I did not see any discussion dedicated to Broadway recently and thought I would start one.

I have been attending Broadway shows for a long time and have come to enjoy them very much. Almost all of the shows I have seen have been in New Orleans. My wife and I have had season tickets to one of the most beautiful theaters in the country, The Saenger, for about 8 years. It has been nice to use the shows as a reason to go on a date and also to enjoy a nice dinner at one of the many fine restaurants in N.O.

With that being said, I have seen many good shows and some not so good shows. I would be more than happy to help anyone with feedback about any of the shows I have attended. I have taken my kids to several shows and can also provide a, "parent's guide" if desired.

The following shows I have seen. After each shows will be a number grading the show on a scale of 1-5 (5 being best).

• 101 Dalmations - 1 - Not very good
• Addams Family - 3 - It is okay
• Aida - 5 - TOP 3 SHOW FOR ME. Unfortunately, it is not traveling anymore. I wish they would bring it back. Very, very, very good show.
• Ain't Too Proud - 4. Great music. Great singers.
• Aladdin - 4 - The Genie is crazy good! Very good show. Highly enjoyed it.
• An American in Paris - 3 - It didn't do much for me. Story is good and had some decent numbers, but I guess I have learned that I am not the dance-enthusiast.
• Anastasia - 3 - It was not as good as expected bust still a good show.
• Annie - 3
• Avenue Q - 3 - funny
• Beautiful - 5 - Fabulous! TOP 5 show for me
• Beauty and the Beast - 5
• Blue Man Group - 3 - fun
• Cats - 2 - but worth seeing once
• Charlie & Chocolate Factory - 2
• Chicago - 4 - Great music
• A Christmas Story - 3 - Fun
• Cirque Dreams Illumination - 2
• Come From Away - 5 - Surprisingly VERY GOOD! I think it would be fair to give it a 4.5 rating. Music was great, story was amazing. Has a story presentation similar to Hamilton, a music presentation similar to Once, and has funny, romance, excitement, and emotion. Great Show!
• Dear Evan Hansen - 3 - It is okay and worth a watch. Don't care to see it again.
• Dirty Dancing - 4 - Great music
• Elf - 1 - Not good. Not funny. Music is bland. Unfortunately for the show is that it gets compared to the movie.
• Escape to Margaritaville - 3 - We saw the opening for this new musical since Buffett is from New Orleans. Very good with many funny moments.
• Fiddler on the Roof - 2 - Some good songs, but all in the first half of the first act. I was not impressed and quite bored.
• Finding Neverland - 4 - Surprising VERY GOOD! Music was fantastic and the children were quite good, in comparison to other shows with children.
• Flashdance - 2
• Frozen - 3 - Cute
• Ghost - 2 - did not translate to Broadway for me
• Hadestown - 4- Very good! The musicw as great and our cast was phenomenal!
• Hamilton - 5 - Great show that lived up to hype.
• Jersey Boys - 5 - Very good!
• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - 3 - Funny show
• The King and I - 3 - Not as good as movie and pretty much just okay.
• Les Miserables - 5 - classic
• Lion King - 5 - TOP 3 SHOW FOR ME
• Mamma Mia - 4 - fun show. The lead sounded hoarse for our viewing, but should be good
• Mary Poppins - 4 - Very fun! Supercali is one of the best musical numbers ever
• Mean Girls - 3 - I will not be a very good judge since I did not see the movie. Had a couple good songs.
• Memphis - 3
• Million Dollar Quartet - 4
• Miss Saigon - 3 -Decent music, but didnt care for the risque.
• MJ - 4 - Great show. Great songs. No politics! Well done.
• Motown - 3
• Newsies - 3
• On Your Feet - 4 - Story about Gloria Estefan. You would be surprised at the quantity of hits she had. I usually do not get too excited about kids in the shows for they just never have the vocals. However, the young-Gloria was probably the best kid-singer I have heard in a show.
• Once - NYC - 5 - Maybe it is because it is the only show I have seen in NYC, but it was great. I got to see it in a small theater where it was very open and personal between the cast and audience. Being on stage and pretending like I knew the Irish songs they started singing was a hoot!
• Pretty Woman - 3 - Nostalgic for the mid-aged generation.
• Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles - 3
• Return to Margaritaville - 3
• Rock of Ages - 4 - Music is very good!
• Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella - 2
• School of Rock - 3 - Funny and some of the kids were good, but overall, it was okay.
• Shrek the Musical - 2
• Sister Act - 3
• Six - 4 - Fantastic Music! Very short.
• Sound of Music - 3 - I have seen this show so many times it has become quite meh for me. If you have never seen it, you should make an effort.
• South Pacific - 3
• Spamalot - 2
• The Bodyguard - 4
• The Color Purple - 2
• The Little Mermaid - 2
• The Phantom of the Opera - 5 - TOP 5 SHOW FOR ME. Think of Me and Masquerade are two of my all time favorite numbers and who can't get the chills during the Phantom of the Opera sequence?
• War Horse - 4 - Surprisingly a very good show. There are many wonderful "moments" in Broadway; Elphaba flying, the drop of the chandelier, Mufassa talking to Simba in the water, etc. When they reveal the adult horse in this show, it was a moment.
• West Side Story - 2 - Classic that was boring for me
• What a Wonderful World - 2 - Unless you know a lot of Louis Armstrong songs, this will be a snoozer,
• White Christmas - 3 - It was okay. It had some good moments and some sleepy moments.
• Wicked - 5 - TOP 3 SHOW FOR ME

