272 Shows and concerts seen NYC • The Addams Family - OC: B Neuwirth, N Lane, 2010 DAL • Aida - NY Metropolitan Opera, 1962 NYC • Aida - Disney, OC, ST 2000 LAX • Aladdin - Disneyland, 2010 NYC • Aladdin - OC, 2014 DAL • Alegria - Cirque du Soleil, Fair Park, 2003 NYC • Altar Boys - 2006 NYC • Alegria - Cirque du Soleil, Randall's Island, ST 2004 OKC • America - September 21, 2013 NYC • American Buffalo - OC: Al Pacino, 1983 NYC • American in Paris - OC, 2015 DAL • Andreas Vollenweider - 1980s? BRN • Andy Williams - August 1999 DAL • The Animals - 1965 AUS • The Apple Tree - 1970s LON • Aspects of Love - OC, 1990 UNI  • Aspects of Love - OU NYC • August, Osage County - OC, 2008 DAL • Auntie Mame, 1960-1980s NYC • Avenue Q - OC, 2005 BRN • Baldknobbers - with Shoji Tabuchi, April 1981 DAL • Ballet Folklorico de Mexico - 1960-1980s DAL • Barber of Seville - Dallas Opera, 1960-1970s NYC • Barnum - OC: Jim Dale, Glenn Close,, ST 1981 DAL • Beach Boys - December 26, 1964 or July 23, 1965 AUS • Beach Boys - Febuary 11, 1969 DAL • The Beatles - September 18, 1964 DAL • Beauty and the Beast - 1960-1980s NYC • Beauty and the Beast - 2007 NYC • Beetlejuice - OC, 2019 NYC • Big Fish - OC, 2013 DAL • Big River, 1987 NYC • Billy Elliott - OC, 2009 LON • Blood Brothers - OC: Kiki Dee, 1990 NYC • Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - OC, 2010 NYC • Blue Man Group - 6 times, STs, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005; 2008 LAS • Blue Man Group - 2000 NYC • Boeing Boeing - OC, 2009 NYC • Bombay Dreams - OC, 2004 NYC • Bonnie & Clyde - preview, OC: J Jordan, 2011 NYC • The Book of Mormon - 2012 NYC • Boy From Oz - OC: H Jackman, 2004 DAL • Brigadoon - 1960-1980s DAL • Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk - July 1998 NYC • Bubbling Brown Sugar - April 1976 OKC • Bullets over Broadway - 2015 DAL • Bye Bye Birdie - 1965 DAL • Calamity Jane - 1963 DAL • Camelot - August 1964 DAL • Carnival - October 1962 DAL • Carousel - 1968 OKC • Carousel - OCU, 2022 FTW • Cat Stevens - 1970s? LON • Cats - OC, August 15, 1981, 2 months after opening NYC • Cats - OC: Betty Buckley, ST 1989 OKC • Cats - 1987 NYC • Chicago - OC: Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, March 4, 1976 CHI  • Chicago - 1978 NYC • Chicago - OC: A Reinking, B Neuwirth, J Grey, J Naughton, ST 1997 UNI  • Chicago - UCO NYC • A Chorus Line - OC, March 6, 1976 DAL • A Chorus Line - October, 1978 FTW • A Chorus Line - 1985 NYC • A Chorus Line - Mario Lopez, 2008 NYC • The Color Purple - Fantasia, 2007 DAL • Come Back Little Sheba - 1960-1980s AUS • Come From Away - 2020 AUS • Company - 1970s UNI  • Company - UCO NYC • Corteo - Cirque du Soleil, Randall's Island, ST 2006 LAS • Criss Angel - Cirque du Soleil, 2009 NYC • Curtains - OC: David Hyde-Pierce, 2008 DAL • Dave Clark Five - December 7, 1964 AUS • Dear Evan Hansen - 2019 LAS • de la Guarda - 2000 DAL • Desert Song - 1960-1980s NYC • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - OC: John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, 2005 NYC • Doubt - OC, November 27 2005 DAL • Dralion - Cirque du Soleil, 2001 NYC • The Drowsy Chaperone - OC, 2007 LAS • EFX - OC: Michael Crawford, 1995 NYC • The Elephant Man - March 20, 1981 LAS • Enter the Night - 1993 NYC • Equus - 1977 NYC • Ernani - Met Opera - L Pavarotti, L Mitchell, 1983 DAL • Evita - 1980s NYC • Evita - Ricky Martin, OC, 2012 NYC • Fame Becomes Me - OC: Martin Short, Tom Arnold, 2006 NYC • The Fantasticks - March 25, 1972 NYC • The Farnsworth Invention - OC: Hank Azaria, 2007 DAL • Fiddler on the Roof - October 1966 NYC • Fifth of July - OC: Christopher Reeve, Swoosie Kurtz, 1981 NYC • Finding Neverland - OC: Matthew Morrison, 2015 DAL • Flower Drum Song - 1966 LAS • Folies Bergere - 2 times, 1977, 1999 NYC • Follies - OC, March 28 1972 LAX • Fosse, Dancin' - Ahmanson Theater, 1977 NYC • 42nd Street - 1981 DAL • A Funny Thing . . . Way to the Forum - 1960-1980s DAL • Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - 1966 NYC • Ghost - OC, 2012 NYC • Good Vibrations - preview, OC, 2005 NYC • Grand Hotel - 1991 NYC • Grease - 1975-2004 NYC • Groundhog Day - OC, 2017 UNI  • Gypsy - UT, 1969 NYC • Gypsy - Patti Lupone, 2008 NYC • Hadestown June 15 2022 OKC • Hadestown October 28 2022 UNI  • Hair - UCO NYC • Hair - Preview, Gavin Creel, OC, 2009 NYC • Hairspray - OC: Harvey Fierstein, ST 2003 DAL • Half a Sixpence - 1966 AUS • Hamilton - 2019 TUL • Hamilton - 2019 NYC • Harlem Song - Apollo Theater, OC, 2002 DAL • Hello Dolly - Mary Martin, 1965 AUS • Hello Dolly - 2020 DAL • How to Succeed in Business - D Cannon, W Waterman, D Kallman; with Dad, Oct 1963 NYC • How to Succeed in Business - Nick Jonas, 2012 NYC • I Am My Own Wife - OC, 2004 LAS • Imagine - 1998 NYC • In the Heights - OC: L-M Miranda, K Olivo, P Lopez, June/July 2008 NYC • Into the Woods - March 21, 1981 NYC • Jersey Boys - OC, ST 2006 AUS • Jesus Christ Superstar Concert - 1970s FTW • Joseph & Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - 1983 DAL • Journey to Jefferson - 1964 LAS • Jubilee - 1993 LAS • KA - Cirque du Soleil, 2005 DAL • The King and I - 1960-1980s NYC • The King and I - Lincoln Center, 2016 NYC • Kinky Boots - Billy Porter, OC, 2013 NYC • Kiss of the Spider Woman - Chita Rivera, OC, 1993 NYC • Kooza - Cirque du Soleil, Randall's Island, 2009 FLA • La Nouba - Cirque du Soleil, 2005 NYC • Legally Blonde - OC, 2007 NYC • Lennon - OC, opening night, Yoko Ono, 2005 NYC • Les Miserables - 1989 NYC • Light in the Piazza - OC: Kelli O'Hara, Matthew Morrison, Lincoln Center, August 2005 NYC • The Lion King - 2001, ST 2002 DAL • Little Me - July 1964 NYC • The Little Mermaid - OC, 2008 DAL • Long Day's Journey into Night - DTC 1965 LAS • Lord of the Dance - 1999 DAL • Lorelei - Carol Channing; with Aunt Margaret, 1973 LAS • LOVE The Beatles - Cirque du Soleil, 2007 LAS • MADhattan - 1998 NYC • Mamma Mia - ST 2002 OKC • Mannheim Steamroller NYC • Mary Poppins - OC, 2006 NYC • Memphis - OC - 2 times, 2010 DAL • The Merry Widow - 1962 DAL • Michael Jackson Victory Tour - July 13-15, 1984, Texas Stadium LON • Miss Saigon - OC: Lea Salonga, Jonathan Pryce, 1990 NYC • Moulin Rouge - April 2023 NYC • Movin' Out - OC, ST 2004 DAL • The Music Man - 1963 DAL • My Fair Lady - July 1964 NYC • My Fair Lady - OC, 2018 UNI  • My Fair Lady - 2018 NYC • My One & Only - Tommy Tune, Twiggy, 1983 LAS • Mystere - 4 times - Cirque du Soleil, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001 NYC • Newsies - OC - 2 times, 2012, 13 NYC • New York New York - OC, April 2023 NYC • next to normal - OC, 2009 LAS • nSync - July 28, 2001 DAL • The Nutcracker - 1960-1980s LAS • Notre Dame - 2000 LAS • 'O' - Cirque du Soleil, 1999 DAL • Oklahoma! - 1960-1980s DAL • On a Clear Day You Can See Forever - 1969 DAL • 110 in the Shade - 1965 NYC • Ovo - Cirque du Soleil, Randall's Island, 2010 NYC • Pacific Overtures - March 6, 1976 OKC • Peter and the Starcatcher - OCU, 2016 NYC • Phantom of the Opera - 3 times, ST, 1989, 1991, 1997 LAS • Phantom of the Opera - 2007 DAL • Philip Glass - October, 1988 DAL • Phoebe Snow - 1980s NYC • Pilobulus - 2006 NYC • Pippin - 2 times, April 1976, August 1976 UNI  • Pippin - UCO NYC • The Pirate Queen - OC, 2007 NYC • The Play that Goes Wrong - OC, 2017 LAX • Porgy and Bess - Pantages Theater, 1978 NYC • The Producers - 2002 NYC • Putnam County Spelling Bee - 2007 DAL • Quidam - Cirque du Soleil, 1998 NYC • Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular - 2 times, 2007, 2010 NYC • Rent - ST 2000 DAL • Rent - Majestic Theater, Feb 1998 DAL • Rolling Stones - (open: Patti Labelle) November 21, 1965 OKC • Saltimbanco - Cirque du Soleil, 2008 NYC • Satyagraha - Met opera, Philip Glass, 2011 NYC • Shucked - OC, April 2023 CHI • Second City - Jim Belushi, March 1978 NYC • Shenandoah - OC, 1976 DAL • Show boat - 1963 NYC • Shrek the Musical - OC, 2009 ATL  • Side by Side by Sondheim - July 1978 LAS • Siegfried & Roy - 1996 NYC • Something Rotten - OC, 2015 DAL • Sound of Music - A Blyth, S Duncan, K Creed, July 1964 DAL • South Pacific - 1960s UNI  • South Pacific - April 2014, OCU NYC • Spamalot - OC: H Azaria, D Hyde-Pierce, T Curry, 2 times, 2005, 2006 NYC • Spiderman, Turn off the Dark - Preview, OC: Reeve Carney, 2011 NYC • Spring Awakening - OC: L Michele, J Groff, 2 times, March 21 2007; May 14 2008 LON • Starlight Express - 1990 LAS • Starlight Express - 1994 NYC • Steely Dan - June 13, 2007 DAL • Stomp - 1996 DAL • Sugar Babies - Mickey Rooney, Ann Miller, 1980 DAL • Sunset Boulevard - 1995-2000s UNI  • Sunset Boulevard - UCO NYC • Sweeney Todd - Preview, OC, January/April 2006 DAL • Sweet Charity - 1967 NYC • Tap Dogs - ST 1997 NYC • 39 Steps - OC, 2009 NYC • Tarzan - OC, 2006, 07 AUS • Three Dog Night - 1969/70 DAL • Three Sisters - 1960-1980s DAL • Top Banana - Phil Silvers, August 1964 OKC • Toruk - Cirque du Soleil, 2016 NYC • Totem - Cirque du Soleil, Flushing Meadow, 2013 DAL • The Unsinkable Molly Brown - 1960-1980s NYC • Urinetown - OC, 2003 ST NYC • Varekai - Cirque du Soleil, Randall's Island, ST 2003 NYC • The Wedding Singer - OC, 2006 AUS • West Side Story - 1980s DAL • West Side Story - 1960-1980s NYC • West Side Story - OC, 2009 NYC • Wicked - OC: I Menzel, K Chenowith, STs, 2004, 05, 08 NYC • Wicked Backstage - 2007 NYC • Will Rogers Follies - 1993 NYC • Wintuk - Cirque du Soleil, MSG Theater, 2007 NYC • The Wiz - OC, 1977 DAL • The Wizard of Oz - 1960-1980s NYC • Wonderful Town - Brooke Shields, 2004 UNI  • Working - UCO NYC • Xanadu - OC: Cheyenne Jackson, Jackie Hoffman, Kerry Butler, 2007 DAL • Yanni - 1980s? NYC • Your Arm's too Short to Box with God - Febuary 17-20, 1977 NYC • Zarkana - Cirque du Soleil, Radio City Music Hall, 2011 Musical Theater, 226 performances Atlanta, 1 performance • Side by Side by Sondheim Austin, 8 performances 1970s • The Apple Tree • Company • Jesus Christ Superstar • West Side Story 2019-2020 • Hamilton • Dear Evan Hansen • Hello Dolly • Come From Away Chicago, 2 performances • Chicago, March 1978 • Second City, March 1978 Dallas, 54 performances 1960-1980s • Aida • Auntie Mame • Barber of Seville • Beauty and the Beast • Big River • Brigadoon • Bye Bye Birdie • Calamity Jane • Camelo • Carnival • Carousel • A Chorus Line • Desert Song • Evita • Fiddler on the Roof • Flower Drum Song • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum • Gentlemen Prefer Blondes • Half a Sixpence • Hello Dolly • How to Succeed in Busines • Joseph & Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat • Journey to Jefferson • The King and I • Little Me • Long Day's Journey into Night • Lorelei • The Merry Widow • The Music Man • My Fair Lady • Oklahoma! • On a Clear Day You Can See Forever • 110 in the Shade • Show boat • The Sound of Music • South Pacific • Stomp • Sugar Babies • Sweet Charity • Top Banana • The Unsinkable Molly Brown • West Side Story • The Wizard of Oz • Ballet Folklorico de Mexico • The Nutcracker • Come Back Little Sheba • Journey to Jefferson • Three Sisters 1990/2000s • Alegria • Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk • Dralion • Quidam • Rent • Sunset Boulevard Las Vegas, 22 