Your First Broadway Show- Page 3

[JuneJune]

Posted: 6/15/20 at 5:35pm

bwaylvsong said: "BLs68 said: "bwaylvsong said: "@JuneJune the timeline in your memory doesn’t line up- there was no Manhattan location of Junior’s until around 2007, the year that“Beauty” closed."

According to the Junior’s website, theShubert Alley/45th St location opened in 2006. It doesn’t provide an opening date. Just the year. Beauty and the Beast closed July 2007."

My mistake, then- MY memory had it opening in 2007 lol. So2006gives JuneJune’s timeline a year or so of plausibility.

@JuneJune if you were born around 2000 (so you would have been 6-7 in 2006-7), you probably DID see it on Broadway."

Actually, spoke to my mom about this recently and she's pretty confident that we saw it around 2003-2004, so I guess my memories were mixed up regarding Juniors. At least it narrows down the hunt a little bit more.

Thanks for all of the input though! (@bwaylvsong/BLs68)

[cab83]

Posted: 6/15/20 at 5:56pm

The Lion King in the summer of 2001.

[Poconopanther]

Posted: 6/16/20 at 10:38am

My first Broadway show was “Lorelei” staring Carol Channing at the Palace! 1974, I was 13!

[SharksVsJets]

Posted: 6/16/20 at 11:52am

42nd Street in 1980, the week after it opened. It was my first (and to date, only) trip to NYC - 5 shows in 4 days. Besides 42nd Street at the Wintergarden, I saw The Elephant Man at the Booth, Children of a Lesser God at the Longacre, West Side Story at the Minskoff, and Peter Pan (Sandy Duncan) at the Lunt-Fontanne. All tickets from TKTS except for the matinee of WSS which I paid full price for, though I needn't have bothered; it was quite late in its run and there were lots of empty seats (but what did I know back then?). I was thrilled to get a box seat for 42nd Street because I had the romantic notion that box seats were the best seats in the house instead of the worst. I could see almost nothing and spent a good deal of the first act looking about for a better seat. I can't remember where I ended up - I think maybe I stood at the back of the house. Apart from that, it was a wonderful experience. My friend and I stayed at the Chelsea Hotel - it meant nothing to me at the time, it was my friend's idea. Coming back late one night, we decided to take the stairs to our 10th floor room instead of waiting for the ancient elevator. The night clerk warned us to be on the lookout for a resident's boa constrictor that had escaped (we didn't encounter it). We paid just under $50 a night to stay there. We met up with some friends who were staying at the Royalton (I envied them their air conditioned room) and walked across the street for drinks at the Algonquin Hotel. Quite a first trip. I'll make a second one, someday, when things are... better.

P.S. loving this thread. 

Updated On: 6/16/20 at 11:52 AM

[dadaguza]

Posted: 6/16/20 at 10:26pm

My first Broadway show was Show Boat on a high school class trip, in 1997 or 98, but I don't remember much about the show. The part I remember most from that trip happened afterwards.

After the show we walked past the theater Grease was performing in, and the guy playing Danny Zuko at the time was stagedooring. I'm not sure who he was but about 90% of the females in my class were fangirling because he was a soap opera star. A bunch of us ran across the street to the stagedoor to try and see/meet him. We got in huge trouble, and were reprimanded right then and there by our teachers who later made us write an essay on the dangers of running across a busy Manhattan street.  

The first Broadway show that turned me on to Broadway though was Rent. One of my best friends was a huge Renthead and wanted me to go see it with her for years but I never had any interest in it or Broadway. Then Joey Fatone joined the cast as Mark and she no longer had to twist my arm because I was a huge N'SYNC fan. I fell in love with the show and saw it numerous times again before it closed. I later got my sister into the show, and some of our favorite memories include us heading into NYC for Rent lotto. And I admit my favorite Roger/Mimi/Mark trio is still Manley/Karmine/Joey.

My response to this thread ended up being a combo of "Your First Broadway Show" and "Unpopular Theater Opinions." 

[MaineTheaterGoer]

Posted: 6/17/20 at 12:20pm

In 1964, I was in Washington DC on a trip and saw "Fiddler on the Roof" which was in previews before going to NY. My mother's friend had gotten tickets and said, "This show is going to be a big hit when it gets to Broadway." I guess she was right!

In 1967, I saw "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" (off Broadway) with all of the original cast. Andy Williams and Lorne Greene were sitting in the row right behind us.

My first Broadway musical was "The Me Nobody Knows" in 1971. I went by myself because my mother had no interest in this show. My mother and younger sister went and saw "No No Nanette" with Ruby Keeler. My sister would have been 10, so that might have been her first Broadway show.

I also saw "Grease" off Broadway, probably around the same time.
 

[usher2]

Posted: 6/17/20 at 9:40pm

The Music Man, in 1958. I was five years old and clearly did not understand the show, although I loved the experience and music. I was amazed by the scrims rising from the house exterior to interior and to this day insist all the Wells Fargo horses were real. But it wasn't until the movie version many years later did I realize that Harold Hill was a scam artist and that the whole thing was a wonderful satire of a bad boy made good by love.  All I knew in 1958 was that my mother put a bowtie on me and took me to the show, launching a lifetime obsession with good musicals.  

[Templeton33]

Posted: 6/17/20 at 11:22pm

Chicago revival in '97 or '98 at The Shubert with Bebe & Karen Ziemba.  

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 6/18/20 at 12:12am

American Idiot - 2010

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 6/18/20 at 1:30am

Promises, Promises in 1969 with the wonderful original cast. As a kid from the Midwest, I had never seen automated scenery that moved on its own and I was enthralled.  I was already a Bacharach fan but Tunick's orchestrations and Wheeler's dance arrangements lifted the songs through the roof. It was the perfect introduction to Broadway for a guy with my showbiz sensibility, all I imagined Broadway would be.

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 6/25/20 at 2:08am

The Lion King:
I think it was the last day of school in fourth grade for me (2012) and I don’t recall knowing about it before and being surprised to be called out of class early and my mom, sister, sole family friends and I were off to the city to see The Lion King and I was blown away. I don’t remember if I knew About it beforehand but I still remember some scenes and being in love with it all the way.

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 6/25/20 at 2:08am

The Lion King:
I think it was the last day of school in fourth grade for me (2012) and I don’t recall knowing about it before and being surprised to be called out of class early and my mom, sister, sole family friends and I were off to the city to see The Lion King and I was blown away. I don’t remember if I knew About it beforehand but I still remember some scenes and being in love with it all the way.

[pcustode]

Posted: 6/25/20 at 10:54am

My first Broadway show was 42nd Street too.  It was 1980 and we were visiting family in NY from DC.  I was in high school..

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/25/20 at 11:27am

The Wiz in 1975. Original cast. House right about 5 rows back right off the aisle.

I did something I now know was wrong. I audio recorded the whole show. I still have the tape in storage somewhere and I remember being disappointed that the song "Who Do You Think You Are" was not on the OBC recording. It is one of my favorite songs in the show and I would sing along to it in my room constantly.

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 6/25/20 at 12:37pm

As best I remember......

First Show Anywhere:   Salt Lake City, 1966, The Unsinkable Molly Brown with Jane Powell.

First London West End Show:  1967, Hello, Dolly! with Dora Bryan.

First Broadway Show:  1968, Hair (I also saw it later that same year in London)