The Public Theater

The Public Theater Review

Fresh theater, such as the musical production of Giant, has a refreshed home at the Public Theater, which unveiled new renovations to its historic building in late 2012. Many noted productions that began here (Hair, A Chorus Line) went on to Broadway. Some shows offer limited-availability $20 rush standby tickets at the box office one hour before curtain (two tickets max; cash only). Check online for available performances.

In summer you won't want to miss their incomparable—and free—Shakespeare in the Park performances, which are held at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. Although you can stand in line for hours—and still not get a ticket voucher—the easiest way to score these scarce tickets is to register online with their "virtual line" after midnight on the night before the performance you would like to attend; an e-mail response confirms (or denies) success.