Get on with the Show, on Broadway

Photo by myself, around 46th Street and Broadway.

Some visitors were enjoying themselves Wednesday, in the theater district. As usual, there are many new and long-running musicals playing right now, ranging from 'Chicago', 'Stomp' and 'Avenue Q' to 'Rent' and 'Mary Poppins'.

The Theater District is in the West 40's near the long avenue called Broadway, however few of the theaters are located on Broadway itself. Most theaters are located on side streets.

The terms 'on' and 'off' Broadway refer to the amount of seats a theater can seat. Broadway theaters have 500 seats or more. 'Off Broadway' shows play to 100-499 people, while 'off off Broadway' shows have audiences less than 100 seats.

Making it 'on Broadway' means having enough talent and celebrity to play to a large house.

Related posts: Bright Lights at the Beacon Theater, Now Playing at the Booth Theater and On What's Playing Around Town and at Home.

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On Fashionistas and Broadway Shows, in Midtown

Photo by myself on Fifth Avenue, around 50th Street.

Some fashionable people wandered around Fifth Avenue.

Cold weather does not mean one has to suffer a loss in style. The sun was overhead at midday, providing some great highlights.

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If you're ever in New York, the TKTS booths in Times Square, South Street Seaport and downtown Brooklyn are a great way to enjoy a Broadway show or play at discounted prices. The booths sell tickets for that evening's performance for up to 50% the cost of the ticket. All you have to do is show up and wait in line.

Now there is a free iphone app that allows you to see what tickets are available. You can preview what tickets are being offered before committing to wait in line.

The app is free until March 1. For the article in the Times, click here.
For information about the app itself, click here.

Related posts: On Guys in Hats and the Issue of Style, Beautiful People, in the East Village and Living in Style, in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

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Street Theater for the New City, the East Village

Photo by myself on East 10th Street and Second Avenue, in the East Village.

Free theater is brought out to the streets by an exciting award-winning group, Theater for the New City, performing their summer show, 'Gone Fission'.

Mark and I stumbled upon a performance on East 10th Street, a pretty, tree-lined street in the East Village. The street was blocked off from traffic, and a stage was in the middle of it.

There were lines of props and costumes behind the stage, which itself was complicated; it had various backgrounds, step and ramps. Large speakers directed sound to the audience, seated in the middle of the street. A sound crew was there, too.


The audience sat transfixed, in the middle of the street.

I'm not sure what the play was about, but it was so great to see people of all ages and walks of life entranced by the show. People who might not otherwise go to the theater were there, because the theater was going to them.

You could hear the sound of the play from a block away. At first we thought it was another dull street fair but were happily surprised by this production. The Theater for the New City's headquarters is located on this block.

'Gone Fission' will be performed throughout the streets of Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens this summer. Performances are free to the public.

For the schedule and more about this exciting group, click here.



Related posts: Performing Free in Bryant Park, Bright Lights at BAM and Painting by Numbers.

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Look Who's Lighting Up Broadway

Photo by myself in Soho, around Spring Street and Broadway.

These little kiosks look so cozy to me, when they're just glorified tin cans.

Many are fashioned out of stainless steel, with an imprinted diamond pattern.. The stainless steel means they won't rust in the rain, and the diamond pattern breaks the surface of the metal, to help against buckling (though you wouldn't know it from this photo).

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The local New York news channel, NY1, televises an update on Broadway theater every weekend. There are many superstars you can see performing live, right now.

For instance, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels and Marcia Gay Harden all appear in God of Carnage. Susan Sarandon and Geoffery Rush star in 'Exit the King'.

Meanwhile, David Hyde Pierce stars in a musical called 'Curtains', while Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons are in 'Impressionism'.

I don't recall so many well-known actors on Broadway, all at once. Does this have to do with the film industry? Is it because most current movies are big budget and action-packed, that is, less-focused on the actors?

Hard to tell. Perhaps all the above!

Related posts: On Seeing the World Through a Different Lens, A La Carte and Welcome to New York.

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Dimming the Lights on Broadway

Photo by myself at the theater at BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

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Lights were dimmed in theaters on Broadway this week, in respect for Natasha Richardson. Her passing has been all over the local and prime time news. Richardson performed extensively here on stage, and lived in the city before moving to upstate New York. Her wake was held Friday on the Upper East Side.

Charlie Rose aired a special on the actress Friday night, playing clips from several previous interviews.

During a 2001 interview, she recounted the 'scariest moment of her life' - she had to rush off a movie set because her husband Liam Neeson had been in a serious motorcycle accident. He had hit a deer but survived with some broken bones.

The actress was driven 10 hours to New York, not knowing his condition. Retelling the story, Richardson was visibly upset. It was uncanny to watch.

One can't help but wish 'what if'.

You can see the 2001 interview here (the part about the accident occurs late in the interview).

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