NYC

 

Manhattan, taken from the Staten Island Ferry

All my life I have wanted to visit New York. Since childhood I have been a fan of Broadway. The past few years I have been a blogger for the Facebook group All Things Broadway (2018-2020), and an admin for the group Broadway Remembered (2019-present). Broadway Remembered is a growing group (currently with about 53,000 members), and as of earlier in 2022, I was the only admin who had never actually been to New York. The closest I had been was Washington-Dulles Airport on the way to France in 1999. The other admins generously helped me to fix this problem, and I finally got to achieve a lifelong dream in September 2022.

I was scheduled to see The Phantom of the Opera the evening of September 22. With plane delays and transportation issues, it was a bit of a tight squeeze, but with my host Michael, we were able to make it on time. As this has been one of my favorite musicals since childhood, I thought it would be an appropriate first musical on Broadway.

We got off the subway and came up to Times Square. I was blown away. I had seen pictures, video, seen the ball drop at New Years Eve on TV, and so I knew what it looked like, but nothing could prepare me for the sense of awe I felt. It had always been on a TV or computer screen, in magazines, books and other sources. But this time it was all around me. Screens were everywhere advertising products, TV shows, restaurants, Broadway shows, and more. They have a Disney Store, Hershey's store, M&M's store... Of course, we didn't have a lot of time to take it all in due to the rush to get to The Phantom of the Opera, but it was still an amazing experience.

The Phantom of the Opera

It was indeed an excellent first show on Broadway. I saw the show in Seattle on tour a few years ago, and I have seen the movie and the 25th Anniversary filmed production. But to see it on Broadway was an amazing experience. The sets were similar to how they were in Seattle, but more lavish. I figured they were able to do more, as the show has been in the Majestic Theatre over 30 years now, as opposed to a touring show that is only there for a few weeks. Performances were amazing.

After the show, we were planning to meet the other admins, Jeremy and Melly, at Sardi's just across the street. However, they had just closed when we arrived. We met at another restaurant nearby, and I finally got to have my dinner that had been delayed due to transportation issues earlier in the day. It was great meeting them in person and talking with them.

Harry Potter Store

The following day, I visited the Harry Potter Store. It was like a small Disneyland for Harry Potter fans, and I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the store like I was a kid again (aside from the fact that I was an adult when the books came out). It is two floors and has a large phoenix statue in the middle of the round staircase.

One of my favorite Dumbledore quotes,
in the middle of the staircase

They have an area where you can find wands (replicas of the wands in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). One room is dedicated to merchandise from each of the four Hogwarts houses. They have candy and treats mentioned in the books, as well as items from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (such as extendable ears). Downstairs they have more treats, an area where you can have items personalized, Hogwarts trunks, robes, and more. They also have virtual reality experiences, which I didn't get to do, but hope to do next time I go. As you are exiting, they have a butterbeer bar, where you can get butterbeer and snacks. (They do not have pumpkin juice. I asked.) You have to drink your butterbeer there, but you get to keep the cups. They have a cleansing station where you can clean your cup before leaving.

World Trade Center and Battery Park

After leaving the Harry Potter Store, I took the subway to the World Trade Center. Before coming to New York, I painted rocks with Broadway quotes. I left my first one at the WTC. It had a quote from Come from Away: "Make me a channel of Your peace." I hope it found a good home!

The World Trade Center was a moving experience. The names of the victims are inscribed around the imprints of the two towers. So many names. Due to time constraints, I did not go to the memorial museum, but hope to do so next time I go.

Following the World Trade Center, I walked to Battery Park a few blocks away, where I left my second rock ("I am not throwing away my shot" from Hamilton). I saw the Statue of Liberty from a distance, though it left me wanting to see it closer up, as it was a small silhouette with cranes behind it from that angle.

Beetlejuice

That evening, I went to see Beetlejuice. I have seen the movie that it's based on, and I have enjoyed listening to the music from the cast recording, and it was great to see it onstage. I was struck by how different the theatre was from the Majestic. This one was at the Marquis, which is in a hotel. I went in the hotel lobby, and up an escalator to the second level where the theatre is. I was impressed with the set. It starts out in a graveyard, and most of it is in the house. Parts of act 2 are in the land of the dead. They had a large portion of the house onstage, and some scenes on the roof. It was a very complex set, and impressive the way they did it. Performances were also excellent.

The following day, we waited in line at the TKTS booth in Times Square, where you can get discount tickets to shows. While waiting in line, I left my third rock ("Shepherd's pie peppered with actual shepherd on top" from Sweeney Todd). After we were done at the TKTS booth, I left my fourth rock ("You're one of a kind, no category" from Six).

1776

While waiting outside the American Airlines Theatre, I left my fifth rock ("Paciencia y fe" from In the Heights).

I was struck once again how different this theatre was from the others. The auditorium was not nearly as long as other theatres. It was probably the most intimate of the ones I attended. I was in the back row in the balcony, but it wasn't all that far from the stage.

This set was much more simple than others. It mainly involved curtains, tables and chairs. 1776 was still in previews. It is an unusual take on the show, as the cast was all female and non-binary performers. They made no changes to the script, but I felt they nailed it.

Between shows, I left another rock ("This one could be one of the great ones" from A Bronx Tale).

Aladdin

I saw Aladdin in its pre-Broadway run, a few years before it reached Broadway. At that time I felt it had potential, but wasn't quite there. It had a song for Jasmine called "To Be a Princess", which was very much out of character for her, and I wasn't a fan. It also felt like a theatrical travel brochure for visiting Agrabah. The line "another Arabian night" got old. The "A Whole New World" scene was not fully developed yet, and the carpet just rose up and sat still while the stars rushed by on the backdrop. However, I loved that they put "Proud of Your Boy" back in. It was cut from the original movie, but it is one of my favorites in musical theatre. They even gave it reprises.

So I was excited to see how the show had changed since I saw it pre-Broadway. They addressed all my issues with the earlier version, and I felt while my previous experience had potential, this had met and exceeded that potential. The sets were better. "To Be a Princess" was gone, in favor of "These Palace Walls," which is much more in character for Jasmine. The carpet was much more impressive as it soared around the stage. The cave was much more impressive and sparkly. It felt more like the story I know and love than the travel brochure I felt previously. Michael Maliakel shone as the tallest and most expressive Aladdin I have seen. Sonya Balsara was a fantastic Jasmine and Michael James Scott killed it as the Genie. One of my favorite lines was when the Genie was talking about the lamp at the beginning of his show. He makes to pull the lamp out of his pocket, and instead pulls out a Statue of Liberty. He said something to the effect of "Sorry, I did a bit of pre-show shopping." He then put that back in his pocket and pulled out the lamp.

As the sign outside the theatre stated, my Broadway wish was indeed granted. Aladdin was one of the best parts of my trip. In fact, I even got to meet Sonya Balsara (Jasmine) the following day! More on that in my next post.

After the show, I left another rock ("A little reinvention" from Dear Evan Hansen, a show I would have loved to see on Broadway, but it closed shortly before I went.)

To be continued...