I've heard that many people enjoyed 'Memphis.' I'm not sure why it doesn't call to me. Can someone tell me what they really enjoyed about the production? Thanks.

Wonderful songs, fab, amazing dancing, the lead female singer was outstanding, the lead male was quite a character, but believable, also well portrayed the racial barriers during the 50"s. The NYT gave not good review, but I, we (lots of friends) think NYT missed the boat. Cannot see how this could have got anything but very good review. Only possible problem is that this era has gotten someother theatrical exploration in recent years. We enjoyed this more than anyother show in several years. Some of the people who loved it are opera fans and seldom like popular music shows. Now we want to get tickets for our kids.

If someone tells mw they want to see only one show and asks which one it should be, my immediate answer is Billy Elliot! It's one of the best to come along in a long, long timke!

I saw Anna Devere Smith in "Let Me Down Easy" last month when I was in New York. For those of you who don't know her, she's a one-woman show doing over 20 different characters, all powerful and believeable. This play is about health, aging, and dying. Very strong and compelling and not in the least depressing. I also enjoyed the Irish Repertory Theater in Chelsea.

Wishful drinking with Carrie Fischer was amazing.she was so real.I did not expect to like this but I thought it was great.
Loved Wicked,Lion King,August Osage County(closed),Jersey Boys,In the Height's(Iliked my husband loved it.),Spring Awakening.Recently saw Bye Bye Birdie and it was terrible,Cast and crew were not great and it was not worth seeing)John Stamos a nd Gina Girschon should not be in those rolls.Funny if The Adams family gets good reviews I would like to see that.

I also enjoyed 'Wishful Drinking' tonight. Carrie Fischer is funny and a talented writer. It certainly isn't a traditional play, but more like stand-up comedy that's clever and poignant.

Just back from my NYC trip. Loved Finian's Rainbow. it was an old fashioned mucical with an extremely talented cast. Saw "Hair"...thought it was ok. I felt that the voices were not that great, and the second half just meandered around, and was disjointed. I LOVED the 39 Steps! What complete hoot! It was similar to the The Unabridged works of Shakespeare in London. We were going to see Race(with Rchard Thomas and James Spader) which opened Monday (16) night, but I was feeling a bit peaked, so we did not do it. I could have gone twice a day, everyday,because DH likes theater, but does not LOVE ii, like I do!

BTW, centralparkgirl, the lead who played Woody on FR, was just about the most gorgeous hunk of man with a the most wonderful voice....made me shiver.

Judyrem - so glad you liked FR shivers and all! My seats were so cheap that I saw it again on Sunday, but this time with dh. Cheyenne Jackson is the hunk. He does have a beautiful voice and a real leading man presence. I think we will see more and more of him on B'way in the future. I can't wait to buy the CD when it comes out which is something I rarely do. I hummed 'Old Devil Moon' on the way home!

Me too! I don't understand why it(Old devils moon) was not more of a hit! I love it, and Cheyenne too!

Judy, I may be dating myself, but you can rest assured that Old Devil Moon was a big hit when the show first opened.

LOL, thanks Howard! I am so glad it was, it is a great song, it is timeless!

Hey HowardR, glad to see you here. I have read so many of your reviews, along w/patrick and mcclaurie and others in the last 5-6 yrs before Ive headed to NYC. Always on spot for me.

BTW, I did a review on this forum of Memphis when I saw it during previews in late Sept. If you search for "Memphis" it will come up I think. Not perfect (what is?), but very enjoyable with very good music and production.

I am taking my husband and daughter (17 yrs old, and her best friend) to NYC for long weekend Dec 11-14. Hubby and I will see "God of Carnage" w/the new cast on Fri. night, while the girls see "Hair." Sat. night the girls see Altar Boyz. I have debated seeing Finian's Rainbow w/hubby on Sat. night since it has gotten good reviews on here and elsewhere (and I got an email for 33% off tickets), but i think we will just do a dinner alone and some alone birthday time while the girls are out...unless you all tell me I am crazy to miss FR at that discount...

Will be going back to NYC in April for the Tribeca TOAST Art Walk- our favorite spring activity. Will be checking back here for theater to see then.

Fabulous thread !

I was about a block off Broadway last night hearing Mahler's 7th totally by fortuitous accident.

I called a friend to see if he wanted to run down to the Winter Garden (in the World Financial Center) to see one of my favorite seasonal exhibits (which is closing on Sunday) CANstruction - the architecture firms make fabulous structures with canned food - admission is a can of food and all the food goes to foodbanks at the end of the exhibit. Anyway, he asked me where I was and told me to meet him at Carnegie Hall because he had an extra ticket.

BACK to this thread. As you read through, and any time you attend a performance of any kind in the 5 boroughs, realize how many people are doing the same thing at the same time in performance spaces (Broadway, Off Broadway, Off off Broadway, music, dance, lecture, poetry, other, etc) in this amazing city of ours.

So true, SueNYC. It's like eye candy! Ironically, I just started a new position and where is my office located? Times Square! It does make going to the theater easy during the week.

i would LOVe to be able to say that Centralparkgirl...

Sue, we heard the Mahler 7 last night, too! We're longtime Philadelphia Orchestra subscribers--I'm not ashamed to say I've subscribed continuously for 47 years, first in Philly and, for the last 23 years, at Carnegie Hall.

Exciting performance by the Philly (my "hometown band"), though I'm still not very impressed with Eschenbach.

What was even stranger was I had been to the Philharmonic on Tuesday (the only thing my union has done for me is make me eligible for TDF tickets).

Xian Zhang was conducting. While I understand why Alan Gilbert was made principal conductor in theory (I've never seen him conduct). The one time I saw Zhang before I thought she was amazing even if she looks like she's twelve so I wanted to see her again before she disappeared from NYC for bigger and better things.

Concert was great but Garrick Ohlsson's piano blocked my view of her conducting. She's about half his size!

AND, before I met a friend, I went to the Performing Arts library exhibit of the 50th anniversary of the beginning of building Lincoln Center. You MUST see this. Stop in next time you are there.

How long is the 50th anniv exhibit going to stay around for? I won't be in NYC until mid-Jan, and I'd love to see it!

This is killing me as I want to get to NewYork SOOOOO much!

But I have to chuckle at the idea of the people who think Hamlet is too long. I suppose when people go to see a star (and to be able to tell their friends not "we saw Hamlet" but "we saw Jude Law", they are disappointed when one of the greatest plays ever written takes up too much of their valuable time.

I'm fascinated about the revival of Finian's Rainbow which has rarely been done even by amateur groups in the past few decades because it is often considered so "politically incorrect" about the racism. I'm curious how the show has been rewritten or adapted to remove that issue. I honestly can't say what the issue has been, but so often I've heard the play just comes off as being racist itself these days. I haven't seen it in something like 40 years, so I really have very little memory of the issues -- but vividly remember the score which as McLaurie says is just brimming with great songs.