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Tags: Broooaaadwaaaaaaay / Broadway Shows / Musicals / NYC Travel / → All Tags

If You Could Only See One Broadway Musical Right Now, What Would It Be?

It's summer in New York and tourists are descending in droves, including us. Kind of. While we're here on a three-week tour to visit family in the Jerz, we've been spending quite a lot of time in the city. One thing we've yet to do however is see a Broadway musical.

As a kid, our school classes took regular field trips to NYC to take in Broadway shows and plays. (There are some advantages to growing up Bridge and Tunnel.) Later on in life, we worked in Times Square (not that kind of work) and we could see a show whenever we and our wallets felt like it. But now that we've moved away, seeing shows is not as easy as it once was. We're here for one more week and we can't decide which show to see. So we thought we'd ask you guys.

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Tags: Musicals / London Travel / Michael Jackson / West End Shows / → All Tags

Who's Bad?: Thriller Live Opens on the West End

If the thought of never seeing Michael Jackson grab his junk and shout “woo-hoo” again makes you a little sad, cheer up friend. A new musical, "Thriller Live", opens in London this week and is based on the legend of Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five.

Unlike "Mamma Mia", based on the hits of Abba, there is no plot or dialogue, just dance numbers strung together and performed to MJ’s biggest hits like Beat It, Rock With You, Billie Jean, PYT, and of course, Thriller. Eight actors portray Jackson at different stages in his career while a video screen behind them flashes fun facts like "The 'Thriller' album was at No. 1 for 37 weeks!"

While Broadway is struggling through poor ticket sales and closing productions, the West End has held steady. And producers seem confident that nostalgia for a simpler time, before MJ faced child abuse allegations and had too much plastic surgery, will draw crowds to "Thriller Live" too.

This is not the first time the show has hit the stage. In 1997, "Thriller Live" toured around the U.K. to mixed reviews but eventually built up enough buzz to lead to a couple tours through Europe. "Thriller Live" opens at The Lyric Theater on January 21st and runs through April. Ticket prices range from £23.50 to £50.50.

Related Stories:
· Micael Jackson:The Musical [WSJ]
· Official Site [Thriller Live]

[Photo: Exposay]

Tags: Musicals / Hippie Travel / Culture Travel / Summer Travel / → All Tags

Outdoor Musical Travel: Central Park "Hair" Is So '60s, So What?

Jaunted's Ellen Wernecke went to the Public Theater's new production of "Hair" so you don't have to!

I was lucky enough to win free tickets to the first preview of "Hair," the James Rado-Gerome Ragni-Galt McDermot musical produced by the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park arm. (Nope, it's not Shakespeare.) The buzz in the Delacorte Theatre was electric as the sun went down and a few clouds threatened to rain out the show, 41 years after the first performance of the musical in New York. It's not the Public's finest, but it's a grand summer night's entertainment.

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Tags: Broadway Shows / Theater / Musicals / Daniel Radcliffe / Equus / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: Daniel Radcliffe's Wand of Destiny

Suddenly-super-hot Daniel Radcliffe will make his Broadway debut this fall, when he and the cast of "Equus" visit New York City. We assume you've already heard that the now-18-year-old star will appear naked on-stage for at least part of the production.

While we wouldn't call that the best reason to go see some theater, we can't deny it'll drive some ticket sales. Just know this: "Equus" isn't the kind of kid-friendly show you might expect from the "Harry Potter" actor. Previews at the Broadhurst Theatre start September 5; opening night is 9/25.

Related Stories:
· Equus, with Radcliffe and Griffiths, to Play the Broadhurst Theatre [Playbill]
· Equus Set for Sept. 5 Previews [NYO]
· The Sorcerer's Stones [Gawker]
· A Look at the New Times Square TKTS Booth [Curbed]
· Prudish Theatergoer Travel: Broadway Shows to Skip [Jaunted]

Tags: Broadway Shows / Theater / Musicals / Avenue Q / → All Tags

Prudish Theatergoer Travel: Broadway Shows to Skip

It's always baffled us that people will drop hundreds of dollars on Broadway shows without even knowing the plot of the musical they're gonna see. And we've heard more than a few stories that end with "Anyway, had I known those puppets were gonna have sex, I wouldn't have taken my parents."

Fortunately, The New York Times has gone and rounded up all the kid-friendly shows in the city, at least according to a mom of two tweens:

Many shows seem to beckon families with children but on closer inspection come with caveats, be it crude language, racy behavior or complex plot turns. If you're going to make the investment--which can run more than $400 for a family of four--what is worth the tab? What is appropriate?

Of course, if you like your theater on the racy side, just pick out the shows writer Robin Pogrebin suggests skipping. Among them are "Avenue Q" (featuring puppet sex and drinking games), "Spring Awakening" (center stage sex) and "Curtains" (lots of swearing).

If those aren't trashy enough for ya, you'll have to look Off Broadway. Scouting out the toilets at Central Park might be a good start.

Related Stories:
· Broadway for Big Kids, Beyond Spoonfuls of Sugar [NYT]
· Can Shrek Sing? [Jaunted]
· Broadway Shows coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Michael Schamis]

Tags: Movies / Sydney / Musicals / → All Tags

One Pink Bus, Three Gay Men and a Musical

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, an Oscar-winning Aussie movie from the '90s, made a bright pink bus famous as it traveled across the Australian outback, touring its drag queen stars through pubs and deserts and making everybody laugh. It also made plenty of people trek out to Kings Canyon near Uluru to see where parts of the movie were filmed.

Now Priscilla is a must-see musical in Sydney, after opening last month to good crowds. Priscilla the Musical is every bit as pink and camp as the movie was, and depicts just one part of the multi-layered society that makes up Australia. It's not even about being gay, publicists say: It's about fitting in when you're different. Sounds more like a sociological lesson than a good night out, but maybe it's both; we recommend grabbing a ticket if you're heading to Sydney in the next year or two, but leave the sociology textbook at home.

Related Stories:
· Priscilla - Queen of Desert, Film and Now The Stage [Times Online]
· Phil Scott's Insider View of Priscilla [SX]

Tags: Musicals / Theater / → All Tags

Grey Gardens, the Musical

We're not sure if the world's been crying out for this or not, but we're at least very, very excited. Soon to be a musical -- Grey Gardens, the cult documentary about some black-sheep relatives of Jackie Onassis and the declining, fleabitten mansion they inhabit in East Hampton. The book will be by Doug Wright, who won the Pulitzer prize for his play I Am My Own Wife. with lyrics and music by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie. Tickets went on sale today for the run from February 10 to March 26.

Related Stories:
·   Grey Gardens Musical [Official site]
·   Playwrights Horizons Will Stage Musical Grey Gardens [Playbill]