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Too Much Information about My Trip to New York

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Hmm, doesn’t quite scan the same as the original. I guess I’ll have to find another clunky way to tell you that I recently visited New York, New York and have a whole lot to say about it. Oh, will you look at that? I just found it.

I spent about a week in the Big Apple in mid-April and had a great time seeing a ton of theater. I pulled a real Broadway schedule of eight shows (plus one concert) in six days. The big draw of the trip was seeing the revival of Merrily We Roll Along starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez. It’s been real hot ticket, and I wanted to make sure I had a great seat. So I bought my ticket well in advance for it, and then I also purchased a ticket for the Off-Broadway comedy Oh, Mary!, which had just announced an extended run due to popular demand. I was flying in Monday afternoon, and most shows are dark on Mondays, so I looked for something else to do that evening. Turns out the MCC Theater was holding their annual Miscast benefit concert that night, where Broadway stars sing songs they love from roles that they’ll never be cast to play.

With three shows booked, I left everything else to chance. I had good experiences on my last trip to New York about five years ago using the TKTS Booth in Times Square to get same day discounted tickets for great seats. I planned to use that again, but I also did a lot of research on the Broadway Reddit forum about digital lotteries and rush tickets.

Digital lotteries run the day before a performance. You can only enter once per email address for the chance to win a max of two tickets. When the lottery ends, you’re notified right away if you won, lost, or were put on standby. If you won, you can still decline the tickets (which can then go to a standby), or if you want them, you have to accept and pay quickly, usually within an hour or two. I have no luck at all, but somehow managed to win two lotteries during my trip. It probably helped that for Saturday, I entered for about five different shows and for both the matinee and evening shows of all of them. Probability came through, and I won one.

Rush tickets are same-day discounted tickets sold in person at the theater’s box office. Most of them open around 10am, but depending on a show’s popularity and because there’s a limited number of these tickets, it’s best to get in line outside early. This is where Broadway Reddit is super helpful because a lot of people post “Rush Reports” about their experience getting rush tickets, i.e. what day they went (weekday vs. weekend can be very different), what time they got in line, how many people were in front of them in line, what kind of seats they got. Some people even just go around to different theaters around 10am and report how many people were waiting in line at each show. We love boots-on-the-ground reporting!

The longest I waited in line was about an hour and 20 minutes, but between scrolling my phone, chatting with others in line, or just eavesdropping on others’ conversations about all the shows they’ve seen, the time flew by. The seat assignments can be all over the place. I got front row, I got orchestra far right, I got front balcony. You don’t have much choice, but I never had a seat that hampered my enjoyment of a show, and considering the tickets all ranged from $35 - $49, it’s hard to complain. Not all productions offer both lottery and rush and some don’t really advertise it on their website, but Playbill.com keeps a pretty extensive list of every shows discounts and policies.

As far as accommodations, I’m ashamed to say that I was “influenced,” but I’m really glad that I was. I think I discovered London-based theater YouTuber Mickey Jo through one of his videos explaining some Broadway drama, either the casting of Lea Michele in Funny Girl or Andrew Lloyd Webber’s disastrous Bad Cinderella, I can’t remember which. Either way, he made it into my suggested videos, and I eventually saw a vlog documenting his first trip to New York, including his stay at the Civilian Hotel. He mentioned its prime location in the Theater District, and knowing that he had only recently made YouTube his main source of income, I guessed that it couldn’t be too expensive. So it sounded like the place for me! The location really was excellent. To only have to walk back two or three blocks after a show was so nice.

Then the influencing really came full circle when I was in the rush line for Sweeney Todd and saw someone ahead of me in line who looked really familiar? Then he turned, and I realized it was Mickey Jo Theatre! There was a moment where we almost made eye contact, and I felt myself almost wave or acknowledge like, “Oh, we know each other.” And then I quickly remembered that we very much do not know each other. Should’ve thanked him for the hotel recommendation. I hope he got a kickback of some kind. (And he just posted a vlog about it. I’m somewhere towards the end of the line of about 20 people behind him.)

