Wednesday, October 7, 2009

My Broadway dance card is full

The hotel reservation has been made, the tickets have been purchased and in just a few weeks I'll be making my 2009-2010 Broadway debut!

Here's the lineup: The Royal Family, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Finian's Rainbow, A Steady Rain, Superior Donuts and Ragtime.

Four were no-brainers. I had Brighton Beach Memoirs, A Steady Rain, Superior Donuts and Ragtime on my must-see list. But the other two were more of a toss-up.

I picked The Royal Family, about a 1920s theatrical clan based on the Barrymores, when enthusiastic reports started coming in from friends who'd seen the play.

I was also excited about seeing Tony Roberts, since Annie Hall is one of my favorite movies. Roberts has been out since suffered a minor seizure onstage Sunday. But thankfully, he's feeling great and looking forward to returning.

The last slot was tougher. I wanted to finally see Wicked on Broadway, especially with Tony winner Rondi Reed playing Madame Morrible. But I was afraid the seats wouldn't be that great and there are always so many tempting new shows.

So, I went with Finian's Rainbow despite the fact that my fellow bloggers were split over the concert version presented by Encores in March. Why did I decide to give the musical a shot? The cast was a big part of it.

I've seen two of the actors before, Kate Baldwin in the Huntington Theatre Company's She Loves Me and Christopher Fitzgerald on Broadway in Young Frankenstein, and I loved them both. Two others, Tony winner Jim Norton and Cheyenne Jackson, I want to see.

Plus, since Finian's Rainbow will be in previews, I took advantage of a discount at Playbill and got an orchestra seat for $55. You can't beat that!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great lineup, kid!

And you saw Baldwin in "She Loves Me"? How was she???

Esther said...

Thanks! I know everytime I go to New York I think I have a terrific lineup of shows but this one is especially exciting.

I loved Kate Baldwin. She was spirited and spunky and has a breathtaking voice and a nice comedic touch. I know some other reviewers didn't like this production as much but it was my first time seeing She Loves Me and I really enjoyed it.

Kevin Daly said...

Just back from the first preview of "Finian's." You will love her all over again!

Esther said...

Thanks, Kevin! I'm pretty excited about seeing her again and the rest of the wonderful cast.

Pam said...

Looks like a great lineup. Can't wait to read all your reviews.

Esther said...

Thanks, Pam! I'm pretty excited about it. I think I've got six shows that I'll really enjoy!