My wife and I will be in New York the weekend of December 11-12. My wife saw the RENT cast on Good Morning America and we ordered tickets. We are in the 2nd row center stage. This will be our first play that we have seen on Broadway. Will we like it? Should we try to trade our tickets for something else? Any info is appreciated.

I saw the show 2 1/2 yrs ago and had a "nice" time, although I was blown out of my seat by how loud the show was. My friend William, who is an avid theatre goer, thought it was trash. My final thought? It's much better (for a musical) than crap like Cats, Les Mis, Miss Saigon, Phantom, Beauty and the Beast, but I prefer straight plays. All the big musicals are for tourists, as we say here in NYC!

First of all, not all of all of us New Yorkers say that all the big musicals are for tourists! 'Tis an extremely hasty and untrue generalization (and I'm wondering who those New Yorkers are!). A lot of us supposedly sophisticated New Yorkers loved Chicago, Cabaret and lot of others!
As for your seats for Rent, the previous poster is correct on that score. Your second row center seats will mean a loud, loud experience for you! I believe that is why the producers sell those seats much cheaper than other orchestra seats. Unfortunately, you are probably stuck with them, as you usually can't trade in tickets.

Hi Bob. It's kind of hard to give a useful answer to your questions without knowing something more about you and your tastes.

Rent has been running for quite a while now, and still packing the house as far as I know, so clearly it has something to offer audiences. I enjoyed it, and I'm sure you'll hear from others who did as well. Whether that translates into you and your wife enjoying it or preferring something else, I can't advise, since I know nothing about your tastes except that your wife watches Good Morning America.

There are other long-running Broadway shows that clearly please the crowds, but which you couldn't pay me to see. I'm sure you can get people here to respond with various opinions of Rent and other shows, but what basis do you have to evaluate their reliability?

Have you checked any reviews of Rent or any of the other current offerings on Broadway? They must be out there, on the websites for various NYC media outlets & for theater stuff. That may help settle your mind as to whether to stick with Rent or pick something else.

One thing's for sure, at this late date you won't be sitting 2nd row Center if you change your minds now.

As a non-New Yorker who's not exactly from a hillbilly town, I liked Rent quite a bit. I go to NYC 3-4 times a year for the theatre experience...I like both plays and musicals. I thought Rent was indeed very loud, and I was six rows back. But, the musical was exactly what I thought it would be...fun, upbeat and entertaining. It's a little too MTV for some folks (see the abovementioned critic) but you can't please all the people all the time. Have fun!

Oh yeah, loud, no question! If you go, an easy solution: foam earplugs! (I've used them on planes, in hotel rooms, even once at the gym when they refused to lower the volume on the sound system. Don't leave home without them!) Get the ones that block the most decibels. Don't worry, the music will still be plenty audible, even with the earplugs. But at least it won't be painful.

Michael - you come across as a snob. The musical is this country's greatest contirbution to the theater. And while the spectacles you mention are geared towards tourists, I and my friends, who consider ourselves to be somewhat sophisticated New Yorkers, have found plenty of musicals to be excited about including Rent. BYoung should keep in mind that the music in Rent is loud and more modern than the typical standard from older musicals, and that the subject matter deals with just as modern topics (drug abuse, homosexuality, AIDS). As long as this is not offensive to them, my guess is he and his wife will enjoy Rent.

Getting back to the original poster and his question: You'll probably enjoy Rent; just keep in mind that it's very loud sitting up front. (Unlike some other shows, second row center seats are not the best ones for this show!) And unless you're prepared to not use the tickets, you're "stuck" with 'em (but don't overreact to the word "stuck"--Rent is a good show). (Of course, there is always the outside chance that you might be able to sell them outside the theater the night of the performance...but by then, you probably wouldn't be able to get tickets for another show that evening.)
I hope this has helped at least a little.

I can't say anything about Rent, but don't let people like Michael dissuade you from seeing the bigger shows like Les Mis, in the future. As Tom said, the musical is one of the greatest contributions to theater. Every New Yorker I know attends the theater, including musicals regularly. As a former dancer, I can tell you that no show is developed solely for the tourist. A show's popularity does not necessarily measure the tourism rate in a city. So, ignore superficial snots like Michael, go see Rent, get hooked on Broadway, and go back for more!

B,
I LOVE this show. Seen it several times in Chicago, New York, Fort Lauderdale and caught a performance when I was in London. It is a loud, but truly uplifting show. I love the music, the energy, the characters. Not everyone digs it. When I saw it in Fort Lauderdale (a city that, it is fair to say, more conservative than New York) some older people walked out offended by some of the subject matter. I do think some of the responses to the show run along generational lines. My mom couldn't stand it. She thought it was too loud and "a ripoff of Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair" Nonetheless "Rent" is a great show, especially fun to see around the holidays and especially fun to see in New York.

Write back and let us know what you thought.

NY lesson #1
Be very wary of New Yorkers who say that everyone goes to shows (rediculous unless you are in the arts yourself) or that they consider themselves "Sophisticated New Yorkers". I live in Manhattan on the Upper East Side and I do not understand why my fellow Manhattanites have to justify their existence by turning their noses up in the air and telling you that there is only one way to go. Helen is right...it's a personal thing. Go to Rent...you may love it. My wife and I saw it in London and I saw it with my niece in NY. My wife still plays the soundtrack while my mother gets chills when she thinks of it. While my friends do not attend the theatre "regularly", I believe that we have all learned that the great part of NY is that I can have as much fun watching the Mets eating a hotdog as watching a symphonic performance. My advise to you...go to rent...if you liked the preview on GMA...you will probably like the show. Most of the snobs on this forum probably would only admit to listening to National Public Radio in the morning in any event.

Boy, pity the fool who's willing to voice a stong opinion of something here! Michael's post was simply a direct response to the original poster's question. Whether I agree with his opinion or not, it's refreshing to hear someone really say what he thinks about something. Let's not stifle this kind of informative posting!

His mistake, however, was making the comment that he was speaking for all New Yorkers. I imagine he might regret that.

I'm jumping in late on this but I would definitely pay attention to the suggestion that you take foam ear plugs with you for your second row seats , either that or learn sing language before you go as it will take awhile for your hearing to come back. Personally I didn't find that the show "spoke to me" ,though it certainly wasn't for lack of volume. I really don't know how anyone here could possibly predict whether you will like this show or not. Just try to keep your hearing in tact.

Hey Geoff - lighten up. No one suggested that all New Yorkers, go to Broadway shows. Just as not all New Yorkers go to Mets games. (I prefer going to the Bronx for baseball.) But the person who posted this message asked for specific information and OPINIONS regarding a Broadway show. Not the next double header at Shea. Naturally, the people who reply are going to be theater goers. And they offered their opinions, as requested. That doesnt mean they are snobs or believe the theater to be exclusive. Read these posts more carefuly and youll see that most of us are stressing that most shows have value, and that the theater is a vital part of the extremely DIVERSE NY experience.

P.S. For the record, I dont listen to NPR, and prefer Today to GMA.

I just got back from a weekend in New York and my husband and I saw "Rent". We thought it was good but a little raunchier that we had expected so be prepared for lesbian scenes as well as men kissing and people grabbing their private areas occasionally. We also saw "Kat and the Kings" and I would highly recommend it!!!! It is non-stop energy from the beginning and the cast is just fantastic! We would not have chosen to see this because it is not something that we had ever heard of but a friend recommended it and we were glad that they did!!! This is was I expected from a Broadway show--great singing, dancing and a meaningful plot!