"The Holiday Guys". Photo by Ben Strothman.
Don’t say I never got you anything for the holidays. My little elves have snuck me discount codes for the York Theatre’s presentation of The Holiday Guys in Happy Merry Hanu-mas – an irreverent, tuneful celebration of the season from acclaimed Broadway actors Marc Kudisch (Tony-nominee for Thoroughly Modern Millie, 9 to 5) and Jeffry Denman (White Christmas, Yank). Plus, it promises to include special celebrity guests like an old school variety show!
Hop on across the jump to the get the details on sale price tickets and an audio taste of their delightful Hanukah/Christmas song stylings…
Read more…
Every fourth Wednesday of the month, the “VIP Access” column will serve up advice on how to make your theater-going experiences cheaper, easier and more fulfilling with inside scoop from the experts. This month, we’ve got breaking news from the booth…
Image via tdf.org
Maybe the K in TKTS stands for Kmart…because the venerable ticket booth in Times Square is heading into one-stop discount shopping territory.
The Theatre Development Fund, which runs the discount ticket service, announced that they will be testing out some new services to allow customers to take care of all of their Broadway and Off-Broadway buying needs in one spot. In addition to their usual day of “sale price” tickets, starting this week the booth will offer:
- simultaneous sales of same day matinee AND evening tickets from the time the booth opens on two show days
- a full price ticket window for future performances or same day full-price tickets to shows that are not available at a discount
What does this mean for you? Well, for two show days it means the early bird gets the orchestra seats; get to the booth when it opens in the morning and you might have a shot at the best tickets for that evening’s shows. (Though remember, the booth gets discounted tickets through the day as producers decide they can no longer sell them at higher prices…so you can never be sure when the tickets will “hit” for the better selling shows. We’ll have to do some investigating over the next few months to see how this lands.)
It also means that folks interesting in doing a double feature can buy their tickets for the whole day at once. No more getting back in line after your matinee.
One big asterisk: these changes are not being instituted at the Brooklyn and South Street Seaport TKTS locations; you’ll have to go to Times Square to double dip. However, unlike the main booth, these locations will still be offering matinee tickets the evening before.
Breathe. Change is good. It will all be OK.
Jason Butler Harner, Amanda Quaid & Cory Michael Smith in "C*ck". Photo by Joan Marcus.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I wanted to make a silly, smutty double entrende in the title of this post with every bone in my body. I love double entendres. I have since I was a small child and giggled at reruns of The Match Game (explains a lot about my upbringing, doesn’t it). Then I realized anything I’d write would be more of a single entendre and where’s the craft in that? I mean, it’s like shooting large, turgid fish in a barrel.
Besides, we’ve got better things to do, like give away a pair of free tickets to an amazing Off-Broadway play. I love C*ck (hush), with its lacerating wit and wonderful quartet of performers, and I want to share it with you! (Here’s my review from when it opened.) And since we’ve been talking a lot of musical theater of late, I thought it was time to give plays their fair shake.
So to enter to win a free pair of tickets, just tell me in the comments below your favorite play of all time and why you love it. Write your response by end of day on Friday, August 10 and I’ll randomly pick a winner from everyone who replies. (Please be sure to check back in the comments for this post next Monday to see who won and for instructions on how to claim the ticket voucher.)
Wood Harris, Nicole Ari Parker, Blair Underwood & Daphne Rubin-Vega in "A Streetcar Named Desire". Image via streetcaronbroadway.com.
Spend just a few minutes in a room with the company of A Streetcar Named Desire and one thing is immediately clear: this is the hottest cast on Broadway. And I don’t just mean physically attractive, though Blair Underwood (In Treatment), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Nicole Ari Parker (Boogie Nights) and Wood Harris (The Wire) are a stunning foursome . No, their heat is also a product of their passion for the work and an outspoken determination to make this revival, the first multicultural Streetcar on Broadway, a richer, deeper experience.
In the run-up to their first preview (tonight at the Broadhurst), the entire cast and their director Emily Mann gathered at B. Smith’s to talk about the genesis of this production, the ghosts of prior versions of the play and why this will be one of the steamiest stage trips to New Orleans you’ll ever take. (And just to sweeten the deal, check out our special discount code for tickets at the end of the post!)
On the decision to do an interracial production:
Mann: “It’s sort of why not? What took so long? It’s such an obvious way to do this play. It’s the meaning of New Orleans; to have that gumbo of ethnicities and races makes the city the incredible and unique place it is in America. …Tennessee [Williams] himself wanted always to see the play done this way. He had hoped it would be done on Broadway in 1955 but it was Sweet Bird of Youth, I think, that was premiering and they didn’t want two of his own shows to be competing on Broadway. So it never happened. But he gave permission all through his life to have this done and I think he’d be thrilled by what we are doing today.”
On the draw of Streetcar:
Underwood: “…it’s Tennessee Williams. It’s beautiful. Poetry. It’s human. It’s brutal. It’s vulnerable. It’s passionate. It’s desire. It’s all of those things. That’s why it’s an iconic play. That’s why it’s a classic. That’s why people should come see it.”
Read more…
Every fourth Wednesday of the month, the “VIP Access” column will serve up advice on how to make your theater-going experiences cheaper, easier and more fulfilling with inside scoop from the experts. This month, we’re acting like the birdies on Jaybird Street…
Tom Cruise in "Rock of Ages". Image via @adammshankman.
