Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Kaitlyn's Guide to New York, Chapter 1 cont.

Last week I promised a review of all the shows I saw in the big city and now I'm finally getting around to writing it.

Mamma Mia: This was the first show I saw and I loved it! My friend Sarah and I went to the box office a couple of hours before the show and got standing room tickets for $21.50. I know standing room doesn't sound that great but it is sooo not as bad as it sounds. The area you stand in is just right behind the last row of floor seats. You have a kind of bar/ledge thing to lean on the whole time, and I got so into the show that I kind of forgot that I had been standing for so long! Mamma Mia is a really fun show that is based around the music of ABBA. The acting, dancing, and singing are phenomenal and I would definitely recommend this show!

Legally Blonde: If it hadn't been for Wicked, I would say this was the best show I saw in New York! I was a little nervous about it because I had seen some of it on VH1 and didn't love it. But seeing it live was totally different! It's everything you want in a Broadway show! Fun music, big, bright sets, and great actors. I got to see it with the amazing Laura Bell Bundy as Elle but Bailey Hanks was just picked as the new Elle on an MTV reality show. From what I've seen, she's great too! It's a really girly show so I wouldn't recommend it to the guys but all of the ladies will love it! I still listen to the soundtrack almost everyday! For this show I got student tickets on the front row for $26.50.

A Chorus Line: I didn't love this one and that's all I'll say here. You can see my previous post to hear more about.

Cry Baby: This show is actually done on Broadway so you can't see it anymore, which is really a shame cuz it was a cute show. The plot is really similar to Grease, where the good girl falls in love with the bad boy. It's definitely not the best show I saw but it was good enough. Fun music and dancing. A couple of the scenes are a little more scandalous than I would have liked, but it was an all-around good show. I got rush tickets the night of the show, front row for $26.50.

Mary Poppins: Disney always does an amazing job of taking movies to Broadway, and Mary Poppins was no exception. The sets and costumes are amazing! I'm still trying to figure out how all the magic tricks worked! If you love the movie you will definitely love this show! It's hard to stand up to Julie Andrews but Ashley Brown, who plays Mary, does an amazing job! And Gavin Lee could not have been a better Bert. The only criticism I had was that they add a couple of scenes that aren't in the movie, that are a little bit strange. Other than that it's a great show for kids and adults! The kids will especially love when Mary flies over the audience at the end! And "Step in Time" is fantastic! Oh yeah and I got pretty good box seats for $30 the night of the show.

In the Heights: This show was fantastic!! I definitely liked it as much as Legally Blonde. This year was its' Broadway debut and it won the Tony for Best Musical. The show is about people living in the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights. It's a mix of rap, hip-hop and Latin music. The lead girls have some of the best voices I've ever heard! And Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the show and also stars in it is amazing! The show has the perfect mix of comedy and drama and the story really draws you in. And of course the music is great! It's another one that I listen to almost every day. There is a lottery for front row tickets a couple of hours before the but I ended up getting half-price, partial view tickets for $56.50. It was worth it to me to see the show but I didn't love the partial view. The only thing I couldn't see was the tops of the sets but it was kind of annoying when the main characters were up higher on the sets. But anyway, the point is you need to see this show if you are in New York! I guarantee you'll love it!

Wicked: What can I say about Wicked! It's pretty much the best show out there and you need to see if if you get the chance! I've seen it twice with two different casts. The first time I got to see Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda and Idina Menzel as Elphaba -- and it doesn't get much better than that. I wasn't sure if the Broadway cast would match up to those two ladies but they totally exceeded my expectations. Kerry Ellis as Elphaba and Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda were fantastic! And it didn't hurt that I had front row seats for $26.50! My friend Allison Barker won the lottery our last weekend in New York and I got to go to the show with her! Yay!

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