I was most recently in Times Square for a Broadway show. While I’ve only been to a handful of Broadway productions, one of the things I enjoyed is walking around the theater district and looking at how theaters promote their featured productions. That, in itself, feels like a little treat. Seeing the options made me think about which Broadway shows I would recommend to others.
Times Squares Theater District
We passed by quite a few theaters in the area, but 3 particular signage stood out to me.
1. Anastasia
This one stood out to me because I had no idea that Anastasia had been turned into a Musical on Broadway. I watched the animated version when I was a kid and I enjoyed the story. Songs were catchy, including Journey to the Past and Once Upon a December. Needless to say, I was sufficiently drawn to this production.
Anastasia signage ©travelgadgetreviews
2. Disney’s Frozen
This film was a Disney hit so it was no surprise to anyone that it would be turned into a Broadway musical. Who hasn’t heard of Elsa and Anna or Olaf at this point? Because the title speaks for itself, I thought the signage was on the bland/uninspiring side. I guess I’ll just have to let it go.
Frozen signage ©travelgadgetreviews
3. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The promotion for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is curiously commanding. I actually only found out about this production about 2 weeks before the trip. Of course, when I was looking at ticket prices, they were marked up through the roof so we passed on it.
The good thing is that I’m not dying of curiosity in terms of the plot since I read the play shortly after it came out (no spoiler here). Instead, I’d get curious questions from others who have not yet read it, such as “Who’s the Cursed Child?” “Is it about life after Harry Potter series?”, etc.
If you are a fan of Harry Potter series, this production should pique your interest.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child signage ©travelgadgetreviews
What production would you recommend?
Between the handful of productions I’ve watched, I’d actually recommend Wicked: The Musical — I watched it at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London. To be frank, I don’t even remember many of the details, except it was just a fun, mostly light-hearted, and family-friendly musical. The storyline moved at a good pace. The musical had moments where it made me laugh, and I remembered that it was engaging enough that I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next in Act 2.
If you have guests visiting and you’re taking them to see a Broadway show (they have no preference), which Broadway shows would you take them to? What is it about that production that you enjoyed most?
Also, have you watched any of the productions mentioned above? If so, thoughts or recommendations?
Phantom of the opera. I’ve gone every year for the past 4.
That’s a great recommendation. I have heard great things about Phantom of the Opera (from someone who’s a super fan of the play). I really can’t say I’m a fan of the protagonist, though, so there isn’t that draw for me to go watch the play. I like the music, though. “Think of me” is awesome (it’s probably my favorite) , and “Music of the Night” is amazingly good (in a weird, creepy kind of way)
As a New Yorker and veteran theatergoer, my recommendations depend on your budget and whether you are bringing children or not. For adults, it’s hard to beat the sheer hilarity of The Book of Mormon (not as difficult a ticket to get as it was years ago). On a serious note, Dear Evan Hansen is one of the most emotionally touching musicals of all time. If you’re on a budget, tickets to terrific long-running shows like Kinky Boots or Chicago can generally be ordered on discount via Broadway Box or at the half-price TKTS booth. Excellent for all ages are… Read more »
Great tips; there are definitely a few on the list that wasn’t even on my radar.
As for Hamilton, I am going to pass until the hype dies down. It’s not too high on my list to begin with and I am definitely not interested in paying a premium for those tickets.
Thanks for reading and for your thoughtful comment!
My wife and I saw Come From Away a couple of weeks ago, very powerful.
There had been another recommendation of “Come From Away” (not even on my radar) so it’s something I’ll look into. Thanks for the recommendation.