new york theater
 

I'm going to new york in early april and hope to see king lear. If I can't get tickets, any other recommendations?

Since it sounds like you're into more substantial theatre than the usual musicals, you might check out The Stendhal Syndrome (off Broadway). Jumpers is opening in April after a really successful run in London. Sadly some of the other really good dramas are closing in March. I'd love to see Twentieth Century by the Roundabout, but when I called with a number of nights open, I couldn't get any decent seats and that was a couple of weeks ago for late April. The same is true of Sly Fox opening this month.
A Raisin in the Sun, one of the great American plays will be in previews the first week of April.

Good luck with King Lear tickets. I ordered mine the minute I heard about it, and was lucky to get them for closing night which is the day we arrive in New York. I heard here or somewhere that it is now sold out.

Have you gone to www.playbill.com and looked at descriptions and reviews of shows? There are other sites as well.

Patrick, I don't know what you consider decent tickets, but we just got some for Sly Fox. No, they're not 6th row center, but they're fine.
And, yes, King Lear is sold out. We saw it today and it was outstanding.

Howard, the only options the website would give me were against the side walls, last row of orchestra, or the balcony (no mezzanine). I tried a number of dates, but that website drives me nuts. Maybe I'll call them and check again.

With the roundabout shows, I was even thinking of buying the three show package to see both Assassins and Twentieth Century, even though I couldn't use the tickets for After the Fall. But the girl on the phone even told me they had nothing to offer me seat wise if I took the membership package, particularly for Assassins, where the only seats were the last row of the balcony. I haven't been having good luck with tickets.

Well, Howard, right you are. In calling, they found two seats about the middle of the right orchestra section six rows back. Oddly enough, selection wasn't good for Tuesday and Thursday nights when I was first checking, but they had these much better seats for Saturday night, May 1. I usually figure the seat selection is worse on weekend nights. Go figure. Anyway, thanks, and now I'm in for Sly Fox. Having played a major role in Volpone in college and having seen Volpone at Stratford-on-Avon, I'm really anxious to see this "update".

By the way, am I the only one who keeps getting the wrong word you have to identify in those little graphics on the website?

Patrick, I only use a website to find seat locations. Otherwise, I always call or go to the box office in person.
PS: You're missing a great production of Sweeney Todd at the NYC Opera. It ends around March 26.

Howard, not being in the city, going to the box office is out for me, until I'm there -- last minute, but I have gotten some great seats that way. What do you mean about "calling" the box office. I didn't think that was possible except for Roundabout and a couple others. It's the websites that have been giving me fits. Ticketmaster's is the worst, because if you don't like the seats they offer you, you have to start all over again. I worked and worked with their website on Wicked until I gave up and called them and got pretty decent seats. On Telecharge, each time you check to look at the "next" seats, you have to enter another "hidden word", and I swear I feel like an idiot when I see "army" and they tell me that isn't right! And lately I've given up on a couple shows (like Sly Fox) and called Telecharge instead and let them do the search, in which case they keep finding me better seats than I'm finding on the website.

About Sweeney Todd, don't rub it in. I know!

No, Patrick, I mean I call Ticketmaster or Telecharge, not the box office. Again, I always call rather than ordering through the website for either. It's much less frustrating. I'd rather talk to a real person any time!

Ah, I see. Well, I've booked for the last few years on the websites, but this year, I'm agreeing with you. I remember the old days when Ticketmaster/Telecharge wouldn't tell you what seats, only that they were the best available (in whose opinion?). These days their clerks actually seem content to work with you for a long time on finding the best seats for a variety of nights. But lately I've run into more and more glitches. Actually I usually download the seating charts from playbill.com so I have them in front of me in either case.

Partially I'm just spoiled because I book London tickets by calling the box office directly and always get someone who knows the theatre and show and offers great advice -- and there are no booking charges, either!

Patrick and Howard: I believe that "Match" previews began Saturday; have you heard anything? I have tickets to see it at the end of May.

What is Match? I've not heard of it.

From Playbill.com:

The Plymouth Theatre will be the Broadway home of Match, the new Stephen Belber play starring Frank Langella and Ray Liotta. Langella will play a Juilliard dance teacher in the new play, which concerns a police officer trying to uncover a secret of his past.
Belber's Match is about a husband and wife who "arrive on the doorstep of a once renowned dancer to interview him about his past. By night's end what they have learned will change them all forever."

Oops, sorry, had a memory lapse. Yes, I have heard of the show. There's been little if anything said about the play. So, for now, you're flying blind.

Actually I forgot all about Match, despite the fact I have tickets to it for April 27. The cast sounds great and I'm looking forward to it. Just hope it's enough of a success not to have closed by my dates.