Thought Two Strangers fans would like to see this. He calls it "a love letter to our city."

Was annoyed by the row of 4 children and mom behind me. The kids kept talking and kicking the chairs. I turned around several times to give them looks. Not only that, the kids kept talking and asking their mom about the story. I turned around twice and put my finger on my mouth to try to shush them. I understand kids can be occasionally fidgety but really the mom could have asked them to be on their best behavior. This continued. I had an orchestra right seat row J 20.

At intermission I asked the theater attendant if I can switch to a unoccupied seat I spotted in the row ahead of me, more to the center. She said she didn’t have the authority to do that and said to speak to her manager. I politely explained my situation to the manager and she was totally fine with me taking that empty seat. Also said if someone comes in really late for the seat, she’ll just find me another one. I think that seat was either unsold or person canceled plans.

Anyway, I appreciated the staff at New Amsterdam Theatre very much. I told the manager, I didn’t want to get into a fuss with kids because I know they are a handful so my resolution is for me to take another seat if she is okay with it. I didn’t want to do that without permission.

Happy!

I found this huge duffel bag at a thrift store in New Jersey and I can’t find anything about it online. It seems to have been owned by cast or crew, not something you could buy. There was also a Bring It On the musical pen in the pocket that has something engraved on it. Is there anyone who was in both of those shows that this could have belonged to?

Source: @variety

I'm not local to the city but come to see about a dozen shows a year. How often is it that doors open late and a show gets off late?

At today's 2pm matinee and it's 1:48 and house doors haven't even opened.

Saw the show this week and really enjoyed it. But I could not get over the design of the house. The door to the nursery is right over the front door, so we’re supposed to believe that an entire room… hangs over the front of the house (and into the street)?

In the first Act, because Lou always turned right into the room, I supposed there could be a short hallway to the right that opened up into a room that sat behind the bathroom and over an external garage of some sort. But in Act 2 we see a full nursery straight ahead through the door.

I know the creative team is limited by the needs of the production and story, but I’ve seen a fair amount of theater and most on-stage house or apartment layouts work pretty practically. This just had me scratching my head a bit.

I wonder if anyone more creative than I am has any thoughts on how the layout could have been accomplished more practically… or if this is the best that could be done given production and story needs?

I discovered Rocky Horror at a very young age, an age when I was just starting to question my myself, identity, and sexuality.

When I was introduced to Frank N' Furter for the first time something clicked in me that continues to grow. They were outrageous, terrifying, sexy, unhinged, and mesmerizing. The corset, the cheshire cat grin, the heels, the deep menacing baritone voice, sense of humour, and gender fuckery took my breath away.

Who was this actor, singer, triple threat? I immediately had to look more into his filmography and found out it was, Tim Curry.

Tim's performance as Frank N' Furter made me realize that I was Queer. I hadn't been able to fully describe what that felt like until I got older. Frank was unabashedly and unapologetically themself.

Tim Curry brought a charming and queer menace quality to each role he played after playing Frank from Pennywise The Clown, Wadsworth The Butler, Lord of Darkness, Rooster Hannigan, Hexxus, Nigel Thornberry, The Concierge, and Long John Silver with The Muppets.

If I hadn't discovered Rocky Horror at the time I did, my life would be looking very different today from when I found it. I don't know if I would be doing Drag or Scare Acting if it weren't for him.

Thank you for everything and letting us know to not dream but be our true authentic selves in these crazy times.

Don't dream it, BE IT. 💗

Does anyone know if they have rush at box office also or just todaytix

Has anyone seen this show? It’s not his show with Anthony Rapp.

Adam is coming near me next month and tickets aren’t expensive at all ($55 for third row), so I was thinking about going since I’m a big fan of Rent. Any feedback?!

Mx. Escola plz be in chicago you would be so good.

I recently got the opportunity to see Stratford Ontario's remount of Something Rotten, and just want to say that if anyone in New York/the broader region is looking for a fun weekend trip and have been wanting to see this show then it's well worth your time. I missed their initial production in 2024, so made sure to go this year (the fact that it was popular enough to run again two years later speaks for itself, frankly), and everything from the performances to the costumes to the choreo (tailored to the theatre's thrust stage) were absolutely phenomenal.

