[IMG]http://jenniferavalentine.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/broadway_sign1.jpg[/IMG]
Broadway. Pronounced “Broadway” while shaking hands with open palms.
As I am sure all of you know I live in New York City*. Now despite popular belief, this place is a heaven for tourists and people who enjoy having a good time. Specifically, NYC is a Mecca for theater goers. This is due to the fantastic collection of theaters in a district referred to as Broadway (named after the street most of these theaters are located on).
Broadway has a boring history spanning back to the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century. None of you should care about this. If you do I advise you go ahead and buy a book. I would like to share with you the magic of the various shows that are currently playing.
Before you say “wait a minute. I hate musicals!” Don’t give up! Read on and you might find that they are not what you expect! Some are funny, others epic. Some are pure shit, and sadly this group can be the most prevalent. As a result most people have a bad first experience which ruins sex for them for the rest of their lives. The sheer memory of her screaming and hitting me over and over...her rolls of fat...and why was there so many beetles..
I would like to apologize. I am now focused. Broadway…theater....musicals! I will walk you through several of the musicals currently on Broadway. I will let Wikipedia fill you in as to the general story, while also sharing a video I find best represents the specific musical.
*None of you should know this.
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[I][B]THE BOOK OF MORMON[/B][/I]
[video=youtube;tggtPHDmrR8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tggtPHDmrR8[/video]
[quote]The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naive and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share their scriptures—which only one of them knows very well—but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are worried about famine, poverty, and AIDS.[/quote]
[I][B]WICKED[/B][/I]
[video=youtube;mNIwSYp4N-Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNIwSYp4N-Y[/video]
[quote]Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her relationship with Galinda, later Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel, Glinda is the Good Witch of the South). The two women struggle through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace.[/quote]
[I][B]
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA[/B][/I]
[video=youtube;FwoLNtUuCVk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwoLNtUuCVk&feature=related[/video]
(I apologize for the above being a movie version, i assume no one was able to sneak a camera into the Broadway production)
[quote]Phantom of the Opera is a 1976 musical with book and lyrics by Ken Hill. It is the first musical adaptation of the novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, about the hideously disfigured Phantom's amorous obsession with the magnificent, naive singer, Christine.[/quote]
I share a soft spot of Phantom of the Opera, this is one of my favorite musicals of all time. It is what originally got me interested in Broadway.
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Now I am sure some of you might point out that I have left out many classics. However, the history and span of this masterful set of productions is so grand it is impossible to go through it in a measly thread. I feel as though the above three are representative of the best Broadway currently has to offer.
I hope you enjoyed my brief introduction to the magical and gay world of Broadway!
Those of you who still are unsure if the manliness in you will allow you to give into the temptations of musicals, have a listen to this great performance by Neil Patrick Harris:
[video=youtube;URohYRquqy4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URohYRquqy4[/video]
If you read this and are thinking to yourself 'Wow! What an awesome thread! I feel unworthy of posting in it" While you are probably right, I feel this is the perfect platform for you to express your love for musicals! Perhaps you've seen a show before, please share your experiences. Even if you hated it! I mean it! I wanna hear about it!
Just writing this thread is making me smile from ear to ear. I love musicals and I love all of you. This is the magic of Broadway.
You forgot something important:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sUrQWsUjTA[/media]
I'm bisexual and I like broadway.
I know this thread will go well because two posts in we have George Takei in a spider man outfit, and a user expressing his bisexuality! :D
I am going to New York in a couple weeks and I was wondeirng what kind of things to do and now thanks to this thread I am going to try to go to a Broadway Musical
[editline]19th July 2011[/editline]
You probably have to get tickets way in advance though, huh
-snip- shit im late
Yeah, especially for shows like Book of Mormon. Since it's a new musical, they are usually booked.
HOWEVER! If you are traveling alone most shows offer cheap "stand in tickets". Meaning if you get there before a performance and they have an empty seat you will get it at a discounted price.
Another option is to go to the TKTS booth in Times Square the day of a show. They also have discounts for Broadway and off-Broadway shows. I had front row seats to Avenue Q (which was hysterical and great) for $40.
Many shows also offer Mattne (I can never spell that right) performances; these are earlier in the day or in the middle of the week. So if you catch a show at 3 PM on a Wednesday chances are you will get seats (and relatively cheap)
I remember NPR did a stream of the audio for The Book of Mormon and it got past the 3 song i believe before i had to go.
but it was still hilarious
[QUOTE=DrChernobyl;31201520]I remember NPR did a stream of the audio for The Book of Mormon and it got past the 3 song i believe before i had to go.
but it was still hilarious[/QUOTE]
I want to see it live. However, last time I checked the tickets were around $300 for shows in October (everything earlier being sold out or being sold online for twice the price)
With all the awards it won it must have been amazing
Broadway doesn't even encompass all great musicals.
[QUOTE=DrChernobyl;31201569]With all the awards it won it must have been amazing[/QUOTE]
The story was written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker (as I am sure many people know). That is already a recipe for success. To add to that, the score was composed by the guy who wrote the music for Avenue Q. Those who have seen that musical shouldn't be surprised about the success of Book of Mormon.
[editline]19th July 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=GhostG45;31201598]Broadway doesn't even encompass all great musicals.[/QUOTE]
I agree. The 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar never made it to Broadway and is still an amazing work of art. I'm sure there are countless others. That doesn't detract from the fact that Broadway has amazing sights to offer.
Ah, i loved Avenue Q
I only watched the first one, and that was just because I saw black people with guns.
Plus, I'd already seen the Neil Patrick Harris (<3) one.
When I went to New York I saw Chicago and Phantom. I was part of a choir group, and our tour planner booked us for a Broadway workshop. I was thinking "WHAT WILL IT BE?!??!". It was the musical director from Chicago and one of the actors walking us through a song/dance from the show.
[IMG]http://www.chicagothemusical.com/images/cast/521.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://images.broadwayworld.com/photoops/appletreepreview/TheAppleTreePressPreview165-vi.jpg[/IMG]
(From Left to right: The actor, the director, some guy I don't know)
It was really chill. It takes so much talent to do something like that. Especially learning the full song in less than 45 minutes.
Broadway is pretty great. If you are going, you should go see Avenue Q. It's like nothing else. With songs like "The internet is for porn", "If you were gay" and "Everyone is a little bit racist", its a great place to start as far as broadway musicals.
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