Favorite Broadway Musical?
 

I'm going to New York in June. Unfortunatly the two musicals I wanted to see most will be gone (Mamma Mia and Thoroughly Modern Millie) I have seen Mamma Mia and it is one of my all time favorites. Phantom was wonderful, but I want more upbeat for this trip. Any suggestions????

Not sure if you can get tickets - but try for "Hairspray" - lots of fun. There is also The Producers, which should go on sale for June sometime soon. I'm sure you'll get lots of good suggestions here!

We just returned from NYC and saw 4 shows. We loved the Producers and Urinetown. Chicago was a disappointment. The big buzz seemed to be La Boehme. When you are there, consider going to TKTS on 42nd at Times Square for 1/2 price tickets same day. You won't get the Producers or Lion King, but Urinetown was listed when we were there as well as many many others. Our stategy was to get the tickets we most wanted ahead and then getting the discount tickets for other nights. Good luck!

Gypsy with Bernadette Peters will be opening soon. The music and story is great and you can't get much more upbeat than that. Can't wait for the tickets to go on sale!

How about the Man of La Mancha?

i second that one. brian stokes mitchell is probably going to go down in history as one of the most complete broadway actors - like nathan lane - but thin and good looking...he has already won two tonys for other roles. hearing him ing "the impossible dream" is worth the price of the ticket and the set is the most innovative i have ever seen. and i am a new yorker and have been attending theater for years.

Out of the 20-25 shows I've seen since I moved to NYC, Chicago was my favorite. I also loved Beauty and the Beast and Urinetown (laughed so hard my head hurt). I thought Phantom was awful. Guess we all have different tastes!

Wherever did you get the idea that Mamma Mia and Thoroughly Modern Millie will be gone? Not so. Mamma Mia will definitely still be playing and Millie probably will.

Oops! When I read this post heading I thought it was asking &quot;Favorite Broadway Musical of All Time?&quot; Since I don't have any anything useful to offer, I will answer what I thought the orignal question was asking (even though this is going to date me a bit):<BR><BR>1. Man of La Mancha (w/ Richard Kiley and Joan Deiner...Unbelievable)<BR><BR>2. Evita (w/ Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin..Breathtaking)<BR><BR>3. I Do, I Do (w/ Robert Preston...Great little show)<BR><BR>Thanks for indulging me.<BR><BR>Tom

Interesting list, Tom, but I'm curious. Was Mary Martin still in I Do, I Do with Robert Preston when you saw it? The omission of her name, if so, seems so unfair -- one of the greatest Broadway legends of all time.

Patrick,<BR><BR>Yes, the inimitable Mary Martin was in the show when I saw it. Unfortunately, I--who pride myself on remembering names--couldn't come up with hers at the moment I was typing.<BR><BR>Now, if I could only find my car keys...<BR><BR>Tom

I am surprised that no one has mentioned &quot;RENT&quot; ...lively, amazing music/songs and without a doubt the most memorable broadway show I have ever seen.

I'm sorry, I am an avid theater go-er, try to see a wide variety of performances with an open mind, but I could not get out of the theater fast enough when I saw &quot;Rent&quot;. I found the cast and storyline whiny and weak (when they weren't screaming - oops I mean singing). But, this is just how I felt, I realize a lot of people feel differently.

Shame on you, Tom! (only kidding). <BR><BR>However, I couldn't agree more about RENT! What a terrible show of overmiked and overacted songs. I was totally unmoved by the thing. To this day, I think the fact that the writer died during the opening week is what propelled this show to fame. So much of it seemed totally unplanned. Now, we are acting and doing movement, now we are just doing a rock concert with mikes on our heads!

Patrick - THANK YOU! I mentioned to someone once that I thought the only reason &quot;Rent&quot; catapulted into the spotlight was because Jonathan Larson died suddenly - they looked at me like had just kicked a puppy. I'm glad there is someone out there who agrees with me.

Yes the story of Jonathon Larson is indeed sad and dramatic, and I suppose at the time I wouldn't have had nerve to say such an outrageous thing, but time softens us. Guess we've now kicked the same puppy. Rent will not live in the anals of GREAT BROADWAY THEATRE.

Jekyll &amp; Hyde<BR>Phantom of the Opera - just stunningly gorgeous

Man of La Mancha - outstanding cast and production.