If you asked, this would be my top 10. No order.

• Wicked
• Lion King
• Aida
• Phantom
• Hamilton
• Beautiful
• Come From Away
• Hadestown
• Les Miserables
• Once

Shows on my bucket list...

• Aida - I have seen it but want to see it again. Not traveling right now.
• King Kong
• Jagged Little Pill
• Greatest Showman (when it is released)

Do you have some favorites or a bucket list?

No mention of Book of Mormon?

Book of Mormon is a must see.

Great timing on this thread btw, I am looking into getting Lion King tickets in Houston this summer. Does anybody have a favorite spot to sit at the Hobby Center, or a spot they like to avoid? TIA

I have not seen Book of Mormon. It has come to New Orleans twice and I was unable to attend either one. My wife also has no desire to see it which makes it hard. On day we will.

aggieZephyr said:

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Book of Mormon is a must see.

Great timing on this thread btw, I am looking into getting Lion King tickets in Houston this summer. Does anybody have a favorite spot to sit at the Hobby Center, or a spot they like to avoid? TIA

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First time I saw Lion King was at Hobby.

I recommend sitting about midway back in Orchestra. Always spend the extra money to sit in orchestra. I would normally recommend getting as close as possible but the processional of the Lion King needs to be seen from about 15-20 rows back. The processional happens twice and if you were on the front row it would not be much of a big deal to turn around and watch it, but I have always watched it from midway.

The balcony can be good if you are on the first row.

went to my first Broadway show a few months ago Waitress and on May 13th we are going to
Hamilton at 2pm then Waitress again this time with Sara Bareilles at 8pm

My wife wants to try and go to a show in the West End when we are in London in a couple weeks

I will get to see Waitress next season and Hamilton in '18. Looking forward to both.

Saw Beautiful this past Saturday. Fantastic!

I've seen one show on actual Broadway called Something Rotten and I thought it was awesome.

Seen Chicago, Wicked, and Rock of Ages in NYC. Enjoyed them all. Chicago had the best music and Wicked had by far the best production/sets.

Lion King has been on my "to do" list since I moved to NY. Have to see that.

We went in on season tickets for Houston Broadway this season. Already renewed for next year in anticipation of Hamilton.

So far have seen Wicked, Jersey Boys and Book of Mormon. I enjoyed all three but don't think anything can surpass Book of Mormon. That was one of my favorite events in any form of entertainment.

Wife saw The Curious Incident and loved it; she said they did a lot of cool things to set the stage.

The King and I is this Friday which should be ok for me but I'm more looking forward to Something Rotten! and Lion King

Shows I've seen in New York.

Most recent
An American in Paris - 1
Wicked (twice) - 5
Something Rotten - 4
Les Miserables - 4
Godspell - 4

I think for the most part just being there is alot of the experience. But, you could not pay me to sit through an American in Paris again. Its not a musical, its a ballet. Which I don't have a problem with per se but when I'm expecting a musical its quite a change of pace. The story is slow as well as the music.

I had no interest in seeing something rotten as I am not usually into sophmoric humor but they pull just about every popular musical in as a reference and I have not laughed more at a show.

Want to see:

Aladdin
Lion King
Hamleton
Phantom

I just purchased Hamilton Tickets for December. Something Rotten is really good if you get a chance to see it

I just saw Sunset BLVD with Glenn Close...she was amazing...

missing from your list that you should see:


A gentleman guide to love and murder
Matilda
Book Of Mormon
Something Rotten

We're headed to NYC in a few weeks. Anybody seen Aladdin? Gonna try to see Book of Mormon as well.

I also love Little Shop of Horrors

I saw Lion King on Broadway last year, going to see Wicked in London next week and then Aladdin in December on Broadway. Lion King was fantastic, looking forward to seeing how London compares to Broadway.

The current touring American in Paris is one of the best ever best all around shows I have seen.

Nice thread OP. Do you see your shows at the Saenger on Canal? I haven't been there since they renovated it. A few I don't see on your list Rent (my wife's fav), Evita, Urine Town and the Producers, little Shop of horrors is always fun too..

