To celebrate a major birthday (and I'm not saying which one), hubby and I have decided to do a long weekend in NYC. We want to see at least two shows and have some good food.

Trouble is, we don't really know what shows are good and available. We'd like to see the Producers, but I suppose tickets are too expensive. We're not too interested in the Lion King. Our theatre history is we didn't like Rent or Into The Woods, but we loved Les Miserables. Musicals, dramas, revivals are all fine. What would you suggest? And how many shows can we realistically and sensibly do in 2.5 days?

You might want to check the AOL New York City messages boards for shows others have enjoyed. Or, go to www.playbill.com and see what you find appealing (there are so many fabulous shows!). If you sign up as a member (no charge for this), you'll receive e-mails for special ticket prices. Usually, this indicates that there's a good chance of getting half price seats, once you arrive, at the TKTS booth. If there's a show you really want to see, on a particular day at a particular time (and get good seats), it's best to order them ahead. Unless you want to see as many shows as you can fit in, I'd recommend a matinee one day and an 8PM show the other. If the weather's nice, you don't want to spend all your time in the theatre. And, it's more difficult that you'd think to combine "dinner and a show". You may find yourself rushing through dinner if you go before the show (not a good way to relax and enjoy a pricey meal), and dinner possibilities following the show are sometimes limited, as you have to find a restaurant not too far away that serves late. It's not advisable to book the latest reservation time. Often, the staff is more interested in finishing up and going home that providing you with leisurely service. You didn't mention when you're going, but the The Producers is quickly selling out. I got tickets front and center in the first balcony (my favorite spot for viewing a large cast musical) for October at $45/each.

I'll answer your last question first: You can see one show Friday evening, two on Saturday (matinee and evening) and one on Sunday afternoon. And, if you haven't had your fill, you can catch an off-Broadway show on Sunday evening.
You don't say when you're coming. But, you can forget about The Producers on a weekend for many months. And you are correct about it being expensive, orchestra seats for that show are $100 each. Keep in mind that all Broadway shows are somewhat expensive--musicals in the $80-$100 category at full price and straight plays about $10-$20 less.
You have a couple options for getting less expensive tickets:
1. Check out the Playbill website (www.playbill.com). Join the club--it's free and it's not a gimmick. Once you join you are then "eligible" for discount tickets for several shows. Obviously, you won't find the shows that are selling out or close to that, but you will find some good shows there. Once you find out what's available, you can either call up for tickets or print out the offer and bring it to the box office when you get to NY.
2. Wait until to get to the city and then stand in line at one of the two TKTS booths (one in Times Square and one in the World Trade Center) and get tickets for half-price on the day of the performance. Keep in mind that you'll have to wait in line each time at Times Square for tickets, as they only sell them for the upcoming performance. The WTC booth will sell for the next day's matinee as well.
As for what to see, based on your stated likes and dislikes, I'd recommend (in no particular order) Phantom of the Opera, Kiss Me Kate, 42nd Street, Annie Get Your Gun, and The Music Man.

PS: If you (or anyone else, for that matter) are interested in see Phantom of the Opera, I just received some discount tickets in the mail. They are good for every performance, Monday through Friday (including Wednesday matinee). They are not good for either Saturday performance.
$85 orchestra seats are $45 ($40 for Wednesday matinee). $55/$50 rear mezzanine seats M-Th are $30, for Friday are $40 and $30, for Wednesday matinee are $25.
You don't need the coupons. All you ahve to do is call 212947-8844 and mention code PHST786. The offer is good thru July 6.
(I believe you'll pay an additional $5.75 phone order charge.)
If you want any coupons sent to you, email me your address.

d lunch at Renee Pujol, which I think would have been a nice dinner spot also. I bought all our theater tickets through the playbill links before we went.

I don't know what happened just then but the beginning of my message didn't come through - so here it is again: On a recent weekend theater trip we saw The Full Monty on Friday night (very entertaining), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the Saturday matinee (very moving and great acting), and Annie Get Your Gun on Sunday afternoon(Reba is great in this role). We skipped Saturday night to go to the Russian Tea Room, which was quite an experience also . We had gone to Renee Pujol for lunch, which would also be a great dinner spot I think. (I think this is about where my other post cut off - sorry about the confusion here!)

Our group of four ladies saw 5 plays in 4 days and we had plenty of timefor sightseeing. I recommend ordering tickets ahead of time for the plays that you really want to see. Print off a seating chart and then call for reservations. 42nd Street and Cuckoo's, new shows are wonderful and worth getting tickets ahead of time. We also loved Les Mes and Annie Get Your Gun. Have a great time. For other showes we went to the box office and got seats for that night or the next day. We did not want to stand in line for tickets.

There is a little Indian restaurant on 50th St. and 9th Ave. called Dakshin. It is a couple of blocks away from most of the theaters but the prices are very reasonable and the food is great. In fact, 9th Ave is full of great restaurants that don't cater just to tourists, so you won't get fleeced.

However, if you want to eat right near Times Square, my family has been eating for years at an Italian place called Johnny's on 45th St. betw. 6th and 7th Aves.