Anyway, onto the shows (really wish I could’ve gotten around to writing this before the Tony nominations came out so I could look like I was ahead of the curve):

Six - Super fun, obviously Hamilton-inspired telling of history through pop bangers, this time focusing on the six wives of Henry VIII. It’s a 90 minute show staged more like a concert than a full play, so it flies by. The Playbill told a little about each wife and then listed the “Diva Inspirations” for each character. One was Beyonce and Shakira, one was Adele and Sia, and so on. All of the songs perfectly fit those molds. There was one understudy who maybe wasn’t in the best part for her, but all the other queens were incredible vocally and had great energy.

MCC Miscast24 - An amazing lineup of legends and new voices singing songs you’d never expect from them, often with a funny or heartwarming backstory. Jinkx Monsoon, still traumatized from being cast as Constable #2 in their high school production of Les Miserables, chose to right that wrong by performing every part in “One Day More.” Newcomer Amber Iman (remember that name!) sang a beautiful song from Floyd Collins in tribute to her late vocal teacher who once assigned her the song because he knew it would scare her. There were so many great performances, but I’m really waiting for a YouTube clip of Mykal Kilgore singing “Stars and the Moon” from Songs for a New World because I NEED to hear that again.

The Outsiders - So many new musicals were in previews and about to open in order to be eligible for Tony nominations, so I had a lot to choose from. But of all the book adaptations, and there were many (The Outsiders, The Notebook, and Water for Elephants were even all on the same street), this was the one I had the most familiarity with and the one that intrigued me the most. If you know the book or the movie source material, you know this isn’t a light story and would never work as a “flashy” Broadway show. It is gritty and dirty (the stage floor is even covered in rubber pellets to look like gravel), and the score by country/Americana duo Jamestown Revival fits that gritty but vulnerable vibe. I can’t wait for the cast recording to come out so I can hear more of Brody Grant as Ponyboy, Sky Lakota-Lynch as Johnny, and all the other greasers. The songs “Great Expectations” and “Stay Gold” are already out and are beautiful. The biggest Wow moment of this production is the big brawl between the Socs and the Greasers in Act II. They’re scrabbling on that dirty floor. There’s a rain machine. There’s the most incredible slow-motion choreography to show all the bodies working together in a brutal dance. Such a daring thing to put on stage.

Sweeney Todd - I went in thinking I knew this show, I definitely knew several of the songs, but I slowly realized I didn’t know the full story at all. I had never actually seen a production of it before, so I can’t really compare to anything. That said, I had seen a lot of questioning of the casting of Aaron Tveit in the titular role, and I’ve never been his biggest fan. I usually find him pretty beige, but I bought him as manic and sinister when needed. Sutton Foster was the big draw for me, and she was hilariously unhinged as Mrs. Lovett. In the song “By The Sea,” she was clearly doing everything in her power to make Tveit laugh, including pulling down her suspenders with her feet! It was an added bonus to see Heartstopper’s Joe Locke as Tobias, and his “Not While I’m Around” was lovely. Back to the show overall, I kind of zoned out whenever the Johanna and Anthony plot line was happening. The performers were great, just not my kind of songs and not my kind of story. Give me the unhinged Barber and Pie Lady please!