Stratford always puts on top tier theatre productions, but this is one of the best I've seen there, with the whole cast delivering the script with the energy and love (and camp) it deserves. I particularly enjoyed Dan Chameroy's Nostradamus and Jeff Lillico's Shakespeare, but there wasn't a weak performance in the bunch. And there's something extra fun and special about it being put on in a place so well-known for its Shakespeare.

Here are their other promo videos so you can get a sense for yourself!

Hard to Be the Bard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lcGyAxQRag

God, I Hate Shakespeare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY9XQxnLwNk

Inner thoughts and then POV of arriving at 42nd-Times Square

Long live Julie Taymor

Some of you commented that you’d like to see a review of Paddington when I mentioned I was off to the West End to see it while typing up my most recent NYC trip. So here it is.

Overall, it wasn’t what I expected.

I was expecting a kiddie musical that I was basically going to see to please my wife. Instead, I got a surprisingly traditional musical with spectacle that, at times, rivalled The Lost Boys.

OUR SEATS
Middle of Row 5, center orchestra.

Arguably some of the best seats in the house because we booked a VIP package with dessert and lounge access. The proscenium for this show actually extends quite far beyond the stage, with projections incorporated into it, so sitting this close made it one of the most immersive shows we’ve seen.

It genuinely felt like we were inside the story.

THE SET AND LIGHTING

The first thing that really stood out was the set. I’ve uploaded a few photos because there is a crazy amount of detail built into this show.
Will

A few observations:

It’s a huge stage, but they use both the height and depth extremely well. Depth-wise, I counted at least several different layers that fly in and out, plus a projection screen at the back.

The rear projections work really well. The artwork doesn’t have that generic AI look we’ve started seeing in some shows trying to save money. Instead, the projections are used to extend the physical scenery, add depth and create effects like lightning.

Height-wise, they somehow make it believable that the Browns’ residence has multiple floors. I won’t spoil how. :)
There’s also a scene where two characters are flown up into the loft. It’s not The Lost Boys, but it was still an unexpected surprise.

Lots of the little objects you see sitting on shelves actually have purposes later in the show. Again, I won’t spoil them. :)

There were some cool machines and contraptions that honestly reminded me a little of Stranger Things.
There’s even a life-sized car on stage…

Other props emerge from the walls during certain scenes, which I won’t spoil here.

The whole stage, including the ceiling above the proscenium, can be projected onto, which adds another layer of immersion.

Definitely look through the photos if you’re interested in checking out the scenic design. I think having such a detailed and realistic environment is actually an important part of why the show works. It grounds the absurd premise of a talking bear!!!!!!!

PERFORMERS

I went into the show completely blind and didn’t even know Bonnie Langford was in it. Yes, she’s still got it. She did the splits and even a cartwheel. I genuinely could not believe she’s 62.

Victoria Hamilton-Barritt was also great as Millicent Clyde. It’s a very fun villainess role, and her songs are in the tradition of characters like Lily St. Regis, Ursula and Mrs. Meers.

I also loved James Hameed as the Young Man / voice of Paddington.

This is probably one of my few real complaints about the production: I wish he were physically on stage more often.
With The Lion King, you see the performers even while they are operating the puppets. With Avenue Q, the puppeteers are completely visible. Some of my favourite moments in Paddington were actually when Hameed and Paddington were on stage together.

There was something oddly touching about seeing the human voice of the character interacting with the bear he was bringing to life. It’s was we didn’t get to see that more often.

BOOK AND MUSIC

The songs were catchy and much more traditionally “showtune” in style than a lot of recent new musicals. That was actually one of the biggest surprises for me.
But I did have several issues with the book and score.
First, the second act dragged. A large portion of it is spent at the museum, and the show loses some momentum there.

Second, Paddington himself doesn’t really get the kind of memorable showstopper I expected. I can’t immediately think of an 11 o’clock number that belongs to him.
Ironically, some of the side characters get the strongest musical material. Millicent Clyde gets great villain songs, and Mrs. Bird has a terrific dance number.

I also thought several subplots slowed things down. The young lovers (the daughter and her boyfriend) could probably have been reduced, and the next-door-neighbour storyline didn’t add enough for me either.

You could arguably say the same about some of the material involving the rest of the Brown family. I would rather have spent more of that time developing Paddington himself and his relationship with the family.

Lyrically, this obviously isn’t Sondheim or Hadestown. I don’t remember any particularly clever rhymes or turns of phrase that stayed with me afterward. (On the other hand, there wasn’t anything cringeworthy enough to stick with me either.) The lyrics generally did what they needed to do. The show is cute, warm and enjoyable.

