carioca

We will be arriving in NY may 15 and staying untill the 27th.We got already our tickets for Spamalot, Doubt and The Pillowman.Do you think I should get our tickets for Shockheaded Peter by phone or I can wait till we arrive?Any other play suggestions?

Budman

Seriously, I would reserve for this event right now!!!

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34599535

HowardR

You can probably wait, but the show has announced that's closing on May 29, so tickets might be selling faster than expected. In any event, there is a special offer on the Playbill website for the show. Check it out. We took advantage of it and got 4th row center!

suzanne

Though it got lots of excellent reviews, I absolutely HATED it. I can't even describe how awful it was. The ultra-falsetto voice of the singer and the repetitiveness of the songs...ugh! Though it was meant to be "darkly funny" I didn't think it was at all.

Just to give you an idea of what was supposed to be funny (I guess) - the show starts out like this: The sinister-looking narrator bursts out onto the stage claiming "I am the greatest actor in the world!". He then stands there for a full 5 minutes(!!), doing nothing but looking around at the audience. During this time, you heard a couple giggles from the audience. So I guess 2 or 3 people found it funny.

The one slightly redeeming thing about this show was the puppetry, which was actually fantastic, but the puppetry scenes were few and far between.

Patrick

Interesting comment. I know from both its New York and its London run that people seem to either really love it, or really hate it. I guess since it's closing earlier than scheduled in New York, the "haters" must have outweighed the "lovers".

HowardR

Patrick, I'm optimistic, as the friends that have seen it, liked it.

Patrick

Howard, it is so bizarre, that I just KNEW I'd like. That's why I'm disappointed it closes now before we arrive June 1. I had called as soon as the discounts were extended into our time frame, but was surprised when I called and they said that run had just been cut shorter than the discount dates being offered. But it clearly isn't a show for "everybody".

happytrailstoyou

I saw Shockheaded Peter when it was in Seattle a couple years ago. I, too, thought it was over-hyped. There are many better ways to spend your time and money while you're in NYC. I envy you Doubt and Pillowman. Have fun.

Maggi

"Der Struwwelpeter" (i.e. Shockheaded Peter) is a book that used to be widely read to kids in Germany as a means to get them to behave, "or else". I remember being read the stories as a little girl. They are horrible and I can't imagine exposing my sweet little grandson to them. Some of the Grimms fairy tales are scary too: consider Red Riding Hood's grandmother being eaten by the wolf and Hansel and Gretel being fattened up by the witch who was preparing to eat them. I couldn't believe it when I saw that "Shockheaded Peter" was coming out on stage.

pspercy

I had the book as a kid and loved it My younger brother on the other hand loathed it and defaced my copy with scribbles and drawings LOL

Saw it in a bookshop in Germany a few years ago so it's still around tho' definitely not PC.

HowardR

Clearing up one key point about the stage version of Shockheaded Peter: It is not intended for children and has never been promoted as such. Despite its origins, the show is strictly for adults!