Stereophonic - The best play! Don’t just take my word for it. It also just scored the most Tony nominations for a play ever. I really felt like I got to get in on the ground floor with this show, ignoring the fact that it had already had a sold out run Off-Broadway and made the switch to Broadway with a healthy amount of buzz. I scored a $35 front row rush seat at 10:30am because they had no rush line to speak of at the time, just days before the official Broadway opening. Once the show opened and all the rave reviews came in, the rush lines appeared. But I was there first! The best description of this show that I heard was, “It’s not about Fleetwood Mac recording Rumours, but it’s not not about Fleetwood Mac recording Rumours.” It is about a 70s rock band - a mix of Americans and Brits, some couples, some old friends - on the rise and in the studio recording their next album. The five band members are joined by their green, overstressed young engineers trying to meet the demands of temperamental artists and navigate growing tensions within the band. The ensemble is perfect and every combination of a few people brings about great scenes and insights into all of their characters. This is the show I most want to see again. There are so many great lines and moments that I want to see and hear again. The original music by Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire, perfectly fits the time period and the feel of the whole show, and the actors work as a band, performing the songs in the stage’s “recording booth.” It’s impossible to pick a favorite performance, but Sarah Pidgeon’s portrayal of a singer, who was probably originally only brought into the band as the lead singer’s girlfriend, but begins to discover her own artistry just as the relationship is falling apart is the most devastating. I don’t really want to simplify her role to this, but she’s playing the Stevie Nicks type, and the sound her voice will haunt you.

Merrily We Roll Along - I’ve been so intrigued by this show ever since I saw the documentary The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened all about its disastrous Broadway debut in the early 80s. When I heard about this revival, I wanted to go so badly, but the initial run sold out immediately and then it seemed like it would be a short lived thing. When it got extended on Broadway, I knew I wanted to splurge and make the trip. How many chances do you get to see the perfect marriage of performers and material. The three stars have such electric friend chemistry (as evidenced here) that you just want them onstage together at all times. But it’s a show about a friendship falling apart, so that can’t be. But the structure of the show, going backwards in time from the break of the friendship to its very beginning makes those moments of joy and harmony even sweeter.

Oh, Mary! - My only Off-Broadway show of the trip, but it’s making the leap to the Great White Way this summer. I’m sure my attendance gave it a bump! Anyway, this is a hilarious play starring comedian Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln as an almost Lucy Ricardo-type figure, always pestering her beleaguered husband Abe about escaping the trappings of the White House to return to her one true love - cabaret! Most often compared to Amy Sedaris, Cole is still a true original with irreverent and at times raunchy humor that is always unexpected. Another one I hope there is a film of some day or some way to hear all of those great jokes again.

Lempicka - Took a chance on something completely new. It wasn’t based on existing property, and I knew nothing about the musical’s subject. But I won a lottery, so I went. I’m so glad I did because while the show only opened a day or two before I saw it, due to underwhelming box office results, it is already scheduled to close May 19th. That’s Broadway, baby! While I enjoyed it overall, there were visible cracks in the show and it’s not the most “crowd pleasing” option to get butts in seats. It’s a musical about the life, loves, and art of Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, which is filled with political and marital strife. The music is very vocally demanding, and I thought all of the stars did a phenomenal job delivering that, but it’s maybe not always the most emotionally resonant. Eden Espinosa stars as the titular role, but she was out at my show and several before and after. Not a great sign when the show just opened. Her understudy Mariand Torres was incredible. Only former Elphabas can handle that score. The standout of the whole show was Amber Iman (remember her? I told you to!) as Lempicka’s muse and lover. Her voice is so powerful and with just a hint of scratchy break that makes you feel everything she sings. I was so happy to see her Tony nominated in a very stacked category because she absolutely deserves it.

Kimberly Akimbo - I’m so lucky I got to see the 2023 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical a few weeks before it closed, still with most of the original cast. This is such a funny, sweet, sad, weird little show. To sum up the basic plot, I’ll use my friend Travis’s succinct question about it: “She has Jack disease, right?” Jack disease of course refers to the 1996 Robin Williams film Jack, about a young boy who suffers from a condition that causes him to age much faster than normal. The character of Kimberly Levaco does indeed have Jack disease. She’s an average New Jersey teenager, she just looks like she’s sixty. On top of this condition which comes with a life expectancy that doesn’t exceed her teens, Kimberly also struggles with relating to her parents, making friends, and avoiding felony charges linked to her dirtbag Aunt Debra’s latest scheme. Victoria Clark portrays the shy teen so perfectly and heartbreakingly. Newcomer Justin Cooley is hilariously sweet as a nerd also looking for friendship. Bonnie Milligan’s Aunt Debra is like an Aidy Bryant character who can also belt her face off. Her song “Better” is a must listen.

