broadway shows

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gregeye

Member
I am thinking of going to NY to see 3 or so broadway shows for my 18th birthday. I am looking to see shows mainly for lighting and other technical aspects. Right now I have wicked, the addams family, and american idiot. Wicked because its "the best show on broadway". The addams family for lighting and nathan lane. And american idiot for concert lighting. Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
gcpsoundlight said:
If Hairspray is on, go just for the show! Shame you arn't in Australia, as Hairspray here has some of the most amazing show technology ever!
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I saw the touring show when it came to my state. It was really well done. I don't know if it was as technicaly great as the one there but it was great.
 
gregeye said:
...And american idiot for concert lighting.
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If you want to learn about concert lighting, I would go see a concert. While, yes, American Idiot is probably more "concerty" than, say, Mary Poppins, it is still very theatrical. It is, I suppose, an example of how digital the lighting world is becoming...

I think Wicked is a good choice. The lighting is pretty sweet. You might also think about Phantom of the Opera. Since it is the longest running show on Broadway, it is old. And that means it doesn't have all of the newest and fanciest stuff. But, that also means it is a good example of how far you can go without all of the "newfangled techno crap." The show was designed 24 years ago. I'm sure it's gone through upgrades, but it still uses Altman 360Qs etc. Plus, it's just a good show. And the Majestic is a beautiful theater. I highly recommend it.

It's a shame you missed Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. The lighting was a lot of fun. But I am biased... :lol:

My $.02
-Tim
 
gregeye said:
...I am looking to see shows mainly for lighting and other technical aspects. ...
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Spider-Man: TOTD, just to say you've seen it.
 
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derekleffew said:
Spiderman, TOTD, just to say you've seen it.
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Well yes I agree, American idiot is still theatrical, but i like that. I also thought of phantom of the opera because of the large scene changes and other reasons. Spiderman turn off the dark seems cool and high tech, but definitely not worht the kind of money they ask for, but i do want to see it.
 
gregeye said:
Well yes I agree, American idiot is still theatrical, but i like that. I also thought of phantom of the opera because of the large scene changes and other reasons. Spiderman turn off the dark seems cool and high tech, but definitely not worht the kind of money they ask for, but i do want to see it.
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Playbill.com has special offers of discounted tickets. It is only for select performances, but they had Spider-Man tix for $79. You just have to join their club, which is free. When you join, you click on the show you want, and the page will tell you what shows it is valid for and will give you a code to use on ticketmaster. It's usually a pretty good deal.
 
While you're in the city, go see something off-broadway or even off-off-broadway! The tickets are very cheap, and you're supporting the arts, all while seeing what is (usually) a pretty good show! I just saw a show last week at the Flea in Tribeca and it was fabulous! The ceiling couldn't have been more than 12', but the lighting design was well done and the show was excellent.

To answer your question, however, Wicked is a great one, for lighting as well as everything else. I just saw American Idiot, and while I really didn't like the actual show, it was an AMAZING integration of lighting, video, and projection. If you're at all interested in the future of projection and video in live entertainment, definitely see that show. I didnt' see Spider Man, but I wish I had - even if it is a bad show, it does represent a huge leap of technology for live theatre, and it would be a great one to see. Also, if you're bored during the day, go walk around the theatre district to see what's going on. There are a number of shows loading in right now, and you can often catch stagehands out on their smoke breaks who may be willing to talk to you, and might even be willing to let you come in to look around if you're really lucky. I have a good friend in Local 1 who I met just because I noticed the logo on his shirt when walking by and struck up a conversation.
 
rochem said:
While you're in the city, go see something off-broadway or even off-off-broadway! The tickets are very cheap, and you're supporting the arts, all while seeing what is (usually) a pretty good show! I just saw a show last week at the Flea in Tribeca and it was fabulous! The ceiling couldn't have been more than 12', but the lighting design was well done and the show was excellent.

To answer your question, however, Wicked is a great one, for lighting as well as everything else. I just saw American Idiot, and while I really didn't like the actual show, it was an AMAZING integration of lighting, video, and projection. If you're at all interested in the future of projection and video in live entertainment, definitely see that show. I didnt' see Spider Man, but I wish I had - even if it is a bad show, it does represent a huge leap of technology for live theatre, and it would be a great one to see. Also, if you're bored during the day, go walk around the theatre district to see what's going on. There are a number of shows loading in right now, and you can often catch stagehands out on their smoke breaks who may be willing to talk to you, and might even be willing to let you come in to look around if you're really lucky. I have a good friend in Local 1 who I met just because I noticed the logo on his shirt when walking by and struck up a conversation.
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O yea, I heard about that website. I also found another website just like that, it also has discounted tickets for almost every broadway show. Isn't that great, you can just start openly talking with a stranger on the sidewalk and they are so open to you. Those people are the ones everyone should look up to and follow their directions. It's great to hear that you too have met people like that. But as for the shows and where to sit, I am puzzled. For Wicked I figured the front mezz is best, prob the best for most other shows too, but let me know on your thoughts.

Thanks
 
ibdb.com has a listing on Broadway shows currently playing...I'd suggest seeing onld favorites such as Chicago and Phantom...Also I"m dieing to see Colin Quinn's Long Story Short as its supposed to be really good.
 
Grog12 said:
ibdb.com has a listing on Broadway shows currently playing...I'd suggest seeing onld favorites such as Chicago and Phantom...Also I"m dieing to see Colin Quinn's Long Story Short as its supposed to be really good.
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Yes I too want to see both of those shows. I am trying to make it a one day trip with 2 shows....one at 2 and one at 8. I just don't have the money to go see all the shows I want to see. Plus the travel issue is also a costly issue. I live in RI so it isn't like accros the bridge. But for the day I'm there, I want to see some really good technically designed shows. So Wicked is def. one, but I can't figure out what the ohter one should be.
 
gregeye said:
Yes I too want to see both of those shows. I am trying to make it a one day trip with 2 shows....one at 2 and one at 8. I just don't have the money to go see all the shows I want to see. Plus the travel issue is also a costly issue. I live in RI so it isn't like accros the bridge. But for the day I'm there, I want to see some really good technically designed shows. So Wicked is def. one, but I can't figure out what the ohter one should be.
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Both Chicago and Phantom are two of the best designed shows on Broadway...its one of the reasons they've lasted so long.
 
The only show I wanted to really make the pilgrimage to go see was Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, but that has now closed.
 
xander said:
It hasn't announced or anything, but conventional wisdom would say that it is on it's last leg.
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Traditionally, when broadway shows replace their talented lead actors with less-talented big-name stars (Clay Aiken in Spamalot, Billie Joe Armstrong in American Idiot, the list goes on), it's a sign that the show is on its last leg. Billie Joe Armstrong is currently playing in American Idiot, and while he's done a great job at attracting the punk crowd (having the audience members around me downing cans of beer and singing loudly throughout the performance really added to the experience :rolleyes: ), I can't see the show running much longer after he leaves in a few weeks.
 
gregeye said:
Plus the travel issue is also a costly issue. I live in RI so it isn't like accros the bridge.
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Drive to New Haven and hop a train there. MTA has trains that run on the hour at all times going to New Haven. Mrs. Footer and I do this when we go down to the city but we leave from Poughkeepsie. The train will drop in in Grand Central. Walk a few blocks and you are there. Tickets usually run around 25 bucks round trip and parking is usually cheap. Beats the hell out of driving there and paying parking. Even better, your ticket does not have to be used on a certain train, any train "heading that way" will take it.

MNR Schedules
 
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