Tweet. Tweet. Tweet. With its 140 character limit, rabid followers and echoing retweets, Twitter is either a revolutionary communication force or the end of civilized interaction as we know it. Or maybe it’s just a great way to feel like you’re chatting with the theater’s brightest stars. Given The Broadway Blog’s mission to welcome everyone into a theatrical cocktail conversation, I’ll vote C for now and let history be the judge.
As a newbie–@BroadwayBlogTom–I spent the last week diving in headfirst and trying to learn the rules of the road (and, clearly, mixing metaphors haphazardly). Other than the possibility of getting lost in a T-Hole for hours, Twitter turns out to be a pretty amazing way to learn about ticket deals, hang out with your theater idols and meet some new ones as well. Here are my top ten recommendations for twitter feeds to “follow”:
Read more…
Joel Grey & Sutton Foster. Photo by Joan Marcus.
Who says theater can’t save the world? When you buy discounted Broadway tickets through Givenik.com, 5% of the ticket price goes to a charity you select from their comprehensive list. With a few simple clicks, you can feel like Daddy Warbucks and Mother Teresa all at the same time.
Beyond the obvious rush from doing good, there’s a lot to love about this online upstart; the website’s interface is clean, the actual transactions take place through the major ticketing agencies (so you can still pick your seats) and, best of all, Givenik features most of the same discount codes as other popular sites like Broadway Box. That’s up to 40% off full price (I sound like I’m on an infomercial now…but wait, there’s more!) all while helping great organizations like Broadway in South Africa, The Ali Forney Center and Central Park Conservancy.
Need a little star power to get involved? Givenik recently unveiled an Ambassador program featuring Broadway stars and the charities they support; Spider-Man Reeve Carney spoke out for The Partnership for the Homeless and The Book of Mormon‘s Rory O’Malley stood proud for Broadway Impact. After the jump, watch the legendary Joel Grey, currently on Broadway in Anything Goes, make a personal appeal for his choice, Friends in Deed.
Read more…
It’s time for another round-up of the week in theater news:
- It may not have Hugh, but the Arena Stage production of Oklahoma took DC by (dustbowl) storm last year. Now you can get free tickets to opening night of its return engagement by “liking” their Facebook page. Hmmm, that sounds familiar…
Read more…
Image via Broadway Bares.
Summer is heating up and so are preparations for the annual Broadway Bares show. Featuring some of the sexiest performers from the New York stage, this year’s burlesque extravaganza, Masterpiece, is so close (June 19) you can almost touch it.
But if you just can’t wait for a little taste of what’s to come, head over to Splash (50 W. 17th Street) this Monday night at 7pm to mix and mingle with 30 of the hottest men and women spotlighted in Masterpiece‘s opening number. Plus, toss your hat (or shirt) into the ring for a huge raffle with prizes including tickets to Broadway Bares & Anything Goes, autographed CDs from Sutton Foster, classes at PNT Fitness, memberships to DavidBartonGym and much more. But, honestly, when you get a chance to chat with these smoking hot dancers, everybody wins.
All proceeds go to the amazing programs of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, so if you can’t make it Monday night, donate online here.
Still not sold? After the jump, we’ve got some extra spicy pics of just a few members of the cast you’ll meet, up close and in person, at Splash…
Read more…
Oklahoma at Arena Stage. Photo by Suzanne Blue Star Boy
Theater ticket prices got you down? Finding it hard to decide between making your mortgage payment or buying two tickets to Wicked? Two news stories hit this weekend promising some relief for every musical-lover’s pocketbook.
- It used to be that if you wanted The Book of Mormon for free, you had to steal it from a hotel nightstand. Not anymore. Playbill.com reports that the producers of the smash musical about Mormon missionaries in Uganda are offering a free fan performance July 1. Pairs of tickets will be given out via a lottery made up of those who have entered the show’s daily ticket lotteries or checked into Foursquare using a code outside the theater. Additional details will be available on the show’s website and at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.
- Speaking of great deals, Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. today unveiled a new “Pay Your Age” ticket program. Beginning with this summer’s return of their acclaimed production of Oklahoma, theater patrons ages 5 to 30 can purchase one of a select number of seats at each performance at a discounted price that matches their age. Ah, to be 20 again. Tickets can be ordered via phone or in person but you’ll need to provide proof of your birthdate at the box office when you pick up the tickets–so Botox and good lighting aren’t going to cut it.
Every fourth Wednesday of the month, the “VIP Access” column will serve up advice on how to make your theater-going experiences cheaper, easier and more fulfilling with inside scoop from the experts.
Cheap seats for "Jersey Boys"? Photo by Joan Marcus.
If you’re scrolling through this column then I suppose you already know about them newfangled computer things the kids are talking about. (Look, Madge, you’re reading on it.) I’ll save the “wonders of the web” speech for my Mother and her blinking VCR and cut to the chase: far too many people still pay full price for theater tickets when the internet offers lots of easy ways to get Broadway at a discount. Here are three sites—an innovator, a wild card and a classic—that will have you singing a new tune about sky-high musical prices.
One caveat: there is no silver bullet-point in my list that will get you cheap tickets to that new sold-out, high-demand show; it just won’t happen even in the wonderland of the web. With that in mind, let’s start clicking and saving…
Read more…