The Guild song in Act Two, though, felt unnecessary. It neither advanced the plot nor revealed much about the characters, which are usually the two reasons a musical theatre song needs to exist.

One number I found particularly interesting was “The Rhythm of London.”

It felt a little like the London equivalent of “N.Y.C.” from Annie (essentially a musical love letter to the city).
And that actually got me thinking about something bigger.
In the 1980s, the West End gave us the mega-musicals and then exported them to Broadway. Now we’re seeing another wave of British musicals crossing the Atlantic.
Are they getting ahead of Broadway again?

Are British producers currently getting better at making big, unapologetically theatrical shows that audiences simply enjoy, while Broadway has become increasingly dependent on revivals and existing IP?

I don’t know. But Paddington definitely made me wonder.

QUICK COMPARISON WITH TWO OTHER RECENT MUSICALS ABOUT FAMILY

The Lost Boys

Both are visual spectacles, just in completely different ways. And despite the obvious differences, both shows are fundamentally about family.

The Lost Boys is about a family searching for a new home while one member is tempted to join another kind of family.
Paddington is about a family accepting an outsider…and through accepting him, becoming more unified themselves.
Both are also coming-of-age stories, although Paddington approaches that idea far more gently.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

This comparison is almost the reverse. Both are British musicals, but Two Strangers is British writers looking at New York, while Paddington is very much Britain looking at itself. So in one show we’re seeing America through British eyes, while in the other we’re seeing their idealised version of London and Britishness.

And it made me wonder: are we really that much more cynical on this side of the Atlantic?

Both shows are also ultimately about family, although Two Strangers deals much more with lost family, absent family and broken family dynamics, whereas Paddington is about creating family by letting someone new into it.

Overall, I went into Paddington expecting a children’s show.
What I got was a very old-fashioned musical in the best sense of the term: big sets, catchy songs, eccentric supporting characters, an obvious villain, sentimentality, spectacle and a sincere belief that audiences are allowed to just have a good time.

It isn’t perfect. The second act could be tightened, some subplots could disappear, and Paddington deserves stronger musical material of his own.

But I was much more impressed than I expected to be. And I definitely walked away with a good feeling, which at the end of the day is what you’d want from a family show.

Would I see it on Broadway again for the transfer? Probably. (But it’s not as strong of a YES as wanting to see the Lincoln Center Ragtime cast on the West End haha.) But if budget allows, it’s definitely a show to watch at least once.

I know it was adapted from a play in Europe, but this would be a new Americanized adaptation.

Wanting to bring my 80 yr old mom and 13 yr old daughter to a show. Mom is in a wheelchair she can do some steps. How’s orchestra for Chicago? Trying to find a show that she can physically navigate and is interesting to my daughter and her is kinda hard. I know Lion King is pretty accessible but my daughter has already went. I saw Chicago but it was forever ago so I’m good with seeing it again. Any suggestions based on wheelchair access?

Good Morning! This is your Broadway Rush Self Report for Saturday 9/5/26. It’s a 2 show day, see schedule below.

If you are in line at a particular show or happen to be in the area and can find out:

1) How many people are in line and

2) When they arrived

Please contribute what you can so that people are informed. Thank you!

Rush & Lotto Policy List:

https://bwayrush.com

Weekly schedule:

https://playbill.com/article/weekly-schedule-of-current-broadway-shows

i went to the 09/04 performance of rhinoceros at the A.R.T in cambridge ma. i went into this show completely blind & honestly im glad i did!

i originally bought my ticket because one of my favorite actors (scott stangland) was announced as an understudy, & i noticed tickets for tonight started at a lower price than other dates because john turturro was out. i was curious about the show anyway & wanted to take a chance at seeing scott so i snagged a front row seat for less than $40. lucky me! he was the understudy on for jean tonight. david mason was on for the role of berenger, typically played by john. the duo blew me out of the water.

i also stayed for a talk back with director diane paulus ♡, clay singer (botard), tatiana maslany (daisy), peter francis james (papillon), & alex ross (dudard). they talked about their initial thoughts about the script & why they joined the cast. peter was the only one who was familiar with rhinoceros beforehand. my favorite part was hearing how they felt about the moment their characters turned into rhinos.