performances • Blue Man Group • Criss Angel • de la Guarda • EFX • Enter the Night • Folies Bergere • Imagine • Jubilee • KA • Lord of the Dance • LOVE The Beatles • MADhattan • Mystere • Notre Dame • 'O' • Phantom of the Opera • Siegfried & Roy • Starlight Express London, 5 performances • Aspects of Love • Blood Brothers • Cats • Miss Saigon • Starlight Express Los Angeles, 3 performances • Aladdin • Fosse, Dancin' • Porgy and Bess New York City, 123 performances 1975-2004, Backgammon • American Buffalo • Bubbling Brown Sugar • Cats • Chicago • A Chorus Line • The Elephant Man • Equus • Ernani • The Fantasticks • Fifth of July • Follies • 42nd Street • Grand Hotel • Grease • Into the Woods • Kiss of the Spider Woman • Les Miserables • The Lion King • My One & Only • Pacific Overtures • Pippin • Shenandoah • Your Arm's too Short to Box with God • Will Rogers Follies • The Wiz 1981-2008, Student Study Tours • Aida • Alegria • Barnum • Blue Man Group • Chicago • Corteo • Hairspray • Jersey Boys • The Lion King • Mamma Mia • Movin' Out • Phantom of the Opera • Rent • Spamalot • Spring Awakening • Tap Dogs • Urinetown • Varekai • Wicked 2004-2016, Apartment • The Addams Family • Aladdin • Altar Boys • American in Paris • August, Osage County • Avenue Q • Beauty and the Beast • Big Fish • Billy Elliott • Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson • Boeing Boeing • Bombay Dreams • Bonnie & Clyde • The Book of Mormon • Boy From Oz • A Chorus Line • The Color Purple • Curtains • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels • Doubt • The Drowsy Chaperone • Evita • Fame Becomes Me • The Farnsworth Invention • Ghost • Good Vibrations • Gypsy • Hair • Harlem Song • How to Succeed in Business • I Am My Own Wife • In the Heights • The King and I • Kinky Boots • Kooza • Legally Blonde • Lennon • Light in the Piazza • The Little Mermaid • Mary Poppins • Memphis • Newsies • next to normal • Ovo • Pilobulus • The Pirate Queen • The Producers • Putnam County Spelling Bee • Quidam • Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular • Satyagraha • Shrek the Musical • Something Rotten • Spiderman, Turn off the Dark • Spring Awakening • Sweeney Todd • Tarzan • 39 Steps • Totem • The Wedding Singer • West Side Story • Wicked Backstage • Wintuk • Wonderful Town • Xanadu • Zarkana 2015 - current • Beetlejuice • Finding Neverland • Groundhog Day • Hadestown • Moulin Rouge • My Fair Lady • New York New York • The Play that goes Wrong • Shucked Oklahoma, 8 performances • Bullets over Broadway • Carousel • Cats • Hadestown • Hamilton • Saltimbanco • Toruk • South Pacific University • Aspects of Love • Company • Hair • My Fair Lady • Peter and the Starcatcher • Pippin • Sunset Boulevard • Working Cirque du Soleil, 22 performances • Alegria • Corteo • Dralion • KA • Kooza • La Nouba • LOVE The Beatles • Mystere • 'O' • Ovo • Quidam • Saltimbanco • Toruk • Totem • Varekai • Wintuk • Zarkana Concerts, 22 performances • The Beatles - September 18, 1964, Dallas • Dave Clark Five - December 7, 1964, Dallas • Rolling Stones - November 21, 1965, Dallas • Beach Boys - December 26, 1964 or July 23, 1965, Dallas • Beach Boys - Febuary 11, 1969, Austin • The Animals - 1965, Dallas • Three Dog Night - 1969/70, Austin • Cat Stevens - 1970s?, Ft. Worth • Baldknobbers - with Shoji Tabuchi, April 1981 • Phoebe Snow - 1980s, Dallas • Michael Jackson Victory Tour - July 13-15, 1984, Texas Stadium • Yanni - 1980s?, Dallas • Andreas Vollenweider - 1980s?, Dallas • Philip Glass - October, 1988, Dallas • Mannheim Steamroller - Oklahoma City • Andy Williams - August 1999, Branson • nSync - July 28, 2001, Las Vegas • Steely Dan - June 13, 2007, New York City • America - September 21, 