Another change of venue for the next Tonys

[Bob Jersey]

After the strikes pushed them way uptown to that artistically-heavy-but-virtually-parking-free joint uptown, they're back to a place more familiar to the Broadway industry, the Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, which sadly does not have a wall that comes down between production numbers and awards, making any transitions transparent to the audience... THR talks with producers Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss about it...

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/tonys-producers-show-stereophonic-1235919959/ (link)

B

[Dave Sikula]

Unfortunately, they'll also have writers, when the most entertaining part of the strike-bound shows were introductions and speeches without the strained banter.

I've made my distaste for competitive arts award shows known here, but I must say that the Tonys gets it right more often than not, and this has been a particularly good year on Broadway, "Hell's Kitchen" notwithstanding.

--Dave Sikula

[PGage]

We are going to NYC in August to see our daughters and want to take them to a show. What are a couple at top of your list?

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[Doug Eastick]

I'm also looking for suggestions for an NYC visit, possibly in September of this year.

A tour of 30 Rock is a must for me, I'm also wondering what others might suggest.   It will be a short trip for me (say a 4day weekend).

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[Stan S]

I believe there are still two tours. The Rockefeller Center tour and the NBC Studio tour. 

[Adam Bowie]

I did the NBC studio tour back in 1986 on my first trip to the US. I remember them playing a "Name that theme tune" game with us and being pleased to get Cheers, which at the time was buried on Friday nights on the still new-ish Channel 4 in the UK. I was unaware that it was part of NBC's  "Must See TV" Thursday night, and that basically the entire country knew the tune.

I still have my Miami Vice baseball cap and an NBC mug from that visit!

Adam

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[Dave Sikula]

Plays or musicals or does it matter?

—Dave Sikula

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[Tom Wolper]

If you’re staying in midtown or just want somewhere to go near 30 Rock, I’d suggest the Museum of Modern Art. You can browse the permanent collection in a couple of hours.

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[Doug Eastick]

doesn't matter.   We aren't much of a live-theatre couple, but we've seen both.

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[PGage]

I like okays. It my wife prefers Musicals. So, probably musicals…

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[Dave Sikula]

Now you've got me. Looks like the things I would recommend will be closed by August. "Water for Elephants" and "Illinoise" got very good reviews, but neither was to my taste. The latest entry in the "Forbidden Broadway" series opens in August, but probably depends on an awareness of what's playing.

"Hadestown" was very good, but depends on one's taste for sort-of bluesy rock. My wife enjoyed "Six," which is light and frothy. "Stereophonic" is great, but 3 hours and 20 minutes (though it doesn't seem that long). It's a play, but there's a lot of music in it. (It's set in the 70s and is about a Fleetwood Mac-like band trying to record their new album.) I have no interest in "Once Upon a Mattress," but it got good enough reviews to transfer from Encores to the Hudson, and when cast like this, Sutton Foster is entertaining.

Doubtless, something else will come along by then.

--Dave Sikula

  

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[Dave Sikula]

I used to recommend the Empire State Building, but it's now about $75 (I'm sure there are discounts somewhere).

Two things I've done in the past and enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would were the Circle Line tour and one of the open-top bus tours. Even though I know the city well, it gave me some new perspectives on things to see and do.

Walking tours are great, too. I particularly recommend The Bowery Boys (https://www.boweryboyswalks.com/) as the guides are -very- knowledgeable and fun (The last one I did was Grand Central Terminal, and we had a great time). For the theatre district, there's Broadway Up Close (https://www.broadwayupclose.com/inpersontours). The guy is a little too much, but he does know his stuff. There's also the Museum of Broadway, but I haven't done that one yet.

If you've got ancestors who came through Ellis Island, I recommend that (you also get the Statue of Liberty), particularly the Hard Hat tour, which takes you through the unrestored hospital buildings.

Two of my favorite restaurants are The Little Owl (I hate giving this one away), which is a tiny place in the Village with spectacular food, and is located on the ground floor of the building that was used as the establishing shot on "Friends." (When Matthew Perry died, they were inundated by flowers and people looking for souvenirs, in spite of the fact that they have nothing to do with the show.) The other is Emilio's Bellato on Houston, with the best chicken parm I've ever had. Pizza-wise, if you're in the Village, either Joe's of Bleecker Street (there's a branch on Broadway between 40th and 41st) or Lombardi's (there's usually a line and they sell only whole pies, no slices).

The Strand Bookstore is always worth a look, and will take you down to Union Square and the East Village.

Something I discovered when I was doing my shows there was that, staying in the East Village allowed me to really just walk around; like up Broadway (avoiding Times Square when I could) or up Park from 14th to the east 60s.

A lot of good restaurants in Harlem and on  9th in midtown. (I used to recommend just walking up and down Eighth, but it's gotten to be a little more touristy than I like, so I've gone west to 9th and 10th.) Just a ton of interesting-looking places.

