to get autographs from the cast. You will want to exit the theater as soon as possible, as the barricades get filled up quickly. Just follow the exit signs that light up after the show. This stage door was very organized, and the actors came out rather quickly. I do have to say that part of it may be that these actors do not have to take off crazy costumes or makeup. Whatever the case may be, guys started coming out after about ten minutes, including the three lead males: Jack, Davey, & Les. None of the “older” actors or the lead female Katherine came out, but I was happy enough with the guys. They were all very gracious and posed for photos with anyone who asked. No need to bring your own Sharpie this time, as everyone had his own. I definitely suggest seeing Newsies! To enter the lottery, go to the theatre two and a half hours before the performance. Names are drawn a half hour after that, and tickets are $30 cash only and with a valid photo ID. SRO tickets are also $30 cash only. Look for the small sign that reads “Standing Room Line Forms Here.” You can enter the lottery while you are standing in line. The staff is very helpful and will repeat things if you cannot hear them from the line. Currently the show offers 28 lottery seats and 24 SRO tickets if the show is sold out. I can’t verify if this is true, but other Newsies fans that were standing in line with me told me SRO is actually a better view than lottery seats, which were on the outer edges of the orchestra. Truth be told, standing wasn’t bad at all and the view was better than many rush/lottery seats I’ve had. For $30, I am not complaining! Make sure to head over to the Nederlander Theatre to catch Newsies when you can!

Broadway | The Addams Family

Today I made my way into the city to buy student rush tickets to a broadway show. On Sundays the box office opens at noon, so I figured getting there at 11:00AM would mean a good spot in line. I was very surprised when I got there and found no one waiting at all! In fact, there were only a handful of people behind me when the box office opened. I had prepared a small list of shows that I was interested in, and got my first choice of The Addams Family. For only $37 I got a seat in the mid-mezzanine! All I had to do was show my student ID to get the ticket. 

The show was fantastic! Besides sitting behind a really tall guy (of course) I had a great view. It's was weird to think that when I saw Beauty and the Beast in the same theater (the Lunt-Fontanne), I was sitting in the fourth row. The music was very catchy, and the story was funny. Grandma was particularly hilarious. Another cool thing about the story was that it took place in the current time period, so references to pop culture were made. The one-liners were great!  In this take on the Addams Family, Wednesday falls in love with a "normal" guy, and his family comes to dinner at the Addams' residence. While Wednesday pleads with her family to act like everyday people for just one night, that isn't of course what happens. There are fights, games, and so much more. Uncle Fester even finds himself falling in love! I would definitely recommend this show for a fun family comedy on broadway. Just be aware that if you bring young children there are some obscenities. 

After the show I stayed at the theater to get my playbill signed. I usually have the cast sign the program book that I always buy as a souvenir, but since it was all black I figured the playbill was a better idea. Here is a picture of the program and signed playbill:

I had a great time at The Addams Family, and I plan on seeing a lot more broadway shows while I'm here! Many of them offer student rush tickets, and some offer general rush tickets. If you're looking for a show to see, check out this website for the shows playing and the discounts you can receive: Link