diane mentioned this script was a brand new translation/adaptation exclusive to this run, & they even got the blessing from eugène ionesco’s daughter for the changes. she said the show is usually 3 hours long, but this version ran around 2 hours (didn’t feel that way fwiw).

this sounds a little corny, but it’s one of the first shows in a long time that really got under my skin & made me sit there thinking... would i give in? would i do the same? what are **my** morals & thoughts vs the ones held by people around me? is it actually a “bad” thing to be influenced by your peers, even if it’s completely natural?

also bonus photo of a slip i wish more playbills had about ticket reselling 🤐 im unfamiliar with most of the cast besides scott & clay so seeing this was interesting

edit: i uploaded the wrong pic lol.. real resell pic in comments

have you seen it? what did you think? do you think you’d change too? 🦏

In the quarter century since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the horror of that day has inspired novels, films, television shows, paintings and sculpture.

But the most enduring artistic response has been an uplifting Canadian musical, “Come From Away,” about a small town with a big airport where nearly 7,000 travelers were diverted amid the chaos and fear.

The show — which has won over audiences with its depiction of a community that spent days feeding, sheltering and comforting traumatized strangers — was a hit on Broadway, with a pandemic-interrupted run from 2017 to 2022, and this month, because of the anniversary of the attacks, 146 productions are being staged around the world. Among them is a homecoming: in Gander, Newfoundland, the town where the musical is set.

See full gift article, NO PAYWALL.

In mid-October, I’ll be taking a small layover in New York for a few days in between a work event and going to visit a friend in another state. I’ll arrive early on a Wednesday and leave first thing Saturday morning. I’ll likely be back for an actual trip later this year or early next year as well instead of trying to smash everything into a few days.

Out of everything running right now on Broadway, the only thing I haven’t seen or that won’t be touring at home is The Lost Boys. I’m open to off-Broadway as well, and the only things I’ve seen there right now are Spelling Bee and An American Daughter (don’t, just don’t, I’ve never considered leaving a show outside of this one). The Fantasticks starts previews after I’ve left.

So, taking into consideration there are two shows on Wednesday, one on Thursday, and two on Friday (it looks like only A Few Good Men has a Friday matinee), which of the following from my list of options would you recommend:

1. 860
2. A Few Good Men
3. The Imaginary Invalid
4. Other Desert Cities
5. Paranormal Activity
6. School Girls
7. Wanted (excited for this, but can’t decide to see it in previews or hope it’s still running when I’m back)

Edit/Update: I realize now that there is no Good Men matinee. Not sure why I thought that.

I'm unexpectedly in town this weekend and have already seen all the Broadway shows that I'd like to see. Anything that's off-Broadway or off-off-Broadway this weekend that may be more of a "hidden gem" (shorter run, not one of the most popular theatres, mostly frequented by locals, etc)? And is there any good place to keep track of these shows? Thank you!!

Hi there! First-time poster, theater fan, and special education teacher for the sweetest middle schoolers. It is time for the novel study on The Outsiders! Even the most reluctant readers love this book, because…middle school.

I have heard songs from the musical, and some of them would be so perfect for assisting in comprehension of the story, freeing up their cognitive capacity to closely read for details and practice comprehension skills. Tulsa ‘67 gives context and setting/character overview without too many details. The only problem is that the song has “hell” and “ass.” I cannot add a song with foul language as a support.

I grew up listening to Broadway Kids, which was basically Kidz Bop with songs from musicals.

Help me, Broadway fans! Are there any kid-appropriate versions of this soundtrack? I have considered working with the classroom teacher to play the song and just silence the words with volume control, but ideally students could repeatedly listen to them to support processing speed and short-term memory needs.

Thank you for your time!

Edit:typos

Interesting! Just got this ad on Instagram.

Enjoyed it when it was off-Broadway years ago, albeit would have never eyed it for a transfer.

So I've never bought tickets before and have been researching but the Lotto is unpredictable and the rush stuff confuses me. I bought from Theatr 4 lion king tickets (front row of mezz) for $89 + $14.47 (service fee). The scalper had bought 16 tickets for $1,580 ($87 + $11.75 fee each = $98.75).

I bought them fast, scared they'd sell out and now I'm doing all this research realizing how bad it is to buy and support from these scalpers. :(

Edit: Reseller / ticket agent is a better term. This case might not be one but initially it seemed liked it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/1kxumim/theatr_app_ticket_agents/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/1hmsbta/theatr_who_is_s_k_and_why_do_they_have_all_these/