I feel a bit out of the loop as I've been too busy to keep good tabs on the upcoming season.
We'll be in NYC for the full month of June and want to start getting good tickets for shows that will probably not be discounted then. Sure, it's hard to tell, especially when the Tonys don't hit until the first of June which can change everything, but for example, I'm assuming that Spamalot will probably still be very hot then -- so have already bought front row mezzanine for that.

Howard and Bugswife, you both should have a good feel for this. La Cage? Think it's big enough not to have specials by then? I can't get A Light in the Piazza until end of January, so will watch for that. Any other suggestions?

And any exciting offBroadway stuff coming up I might not know about?

Patrick, isn't Kathy Lee Gifford producing and directing on Broadway this year (he he he he he).

I had to look twice. I thought I must have made a mistake and written "Rot" instead of "Hot".

Touche!

In all seriousness, one of my good friend's wife is an actor in NYC and I'll ask next time I talk to them.

TTT for Patrick.

I saw La Cage last week and loved it,but I am an unsophisticated hick, LOL. Its quite the spectacle. Does anybody know how it was reviewed by the "experts?"

First, to answer vivi, La Cage aux Folles got mixed reviews, which surprised me. However, the critics raved about Les Cagelles, the predominantly male dancing chorus.
Patrick, I think you should wait until after the first of the year to get a feel for what discount offers will be forthcoming for La Cage.
Now, for the upcoming shows. Here's a list of the most promising (based, in part, on info in the NY Times a couple months ago). Most, you will note, are revivals.
*Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff, starring Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin. Previews start mid-March.
*The Glass Menagerie, starring Jessica Lange. Performances begin in February.
*A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Natasha Richardson. Part of the Roundabout series. Preview begin early April. (If you're interested, I'd recommend getting tickets as soon as they are available.)
*Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. High hopes for this one. Previews begin late March. (I'd recommend getting tickets now, if interested.)
American Buffalo, a revival of the Mamet play starring Laurence Fishburne and director by Joe Mantello. Performances begin in early March.
Glengary Glen Ross, a second Mamet revival with an all-star cast headed by Alan Alda and Liev Shreiber. Previews begin in early April.
The Pillowman, a new play by Martin McDonagh, who wrote The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Previews begin in April.
Enough?

Just a note to tell you this. We got coupons for Broadway tickets by Ticketmaster on Ebay! Yes, you can get 50% off your Broadway tickets by buying a $5 coupon. My stepdaughters and I got 1/2 price tickets (and we selected our own seats in the orchestra!) by getting these coupons for Thoroughly Modern Millie and 42nd St. There are coupons for all the Broadway plays. Another suggestion: there is a great little inn called Broadway Inn which is where we stay every year. Walking distance to the theatres and to Times Sq and the 42st Subway. Great location!!!

I don't mean to sound rude, but I don't thing those details just posted about discount tickets are totally accurate. There is no discount offer that would cover "all Broadway shows." It's just not going to happen. No producer is going to discount tickets when the show is selling out (e.g., Wicked and The Lion King, just to mention two examples.)
Further, I question whether these discounts are 50% off!
There have been incidents in the past where some enterprising people were selling discount coupons on ebay that you could readily get for free.

Thanks for the list, Howard. The tops from that list for me are Glengary Glen Ross and The Pillowman.

I've seen soooooo many productions of Virginia Woolf, Streetcar (not to be outdone was the Gate in Dublin Production starring Francis MacDormand), and Glass Menagerie. While all may be great productions, I may wait to see about discounts for any of them, and not get upset if I miss them.
It seems like just a year ago I saw that revival production of American Buffalo with William Macy, but it still intriques.
Saw Chitty Chitty in London -- fun for the car, but think I'll pass on it in New York. Now when Mary Poppins gets here, that's another matter (although I'm still waiting to read the reviews from this week's London opening).

And yes, I know not to fall for the idea of some magic coupon that gets you half off "all" productions. And I'm well aware of how to get discounts once they are offered for shows they get offered for.

