Broadway Banter: A New Season Approaches, Thus a New Thread!
 

And what better way to start then with a rave for Forbidden Broadway. The latest version, which officially opens on Thursday, is a must-see for any seasoned Broadway affectianado. Its satirical shots hit a lot of bulleyes....a perfect and hysterical caricature of Matthew Broderick in Nice Work if You Can Get It..,perfect sendup of Once....a show-ending takeoff on The Book of Mormon,...a delightful sendup on Tracy Morgan as Judy Garland....a right-on satire of the TV series Smash....etc., etc., etc.
Oh sure, there are two or three that don't work, but overall, they overwhelmingly hit the mark. It's a fun experience. You'll laugh a lot! A word of caution: I think you really won't fully enjoy this show unless you, obviously, have seen most of them, or at the very least, are very familiar with them. (An example of the latter point: We haven't seen Once yet, but thanks to its excerpt on the Tonys and articles about the show, we fully enjoyed the takeoff on this show.)
PS: It's very small theater (I'd estimate around 180-200 seats), so there is no such thing as a bad seat.....so, take advantage of the best discount offer you can find.

PPS: Forgot to mention another highlight: a perfect sendup of the Patti Lupone-Mandy Potankin relationship.

I'll add Chaplin to the list of shows to see this season. No you won't leave humming the songs (although they do help the plot along very nicely) or the sets (appropriately mostly in black and white and shades of gray until....). However, the choreography is true to the period and the use of real film footage is appropriate without being overwhelming and his story needs to be told. I suspect Chaplin will also be a major Halloween costume this year. (Oh and the lead is great! I think he played Charley in Encores Where's Charley!)

Howard, do tell...Patankin/Lupone sounds like volatile fireworks..

LoveMyLab, the takeoff on the Patankin/Lupone duo was right on the mark.....and very, very funny.
Another post-show observation: The sendoffs of the long-runnng shows Wicked and The Lion King were among the weakest in Forbidden Broadway. Perhaps it's just a case the being old hat, having been satirized so often in the past. The same can said for its handling of Annie, a revival of which opens next month. Nut that's only three. Fortunately, there were plenty of zingers that hit the mark. Besides the ones previously mentioned, a couple other winners worth mentioning were hits on Catherine Zeta-Jones (a real zinger) and Bernadette Peters.

War Horse at the Vivian Beaumont Theater will close after it's January 6th performance. A winner of 5 Tonys including Best Play, the production is known for its creative use of life size puppetry that depict horses. If you're in NY in the next four months, consider seeing this unique production.

The Times' Ben Brantley gave Forbidden Broadway a most favorable review today.

I second Chaplin as a show to see this season. I found the story most engaging and loved the use of black, white and gray as well as film footage in the staging. With a strong cast, this musical should have wide appeal.

Just posted this on the old one, before realizing you had started a new one-

I read that Glengarry Glen Ross is coming to Broadway, with Al Pacino. I've never seen it on stage, but loved the movie so I'm really looking forward to seeing it. One thing I find interesting is that Al Pacino is playing Shelly Levene, who is sort of the opposite of Roma, the character Pacino played in the movie.

Just be prepared for some "tough" language when you see Glengarry Glen Ross.

Yes! "What's your name?"

Just looked at getting tickets for Book of Mormon in November, I see there are no discounts, and tickets are expensive. Any other suggestions for Broadway shows. We are into musicals, and have seen Wicked.

Assuming that you're only interested in shows that have discount offers, my first bit of advice is to forget about The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, Once and Newsies. Chances are slim to nonexistant for getting less than full-price tickets.
Here's a list of some of the musicals which have discount offers. Most of them have current offers thru November. The ones that don't will probably offer them starting in October. Here are those shows (listed alphabetically):

Annie (a revival opens soon)
Chicago
Evita
Mary Poppins
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Phantom of the Opera
Spider Man

Check out broadwaybox.com for details on the offers.

(If you want a recommendation, I'd put Nice Work If You Can Get It at the top of the list.)

PS: Oops, I forgot to include Mamma Mia on the discounted list.
Also, Jersey Boy sometimes offers discounts.

Have seen Lion King in Sydney and Jersey Boys recently in Auckland. I will take a look at Nice Work if You Can Get It.

Hi Howard, we are coming to NYC for 5 days in December.
You know I love my plays. :-)
Anything that is a MUST see for me?

BTW, I was reading "what did he think".
I like:
Once* really want to see it.
Newsies
Nice Work if You Can Get It
Evita?
I was thinking about Chaplin, but the reviews sounded awful.

I'd put Forbidden Broadway at the top of your list!
I would also recommend Once and Nice Work If You Can Get It.
And, of course, The Book of Mormon....if you can get tickets without having to mortgage the house.
If you like Ricky Martin, then maybe you'd like Evita. Though I love the music, it is not one of favorite shows, so I passed on the revival.
Yes, the reviews definitely convinced me not to see Chaplin.

OK, I hate to say it -- almost embarrassed to admit it -- but Annie is one of the great musicals. I'm actually looking forward to the new revival opening in a couple weeks. Every now and then I just have to watch this clip to remind myself what a fun show Annie is -- but admittedly the new cast has some BIG shoes to fill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMTcQnmWut8

On the extreme opposite end, I can't wait to see Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf next month. I haven't been able to forget Amy Morton's performance in August, Osage County and think she will be amazing in that powerful show. It will be just over three hours of INTENSE drama with some surprisingly very comic moments.

Thanks Howard!!!!! :-)
I will be busy seeing what I can line up.
We get in Monday and leave Saturday second week of December.
It is my most FAVORITE Christmas present!!

Neo, I like Annie too.
I know Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf is great theater, but I really need to see some upbeat plays/musicals.