Oh, wow, this is way too long. I’ll try to speed through some food of note because what’s a vacation with food. I didn’t really splurge on any big meals, mostly just trying to get something quick between shows. Last visit I had a lot of trouble finding spots that weren’t super crowded close to the theaters. This time I did a lot of research about the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood and tried to plan some bits that were more on the fringes:

Gray’s Papaya Hot Dogs - Spent a late morning/afternoon in Central Park and walked over to this Upper West Side institution, most notably featured in the Matthew Perry film Fools Rush In. I had two dogs with their works - sauerkraut, onions in a mysterious red sauce, and spicy mustard. Also enjoyed a papaya flavored drink. The toppings are unusual, but good dog.

Schnipper’s - This was a last minute change for a pre-show meal. I had planned to try a local taco place that I’d heard good things about, but apparently everyone else heard the same things because the line outside was insane. I then moved on to the nearby a Schnipper’s, a kind of high-quality but still casual burger joint exclusive to NYC. Think Shake Shack with a bigger menu. The burger was thick and had actual juice to it, more like a burger you’d get off a grill than you’d usually get in fast food.

Friedmans at The Edison Hotel - Unfortunately I was only here for brunch, so I missed out on the servers singing showtunes as they do on most evenings at this location. However, I did have some delicious Pastrami Hash in relative quiet, so that was nice too.

Ichiran Ramen - Speaking of relatively quiet! Another fast dining option that I found in Times Square was this outpost of a Japanese franchise that specializes in one type of ramen and serves it to you in a kind of isolated booth where you technically don’t even see your server. You pay ahead of time and then are assigned a table that looks like a study cubby in a library. Eventually a bamboo curtain is raised, and a piping hot bowl of delicious Tonkotsu ramen is placed before you to slurp up without anyone seeing. So nice on a cold, rainy day.

Junior’s - A bit cliche, but it’s perfectly located in the Theater District, they know how to get people in and out for shows, and the cheesecake is that good. I had dinner here one night before a show, but I thought I might be cutting it too close to get dessert too. Luckily, the restaurant also has a separate bakery store that I was able to stop at after a different show and just get my slice of strawberry cheesecake to go.

L’Industrie Pizzeria - Brooklyn - Came here for a slice at lunch on Friday and there was a bit of a line, but it moved quickly and was nothing compared to the line I saw outside of their West Village location later that same night. There’s a line because there are only a few stools inside the building where you slowly file into place your order at the counter. Then there’s some covered seating out at the street and a bar to stand at if things are too crowded. They had a great girl working the front door, moving the line, letting people know about the menu, and making everybody laugh. I was maybe a little boring with just one slice of their burrata pie, but it was so good.

Bleeker Street Pizza - Probably the shortest I’ve ever waited for pizza in New York and maybe also the best? Also the easiest to find a place to sit down in. What’s going on here? It was a Friday night, so maybe more people were going to fancy dinners. Plus, the West Village is not as high traffic as Hell’s Kitchen or Midtown. Whatever the reason, I enjoyed my slice of their Nonna Maria pizza (basically a margherita but heavier on the delicious tomato sauce) in relative peace. I’m never sure how giant New York pizza slices are going to be, so I just ordered one, but I really contemplated going back for a second.

Lovely’s Old Fashioned - An excellent hamburger counter in Hell’s Kitchen just a block over from most of the excitement, so it felt kind of tucked away. Delicious burger and unique “sidewinder” french fries.

Schmackary’s Cookies - The official cookies of Broadway! Not sure if anything is official, but I know this cookie shop does a lot of themed tie-ins with Broadway musicals and is a very popular post-show sweet treat. The unusual flavors change constantly, but the basic old chocolate chip was excellent and the perfect way to end a night at the theater.

If you have made it this far, I thank you sincerely. If you just scrolled down here and didn’t bother to read the rest, I don’t blame you at all. Long story short, New York is really cool, and I like theater a whole lot.