NYC Broadway Week started in 2011 and occurs twice annually offering 2-for-1 tickets as well as seating upgrades. Broadway Week Winter 2022 is beloved by locals and visitors around the world. The program introduces a larger audience to the indisputable American-made Broadway musical industry — A ‘business called show’ that has become a major export of creativity, a collaboration of different people and professions, as well as an employer of over 90,000 workers. History buffs of this art form still debate about which show was the first Broadway musical.
Many diehard thespian/historians and armchair audience attendees claim that The Black Crook was the first Broadway musical that premiered in New York on September 12, 1866. The debate lingers on in the catacombs of the theatre district. For me, it is irrelevant which came first, the note or the lyric. We all agree that this artform still thrives and the best of the best reach the pinnacle in midtown Manhattan.
Following are just a few of my picks for the discount season. After all, the show must go on with or without an audience. However, there is nothing comparable to the intoxicating energy conjured up by a live performance to a packed house.
Board the magic carpet ride at the beautiful New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street in Times Square. Aladdin is a spectacular production from the team at Disney Theatrical and has been flying on Broadway since the 1990s. It is also a show that has been translated into more than 8 languages with productions around the globe. Come witness the love story between Aladdin and Jasmine as their arch-nemesis, Jafar, tries to undermine everything for a lot of power in a “teeny tiny space.”
Did someone create a musical about 911? Really!? Yes!
Come From Away takes place in Gander, Newfoundland. Our friends and northern neighbors tell the authentic and amazing story about several events that occurred on a horrific day and how this altruistic community opened their arms, hearts and homes to all of the people re-routed and stranded in their small village for days on end.
You will leave the theatre uplifted and humming the songs of hope, humanity and compassion. It helped me and many to heal the invisible wounds from that devastating event. It’s based on a true story and real people with humor, humility and neighborly compassion.
Shocking and entertaining audiences for more than 15 years, Wicked is a mega-hit housed at The Gershwin Theatre. This musical tells the back-story of the Witches of Oz — Glinda the Good and Elphaba (the green one) and how the latter becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.
This Tony award-winning show fills the house with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman (based on Gregory Maguire’s best-selling novel), and is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The mesmerizing production will have you defying gravity by the time the curtain falls.
Are you unsure of what show to pick? Is your partner not exactly a fan of Broadway? Well, look no further than The Book of Mormon.
If your significant other (SO) is a fan of South Park, snarky cartoons and double entendre, along with all its irreverence to everything sacred, serious and holy, this show will certainly entertain and hit the funny bone with a gasp. It also gives audience members a peek into the history, message, and beliefs of Joseph Smith and the LDS faith. This show has been running for over a decade — further proof that even the Mormons are not completely offended. A must-see!
Yes, that Talking Head. David Byrne dips his toe into the Broadway waters with 11 international musicians. Based on his 2018 album, American Utopia, this concert/musical/art exhibit/gathering is just part of the much larger multimedia creation. The plot takes an underlying political slant as well as preservation of our shared environment and it all resonates from the weathered floorboards and footlights to the proscenium with choreography by Annie-B. Parson. Now is your time to join the throngs of fans outside of the St. James Theater.
The smash-hit film by Baz Luhrmann blazes on stage with all the bawdiness, spectacle and opulence of the Folies Bergéres circa 1890. Moulin Rouge is peppered with pop songs and a foreboding love story that has fans and cult followers returning often and raising a multitude of questions. I was once asked why the score is different than the soundtrack of the movie. I do not have an answer for this. You simply have to go to the Al Hirschfeld Theater and discover the vibe for yourself. Voulez-Vous…
Note: The Broadway Week sale has been extended until the end of February.
For more shows, information and to purchase tickets, click the link below.
Once again, the curtain goes up and hopefully with you rather than without…
Photo Credits: Broadway Theatre and PK Greenfield
