Paula

Thanks to your postings, I know to stick with our reservation to the Marriott Marquis for the middle of October. I now need to make reservations for a musical. We have seen Phantom, Les Mis, Chicago, Rent etc. when they have toured in our area. I am thinking about Music Man, Beauty and the Beast or 42nd Street. Decent seats and a nice theatre are a big part of the decision. I can still get decent seats for the above, but I am not familiar with the theatres nor do I know how the above musicals compare in quality. I am open to other suggestions as well!! Thanks in advance!!

Beth

Here's a vote for 42nd St! Although I have not seen this production myself, I have heard wonderful first hand reports. I did see it in NYC about 13 years ago, and it remains my all-time favorite!

Howard

You might want to add these musicas to your list (in alphabetical order): Cabaret, Contact, Full Monty and Kiss Me Kate. Obviously, it depends on how your taste runs! Tickets for all of them are available, many at a discount at TKTS.

Lori

42nd St! I haven't seen the latest revival, but I did see it in 1982 with Jerry Orbach (Law & Order). It remains one of the best Broadway musicals I have seen!

ilisa

I also saw 42nd Street the first time around with Jerry Orbach, and it was fabulous. The dancing is wonderful.

Frank

Here is a vote for MUSIC MAN, great production, actually one of the best I've seen in years. It is frequently available at the TKTS booth. Saw the 1982 revival of 42nd Street but it wasn't my cup of tea, seemed dated. Just my opinion.

ellen griswold

We've seen them all. My vote is for 42nd Street. It has everything that makes for a great musical, with in-your-face energy and fun. Next choice, Beauty and The Beast. A real charmer.

rqf

If you are going to purchase tickets in advance seating charts for theaters can be found at www.playbill.com. A word of caution. In some theaters first row orchestra seats are not desirable. You will find yourself looking up throughout the performance. Also avoid the seats at the extreme right and left side of the theater. In some cases you might miss some of the action. Mezzanine seats in most theaters can be the best in the house since they usually offer clear sightlines to the stage. This may not be the case in the orchestra - a tall person seating in front of you might obstruct your view.

Dawn

I was in NY in late April, and decided about 6:30pm that I wanted to see a show. There was no line at the 1/2 price ticket booth. I asked about a few plays, were there any good seats available for one. The guy said that 42nd Street had just opened up some Orchestra seats, and that it was getting good reviews. So 42nd Street it was, and it was fabulous, very entertaining!!

tommy

Saw 42nd Street last night - a complete Broadway spectacle - the dancing and costumes are incredible. My 1st choice of the three you listed. Music Man a close 2nd.

tommy

Also, 42nd street is in the Ford Center for Performing Arts. It is a huge theater. My seats were in the 3rd row of what they call the dress circle - which is really the first mezzanine. Although it seems that these seats are very far from the stage, the view was excellent and I had no problems seeing or hearing.
The Music Man is in a much smaller theater that helps to create a more intimate feeling.

Jo Jo

Another vote for 42nd Street - It was great!!!!

David

Paula,
I'm here in Times Square at the Renaissance spending my last of 3 nights. We went to see Beauty and the Beast last night and were absolutely blown away by it! We picked this one due to having our kids here, and I didn't really expect a lot, but we were very pleasantly surprised. We went to see Les Mis tonight, and enjoyed it as well. The sets for Beauty and the Beast were outstanding and the actors were great. I'm sure the others you are interested in are good also. You might consider not buying tickets in advance, but taking a chance and getting them the day of the show from the TKTS outlet in Times Square or The World Trade Center. We got out B&B tix for half-price yesterday, but today they were only 25% off. They were good seats, about 20 rows back from the stage. Our Les Mis tickets tonight were 7 rows from the stage and were half-price also. Just email me if you need any further info.

Philip

If you are concentrating on one of those three, I would choose 42nd Street. The dancing alone is worth the ticket price. 42nd Street is in the beautifully renovated Ford Center. I think this is the most comfortable of the Broadway theaters (you can actually cross your legs while sitting down).

I would also suggest Annie Get Your Gun. It currently stars Crystal Bernard & Tom Wopat.

If you are interested in a non-musical, I would suggest the comedy Stones in His Pocket. The story is about what happens when an American film company comes to film in a small town in Ireland. Two actors portray several characters (both men & women, American, Irish & British). It is great to see how fast they can change characters.