West End is a must in London for a theatre fan. Also we catch shows in Toronto and Chicago more than NYC, just cheaper and easier to get to.

Agnzona said:

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Nice thread OP. Do you see your shows at the Saenger on Canal? I haven't been there since they renovated it. A few I don't see on your list Rent (my wife's fav), Evita, Urine Town and the Producers, little Shop of horrors is always fun too..

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I do see them at The Saenger on Canal. The Saenger flooded during Katrina and did not open back up until 2013. There is a theater, Mahaila Jackson, that showed Broadway after Katrina. It is a nice theater, but not The Saenger.

I have my reasons for not wanting to see Rent. If Idina Menzel were to do it again, I would reconsider.

I have seen The Producers in Birmingham. I forgot about it. It is a good show. Nathan Lane actually was in the performance I viewed.

I would love to see Evita one day.

View of Saenger from stage. The lobby and bar areas are all very ornate and high-class looking from days of old.

I love Broadway.

Hamilton is my #1 and that's easy. I've been obsessed with it for about a year and saw it last fall. It's everything and more that people say it is. Life changing music and experience.

Others I have seen:

Wicked
Fiddler on the Roof
Mary Poppins
Wizard of Oz
Avenue Q
Book of Mormon
Phantom of the Opera
The Producers

Pretty sure I've seen a few more that I'm just drawing a blank on.

Honestly of those, I think I liked Mary Poppins and Wizard of Oz the best from a traditional standpoint, with Book of Mormon being easily the funniest and most fun of those.

I listen to the Waitress soundtrack a lot, it's awesome. The Something Rotten soundtrack also gets played a lot and hopefully I'll see it soon. Les Mis is some of my favorite music ever even though I've never seen the stage production. There are tons I want to see. My love for the genre is fairly recent.

But again, Hamilton... not kidding when I say it is a piece of art that changed who am I as a person. I will forever love it. Oh and that reminds me, In the Heights is a piece of musical genius as well. Again I haven't seen the actual show but through Miranda's work on Hamiilton I learned about Heights and now I listen to that soundtrack quite a bit.

My Wife first got me interested in Broadway musicals. Some of my favorites: Spamalot (NYC, first row balcony, leads were Tim Curry and David Hyde Pearce and ran into Elvis Costello at snack bar during intermission), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (NYC, leads were John Lithgow and Norbert Leo Butz), Billy Elliot (London), Jersey Boys.

It pains me to say this, but rating Memphis as a 3 out of 5 is overrating it. I think people feel an obligation to say it is good and worth seeing, but it isn't.

I really wanted it to be great, but you really start checking your watch after about 35 minutes, and start wishing it was over, but it keeps going for another 2 hours.

I also want to put in a plug for Grease.

I still enjoy seeing it, whether at a paid broadway type cast, or even a local HS musical.


Other shows not mentioned.

Hairspray - Not as good as Grease, but enjoyable.

Spitfire Grill - Say what you want, say what you will, but this is an OK musical, that Spitfire Grill.

Gentleman's Guide to love and murder is incredibly clever and fun, and while the music doesn't stick with you, it's one of the best shows I've ever seen, and interestingly the touring cast that just completed the national tour was better than the cast I saw on Broadway.

Hamilton is phenomenal. I didn't expect it to live up to the hype and it exceeded it for me. I actually am happy I saw Javier Munoz over LMM.

I saw the full Monty a few months after 9/11 and that show sticks with me as the most cathartic laughs I've ever experienced. That show is hysterical - better than the movie.

Ragtime is a stunningly moving show - I'm spoiled because I saw the original cast and Audra McDonald's voice made me feel as if God was in the room - stunning talent.

My Top 5: Shows I'd see over and over
Phantom - a little dated now but a classic
Les Mis
Hamilton
Gentlemans Guide
Lion King

Phantom--Saw it London
Sweeney Todd
Chicago
West Side Story
Cats
Aida
Once on this Island
Once
The Producers

Rent was atrocious, I was bored out of my mind and lost track of how many characters had Aids.

I have seen some good buzz about The Great Comet of 1812. I think I'd suggest that instead of Book of Mormon, just because BoM comes through Houston pretty much every year. Josh Groban is in The Great Comet and I think that would be cool.

I saw Cats and Avenue Q in New York and LOVED them.

Saw Lizzie, Peter Pan, and Anything Goes in Houston and very much enjoyed all three as well

Good thread.

I've only ever seen:
42nd Street
Spamalot
The Book of Mormon

Not a big musical fan. More into plays.

bonfarr said:

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Rent was atrocious, I was bored out of my mind and lost track of how many characters had Aids.

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I've only ever heard bad things about rent.

My wife thinks Rent is amazing and has seen it probably 5 times. She took me to see it and I was bored out of my skull. judging by the audience, only females in their 20s liked it.