NOT TRAVEL RELATED

to xcxx. <BR>People go to New York to see theatre. New York is one of the top travel destinations in the US. This is travel related. Have you ever noticed how many people will start their post with, &quot;going to New York for the first time, what show should I see?&quot;<BR><BR>I guess if you had your way, people should not discuss museums or attractions, restaurants, or any thing else that serves as entertainment in a travel destination.

Les Miserables is my favorite, but is not what I would call upbeat. Plus, I think its run is ending in March. You will laugh your butt off at the Producers--I would highly recommend that. Cabaret at Studio 54 is another favorite of mine--very lively! And there are always old classics like 42nd Street and Oklahoma.

the hottest show in NYC right now is &quot;Hair Spray&quot;. You can buy tickets in advance. <BR><BR>Having said this why not consider some serious productions. So much of these musicals are manufactured for the tour bus crowd. So many are just plain silly.I would at least look at reviews on line. Some of the suggestions I see here have been paned by other fodorites, producer, La Miserab. <BR><BR>You are coming all this way why not see a sophisticated performance and not something that panders to people that are not regular theatre goers.

I think Millie will still be around. Try to go to Hairspray. I think the Producers was a little overhyped-its funny but raunchy and slapstick. If you like things like Phantom you would like Beauty and the Beast, Lion King or LaBoheme. Have fun.

What makes people think that if someone likes a fun musical, they'd like a full fledged opera in Italian --La Boheme? I don't get the connection.

Hairspray is great, couldn't be more upbeat. Lion King is excellent as well. Also if you like Billy Joel and dance you may enjoy Movin' Out.

Has anyone seen Flower Drum Song or heard anything about it?

When Rent played Boston I realized there is a tremendous generational gap in the following. My daughter loved it (she about 18 at the time) and played the CD constantly. I saw it and hated it, and I'm usually very generous in my approval of shows.

I enjoy seeing productions about young people and the issues they may face, but those kids in RENT whined for almost 2 hours. UGH.

You certainly could never go wrong with GYPSY with Bernadette Peters....(if you can still get tickets).<BR><BR>If you enjoy country western music, URBAN COWBOY, will be opening this spring at the Broadhurst Theater with some great music from artists such as Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain favorites as well as some original music just for the play. NINE with Antonio Banderas will also be opening soon at the Eugene O'Neil. (not sure if Nine is a musical or not?)

CABARET!!! Definately upbeat(great music). I also loved Phantom, Beauty and The Beast. Hated RENT.

I simply don't get Rent..I think I'll make a special trip to see Bernadette Peters in Gypsy. That should be something! I'm planning to go up to NYC to see the Matisse/Picasso show at the MOMA temporarily housed in Queens or somewhere. ...Will Gypsy open before May? LMF

Oh Gosh, &quot;I Do, I Do&quot; is my favorite of all time. Grew up with the soundtrack with Mary Martin and Robert Preston. Did you see it on TV with (can you believe it) Hal Linden and Lee Remick? <BR><BR>Anyway, as for current shows, we've seen &quot;Chicago&quot;, &quot;Cabaret&quot; and &quot;Phantom&quot;, along with &quot;Jeckyl &amp; Hyde&quot;, many times. All are positively awesome! Other favorites have been &quot;42nd Street&quot; (silly story line, but fabulous music, dancing, show-stopping numbers...), &quot;The Producers&quot; (it's such a fine show you needn't worry who's starring in it this week), &quot;Man of LaMancha&quot;. <BR><BR>&quot;Flower Drum Song&quot; is another of my all-time favorites, for the music. We saw the current production. The cast is spectacular, though we weren't fond of the &quot;new book&quot;. To us, the original story was just fine and more plausible.<BR><BR>As for &quot;Rent&quot;, were it not for the magnificent music and dancing, and the fact that Carrie Hamilton starred in the Boston production we saw, we'd have left. We found the storyline despicable, offensive actually (close friends they were?). I cannot believe this won a Pulitzer Prize!<BR><BR>Anyway, for anyone who hasn't seen all of the current shows, your best bet is to sign up at Playbill.com, and the various other websites with discount tickets. Pick as many as you find appealing and have time to see, but haven't seen. You really can't go wrong.

Answsering LilMsFoodie, Gypsy starts previews on March 31, with the official opening around May 1.