The Papermill production of Ragtime will also be high on my list.

Oops, sorry Patrick, I forgot about Ragtime. That's high on our list, too.
PS: The NY Times gave Mary Poppins a mixed review this morning. Still, I'm sure it'll be a popular success once it gets stateside.

Hi Patrick! Since you loved Modern Millie, you might want to check out Little Women starring Sutton Foster. Just saw it last week and she was fantastic. The rest of the show is good, but Sutton--what a standout! Also, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will open in February with John Lithgow.

Thanks. Both of them are now on my list. I strongly suspect Little Women will be discounted, and possibly Dirty Rotten Scoundrels as well. We'll see.

I spent all morning working on tickets to Ragtime, starting with their silly website. "Best tickets available" were P -25 & 27. I put those on hold and tried two more, then two more. Each time they got better: P-21 & 23, then P - 17 & 19, then P- 13 &15. Called and got P -10 and 12. Go figure. I had planned to call anyway, but wanted to see first what I could find on line. Why would they say "best available" when the next 6 seats towards the center were also available? I had to do a matinee as it is nearly impossible to get back to the city after a night performance there, I've learned.

Howard, if you're going to Ragtime, I suggest you get your tickets soon.

Thanks for the tip, Patrick. The only current discount offer for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels runs through March 6 performances. Obviously, you'll have to wait a while for any June specials. It's a tough call whether or not to get tickets in advance now at full price. Obviously, it depends, in part, on the reviews.
Thanks for adding to my list, bugswife. How could I forget Little Women and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels!

I wrote a review here about Little Women in previews at Duke. Click on my name or do a dreaded search for it. In a nutshell Sutton Foster was amazing, I wished Maureen McGovern had more to do in the show, and the actress playing Amy had bratty down pat. The actress playing Amy also had the hardest part to me because the character ages over the course of the play and it had to reflect in her work.

I would like to know what changes have been made since the Duke previews.

Patrick, I saw "Little Woman" Saturday night and I wasn't that impressed. It was nice, but not exceptional. If "Brooklyn" is still around, I would suggest it.

HI. I've done quite a bit of traveling to London this year, and have seen both Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins. I was actually at the Mary Poppins show opening Preview night.

Chitty Chitty bang bang was good - sets were amazing and special effects were great! Obviously, tons of kids were there and they seemed to love it too. I'd recommend it.

As for Mary Poppins, I loved it. At first I wasn't sure, until I realized I had to give up the movie. It isn't the movie, and doesn't completely follow it. If you don't keep the movie in mind, you'll love it. Cast was fabulous, sets were amazing, and of course, you have to love the songs.

Enjoy your time in NY!

Patrick, I've had the same experience searching for seating and have come to the conclusion that my idea of "best available" is not always the same as the computer's. It seems that the automatic default is to start at one end of the row and work its way across to the other. That's where talking with a human is helpful! Let me know if you need a dining recommendation, as I'm familiar with that area.

Judy, I'm aware of that working across the row idea, but who in their right mind would think the two seats against the wall would be better than two that are 6 seats closer to the center?

Regarding dining. Oh, so many options. Only there for 30 days and I have more than that many favorites. The hard part is trying to break away from the favorites and trying some new ones. Since many evenings are spent in the theatre we often do lighter and more casual after theatre dining.
My partner's birthday is the last day there, so think we'll do Le Bernardin either lunch or dinner that day. That's the only "big splurge" I'm thinking of for now.

Patrick, one more show to add to the list--the latest version of Forbidden Broadwasy (Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit). It opened last night and this morning's Times said it's the best one in years.
These shows, which satirize Broadway theater, are a must for the veteran theatergoer.

So true Howard, I generally get to see each new addition, although I know they are always adding new material. I've even started recognizing some of the very talented cast members who have gone on to bigger and better things. Michael McGrath is one such person I remember from years ago in Forbidden Broadway, next appearing in Spamalot.
There are invariably special priced tickets available on line -- particularly for mid-week shows.