2013, Oklahoma City Broadway in Austin 2019 Bass performance Hall, Last 2 shows cancelled for pandemic A few Broadway shows Seen in New York City, 2006-12, reviewed by Jim Watson • Broadway - theater with more than 500 seats and in the Theater District. • Off-Broadway - theater with 100-500 seats, even if it is in the theater district around Times Square. Originally, productions that were more experimental, with smaller casts, produced on a lower budget, and typically in Greenwich Village and away from Times Square. • Off-Off-Broadway - theaters with less than 100. I had heard about a new musical from Disney last winter. Signs at the theater are often put up months before the show goes into previews to generate some buzz. The photo of the sign above is in Times Square and is 26 stories tall (the tallest building in OKC is about 30 stories tall.) I downloaded the soundtrack to Tarzan - with music by Phil Collins - and really liked it. I have enjoyed all the other Disney musicals so I figured I better see this one, also. I kept checking online for a ticket. It is selling out for the next few months, but tickets show up online periodically. I got a ticket, center orchestra, second row, on the aisle (my long legs need aisle room in the cramped Broadway theaters). The opening sequence to this show is one of the most spectacular on stage. Before the curtain goes up, a projection of entries in the Captain's log is projected on a scrim at the front of the stage. The entries start off detailing nice weather and a nice voyage, then they get increasingly more ominous, ending in stormy weather. Behind the scrim is a drop of an outlined ship - this curtain rocks left and right conveying a sailing motion. Then the lights dim, lightning, thunder and it is the storm - an effect achieved with lighting and sound. Then we see the parents of the boy Tarzan drowning and swimming up and back away from us. The whole stage is lit as if it is underwater and the two actors are on cables that are hoisting them up. The effect was very believable. People were running for the lobby before they got drowned (okay, I made up that last part). But it was very convincing. Then we see a top view of the couple on the beach (which is the back wall of the set) and they are killed by the leopard, but the child is saved inside a trunk, to be discovered by the apes later. Great opening. The aerial work of men and apes swinging thru the jungle was choreographed and produced by the creator of the aerial show De La Guarda, an innovative troupe from Argentina that performed in NYC and Las Vegas (where I saw it). Unfortunately, this show relied a bit too much on aerial theatrics. It was a visual stunner with 'dazzling special effects' but I left a bit disappointed - I had never quite gotten into the flow of the show. I was so fascinated with the mechanics of rigging, flying, and bungee jumping, that the story seemed secondary. The acting was excellent. The gorilla characters really mimicked the right moves and mannerisms. The music was good and performed well. The acrobatics and flying were almost overwhelming. Some came out over and behind my head and a few came along a wire from the back of the theater to the front, dipping periodically to just over the audience's heads. After the show, I stuck around to listen to the orchestra (as I often do - to hear more of the music, to let the masses get out of the theater, and to see the stage set after the curtain is raised for the nite). This time, when I turned around, there were hordes of people coming down to the front and sitting down. I was aware of some special invitee-only presentations, so I sat down as if I had been invited (who would know?) I wanted to