New York! New York! Just You Wait!

THE MUSIC MAN

This show was spectacular. I wasn’t sure how Michaela would react to such an old fashioned show. Let’s face it. It’s been around a while. Some of the subject matter isn’t exactly accepted these days – which is lame but sadly, true. Not only did Michaela learn where a lot of the music they play on Main Street at Disneyland came from she had a ball laughing at all the jokes and innuendo. I am so glad she saw this when she was older. It was a lot more fun that way.

The Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster

I was so happy that we got to see this show! It made the price we paid to attend so worth it. From the staging to the performances. This cast was huge – ranging from the very young to the not so young. Hugh Jackman was so charming. The chemistry between him and Sutton Foster was electric – they ARE Harold and Marian! The Winter Garden Theatre was the perfect location too. I don’t think there was a bad seat in the house. I was concerned with being the 2nd to the last row in the balcony but the theatre itself is wide and shallow. We sat in the middle so the distance to the stage didn’t feel far at all and we were able to see everything. I dare say that we maybe had a better view than the people on the main floor who easily paid 2x.. 3x as much as we did.

HAMILTON

Thank goodness for the broadway show,  Hamilton. It really did get us through some boring days during the pandemic. I am so glad Disney+ released it so people who hadn’t the chance to see it live could experience it in their own homes. I wasn’t sure at first how I’d like it. I was concerned about historical accuracy and the message being muddled with soapbox liberal preaching. Hey, it happens. And while casting people of color as people who in real life were white men, is unconventional, it didn’t matter. The music sometimes being rap didn’t matter. What mattered was the story and how well it was delivered. What mattered is that I could believe that Thomas Jefferson was actually a black man with a crazy head of hair, dressed in an iridescent purple suit. I could believe all of them. That’s a sign of good writing and great performances. The cast of Hamilton delivered – both the original cast (pictured below) and every subsequent cast that I’ve seen since whether it’s been a the national tour or back on Broadway in New York.

Hamilton – Original Cast

A month before our trip we got to see the national tour production when it stopped in Salt Lake City. The comparisons to the original cast is inevitable. It sure is hard to follow those guys!  But it was a great warm up for our visit to Broadway. Just being able to walk up to the Richard Rogers Theatre and stand in line for the show that has really taken the industry by storm was pretty cool. I honestly didn’t care about sitting in the upper stratosphere having already seen the show on TV and live back in Salt Lake City from a much closer vantage point. That being said, while experience helped us to enjoy the performance, I think if we were seeing it for the first time we would have missed a lot. There are subtle moments in this production that would be missed by sitting so far away. So if I were to give any piece of advice about seeing Hamilton live, sit close if you can. You don’t want to miss the details.

Dear Evan Hansen

Michaela had been watching bootleg clips on YouTube of this show for quite a while. She wanted to see this so bad. I was thrilled that my sister wanted to make this happen for her. The seats we hard were arguably the best ones of our trip. We had front row of the balcony. I thought the Winter Garden Theatre was shallow but the Music Box Theatre had the intimacy thing going on. I felt like I could reach out and touch the stage from where we were sitting.

Dear Evan Hansen featuring Zachary Noah Piser and Company
Photo by Matthew Murphy

Dear Evan Hansen’s music was written by the same writing team that wrote the music for The Greatest Showman and La La Land – Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The subject matter is heavy although it manages to incorporate humor when talking about depression and suicide. The message is timely and important. I related most to the parents, of course. Michaela related to the young people in the show which provided many topics for conversations we’ve had about mental health. These discussions aren’t always easy for me to participate in. I come from a generation that was taught to suck it up. Life is hard for everyone. Michaela comes from a generation that is promoting open discussion about how we feel. While it’s foreign for me, it’s important for her. And it’s been an interesting personal journey for me to let go and say what I feel. I have A LOT of work to do with that. I don’t want to say how I really feel. Sucking it up is what I am comfortable with. BUT… I am thankful that Michaela feels safe enough to talk about things with me. I don’t want her to never feel like she can’t. Taking part in activities together like seeing Dear Evan Hansen has been an important part of cultivating a healthy and positive mother/daughter relationship.

This show is excellent. I feel fortunate that we got to see it before it left Broadway for good. Now, the only way to experience it is to see a performance from a national tour stop.

Final Thoughts….

Seeing a Broadway show in New York is a MUST MUST MUST. Just do it. I think if we had the money we would have ended every evening with a different show. That would have been something! But we are very fortunate to get to see three of the biggest shows out there. And it is something we will talk about for a very long time.

In regards to where to stay, where to eat… We stayed directly across the street from the Winter Garden Theatre at the M Social Hotel Times Square New York (A great place to stay! It was clean! Safe! And the food was excellent!). We could see it from our room!

The view from our room in New York City!

Choosing a place to stay came down to what we were doing most and staying as close as we could to those things. We knew we were doing Broadway a lot and while Times Square is noisy, kinda dirty, smells a little weird sometimes and is intimidating, we were with in a few minutes walk from each theatre. If you keep alert, you can navigate the city safely. And since were would be out late after the shows, we wanted to walk as little of distance as possible.

Believe it or not, Times Square food is nothing to write home about. Our best meals were from room service. In fact we LOVED room service. It really wasn’t much more expensive than going to a restaurant and not having to deal with all the people and noise was worth it. Plus it made us feels super fancy. We did do one meal at the Ellen’s Stardust Diner before one of the shows and it sucked. There is no other word for it. There is always a huge line to get in. It’s small and crowded. The food is cafeteria quality. What you go for is the history and the performances by the wait staff which are all Broadway hopefuls. The restaurant claims bragging rights to having employed many a Broadway performer before their time. These people ARE talented. But sitting in that cramped restaurant, eating that crappy food, all I could think about it is I hope they don’t have to stay there too long. Get out as fast as you can. Your talent deserves more than being seen in a dive.