The High Line is always great. I usually walk the whole thing, rather than break it into pieces. And the Whitney is at the south end if you're looking for another museum.

--Dave Sikula

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[Joe Hass]

Having literally just gotten back on Thursday from a last-minute trip to see"Merrily We Roll Along", I would recommend it a thousand times over if it wasn't closing in a month.

My wife went to Empire State Building to check it off her bucket list, but I think Top Of The Rock is a better view and a better price. 

The High Line is excellent as well as was mentioned earlier in the thread. 

You will find this amusing: my 10-year-old son, a voracious reader, turned down a visit to Strand because he felt "they wouldn't have enough fiction I'd like", despite my reassurance that I think they'd meet his needs just fine. We wound up going to Books Are Magic in Brooklyn (an independent bookstore he found in his researching).

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[Jim Ellwanger]

Guess I should mention my favorite place, the New York Transit Museum, which is in a decommissioned subway station in Brooklyn: https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/

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[PGage]

Helpful. I have been thinking about Hadestown, will look more closely now. Thanks.

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[M-D November]

There's always the Paley Center (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio, formerly the Museum of Broadcasting)...

https://www.paleycenter.org

[Melissa P]

Sorry for the delayed response.

I usually try to make it to Broadway at least twice a year (spring and fall), so I'm always interested in suggestions, and I really appreciate those posted here.

I put shows into 3 categories.

1.  Must see on Broadway because the story really appeals to me, or because I want to see certain cast members.  Examples: The Band's Visit, Funny Girl

2.  Shows I am happy to see on tour, usually at the National Theater or at the Kennedy Center.  For example, I hope to go to the tours of Back to the Future, Shucked, and A Beautiful Noise.

3.  Shows I won't see anywhere, for example, Wicked, any Disney show.

I do have one recommendation that hasn't been mentioned here.  It's a play, not a musical, and Anderson Cooper did a segment on Sixty Minutes about it.  It's currently Off Broadway -- Here There Are Blueberries.  I saw a production of it here in DC at the Shakespeare Theater and thought everything about it was superb.  (BTW I also saw Swept Away at Arena Stage here, which is moving to Broadway -- great drama, great music.)

As an aside, I saw a fun, unusual show last week -- the 3 original actresses who played the teenage girls in Hairspray put on a show, "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now," at the theater of a local community center. 

After the Tonys tonight, which has always been my favorite awards show, I'll make a decision on what I want to see of this year's new shows.

[Dave Sikula]

Something that I hope comes to Broadway sooner rather than later is "Buena Vista Social Club." I saw it off-Broadway at the Atlantic, and it blew the roof off the dump. The biggest problem with a transfer, though (to me) is that so much of its impact was that it was in a small space. (Of course, I felt that way about "Kimberly Akimbo" there, but that had no trouble at the Booth (though that's a small space, too.)

--Dave Sikula

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[M-D November]

Hey, I get your aversion to the Disney shows, but we just took my 7 year olds to see "Aladdin", and it was phenomenal. The Genie was evocative of Robin Williams'' performance while still being distinct (and the performer - who was a standby! - absolutely blew the roof off the theater), the stagecraft was fantastic (honestly, I've been in and around theater for a LONG time and I couldn't figure out how they rigged the flying carpet) and the changes to the book made a lot of sense (Apu is replaced by 3 thief "brothers in arms", Iago is a human sidekick rather than a bird). I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but don't knock it 'till you've tried it.

[Melissa P]

I have no problem with the quality of Disney productions.  Much of the music is very good, for example.  I think Disney shows are great -- for children.  Shows aimed at children just don't appeal to me.  Even as a kid, my parents couldn't get me to watch Disney shows, with maybe an exception or two.  And no one in my family has any kind of appreciation for cartoons.

Funny story:  The thing I miss most about working is access to the Help Desk.  When the Aladdin DVD came out, I bought a copy at Target.  I told our tech guy that if he could extract the video for "Proud of Your Boy," he could have the DVD for his three little girls.  He was happy to do it.

You probably don't have to guess who sang the song -- on the DVD version.  It did not make the film.  But now I understand that it's in the Broadway production.

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[Dave Sikula]

I figure the Mouse has enough money without my having to give them any of mine.

I generally find the shows cynical rehashes of movies that we don’t need to see on stage, but I hasten to add that Disney is far from unique in that regard; it feels like every week, some entertainment conglomerate announces plans for another musical version of existing IP.

The two Disney shows I have seen — Mary Poppins and Tarzan — left me feeling sorry for performers stuck in substandard material (I still feel bad for poor Shuler Hensley having to spend eight shows a week in a gorilla costume.)

Interestingly, I’m now in my dentist’s waiting room, and my hygienist used to skate in Disney on Ice.

— Dave Sikula

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