BroadwayGirl NYC - Page 5

It's a quiet season on Broadway; a time of load-outs and dark marquees. It's easy for us passionate Broadway fans to feel a sense of loss while theatres go dark around us, but I urge you to look on the bright side of the slower season, and look ahead to the wonderful new fleet of shows that is coming our way during this new year.

an you believe it's December already? Christmas is just a few weeks away, and Hannukah started this week. If you haven't already done your shopping, now would be a good time to start.

It's the end of November, and that means it's time to give thanks for everything that matters. As you know (or can at least figure out from my moniker), Broadway is the biggest part of my life and first on my list of blessings. Here, based on my columns from the past eight months, is a public show of gratitude for the multitude of moments, memories and masses that make me such a happy Broadway Girl.

I currently follow almost 1,000 people on twitter -- all of them, in some way or another, involved in the world of theatre. I like to get my information from as many sources as possible; but of course, there are those that I look forward to more than the others.

Sometimes, you just know. And the other morning, I woke up and I just knew!! The moment I opened my eyes, I thought to myself: 'Today is the day I win the Wicked lottery.' The ticket lottery for Wicked - available at the Gershwin Theatre 2.5 hours before each performance - is famously busy. Over a hundred people regularly enter their names, and only twelve or thirteen winners are generally chosen. I've entered myself into the drawing countless times, and have never won. At the height of my frustration over losing so often, I wrote a column proposing a 'frequent lotto-er' program so those like me could benefit somehow from continuing to put our names into the ring.

As summer turns to fall, and we bring out our fleece jackets and scarves, the tourist load begins to filter out of Times Square. Almost over night, it seems there are fewer red-coated men hawking double-decker bus tours; fewer full-sized 'Elmos' looking in need of a wash, taking photos with passersby for tips; and most importantly, significantly shorter lines at the TKTS booth in the square at 47th and Broadway. The line is full of strangers, but I often find that by the time I reach the window, I've gotten to know someone who would never otherwise have crossed by path.

This isn't a review; this is a remembrance of the most special night of my Broadway-loving life. A few days ago, I was twittering about opening nights on Broadway. There were several coming up, and I was dreaming of what it must be like to attend. I asked my friends on Twitter to send me descriptions of the parties they'd attended. as well as the performances they had seen, on opening nights. And even within their 140-character responses, I got a pretty good idea of how magnificent and glamorous these A-list events could be.

Sometimes you go to the theatre to see a star, but you end up seeing something different -- or stumbling upon something even better. This past weekend, I went to two Broadway shows that had understudies. In both cases, I was entirely happy with what I saw.

The key is to be as friendly and open as you possibly can. Ushers and House Managers are incredibly busy, and if you show them the slightest bit of attitude or pushiness, there's no way they're going to want to do you any favors. But if you start with a huge smile, and let them know through your body language and tone of voice that you'll be the opposite of the aggressive theatre-goers with whom they usually deal, it's surprisingly likely that they'll be refreshed enough to give you the upgrade you desire. You'd be delighted at how often the Manager says, 'Let me see what I can do.'

P is for Powerhouse, and it's also for Patti LuPone.

Back before I was well-versed in the art of discount theatre tickets, I took myself to Spamalot one hot August afternoon in 2005.

Over the last two weeks, I've entered the Wicked lotto seven times. Out of those seven, my name has been picked exactly zero times.

There are three days I consider high holy days of the Broadway religion: The Tony Awards, the BC/EFA Broadway Flea Market, and Broadway on Broadway. The Tonys, of course, took place in June; but the other two events happen in September -- which means I'm getting ready for a month of celebrating and rejoicing along with thousands upon thousands of other Broadway fans.

I sat next to the most perfectly expressive old lady at Next to Normal this week!

The most common question I'm asked on Twitter is, 'I'm coming to New York for one day only. Which show should I see?' Despite my knowledge of all of the currently running Broadway productions, I never know what to say. True, I have my favorite shows, but without knowing anything about the person asking the question or their taste in theatre, it's an impossible question to answer in 140 characters.

This week, I went to see two Broadway shows, neither of which I had been to in over five years: Jersey Boys and The Lion King. My last visit to Jersey Boys was in 2005 with the original cast; and it has been over a decade since I last saw The Lion King (in 1999!).

Show tunes are inherently catchy, and that's what makes us love them so much. In fact, it's what inspires us to hit the 'repeat' button and listen to the same cast album, or sometimes even one particular song, over and over and over. But you know that moment when all of a sudden you've gone too far? When, without warning, the song has lodged itself into your brain to the point of no return?

When a show is a huge success on Broadway, it has the potential to run for years and years and years. This is wonderful news for theatre fans who only come to New York City every once in a while -- and especially for those who make it to Broadway just once in a lifetime!

In honor of this week's crazy-high temperatures in New York City, I've put together - with the help of my lovelies on Twitter - a list of Broadway showtunes specifically related to sun, sweat, humidity and heat.