be as prospicuous as I could (the opposite of conspicuous). I'm glad I stayed. Apparently it was a large group (a hundred or so) of theater educators and theater students. The entire cast came out and sat or stood along the front of the stage. We heard great stories about the audition process and the many hours of classes in Yoga, Gorilla Movement, and Flying. Towards the end of the Q&A, there was a loud thunderclap. People gasped. By the time we left the theater, it was a downpour. And it was stunningly beautiful. Times Square was awash in this incredible rainstorm. Loud thunder. Cracks of lightning. Gusty winds. Some had given up and were just walking and playing in the rain. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Times Square in a whole different environment. It was laugh-out-loud joyous. On Tuesday afternoon, July 25, a large record/electronics store sponsored Disney on Broadway, featuring a song from Beauty and the Beast, 2 songs from The Lion King, and several songs from Tarzan. I'm not sure Tarzan is getting great press and this may have been an attempt to build interest in that show. The concert was absolutely excellent. The sound system was powerful. The songs were the best I've ever heard them. It was a phenomenal evening - the park, the crowd, historic and modern buildings, the music, and the performances. Opened in March 2011, The Book of Mormon is the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naive and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share the Book of Mormon - which only one of them knows very well - but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are more worried about war, famine, poverty, and AIDS than about religion. In desperation, the more ignorant missionary (and with a more active imagination) makes up stories, things the people want to hear, and they become interested and choose to be baptized. The show ends with yet another new religion, one based on those made-up stories. Granted, it is so easy to make jokes about the Mormon Church, Golden plates - that no one ever saw - buried in a backyard in upstate New York, men who can become Gods and rule their own planet, sacred underwear, men with multiple wives, and more. Even though the Mormon God cursed some people by giving them dark skin, in 1978, the Mormon Prophet got a new revelation from God that Black people were okay, after all. Altar Boyz - the reviews and street-buzz for this Off-Broadway show about a Christian boy-band were very good. I thought I was out of my 'NSync phase (please don't ask), but I succumbed to the hype and bought a ticket. I'm glad I went. It was excellent - a lot of fun and very well done - a very enjoyable hour and a half of singing and dancing. The fotos here are of the OC. The cast I saw did better on some songs than the original on the soundtrack. I have witnessed that before - cast replacements that do better in the role than the originating actors. Sometimes, the show 'settles in' and finds its rhythm that the newcomer can embrace and enhance. The replacement cast in Spamalot did much better than the originals. Hank Azaria, David Hyde-Pierce, and Tim Curry are celebrities and movie and television stars, not musical comedy actors. The replacements fit the characters better and had more depth in the roles. I think the same holds true for Altar Boyz. This show seems to be desperately hanging on to the boy band phenomenon of Backstreet Boys, 'NSync, 98 Degrees, etc. There is a website called 'Altarholics' and a blog page on MySpace. There are references to a loyal following and all the background and promo hype that any legit boy band would have. They seem to be purposefully blurring the distinction between a musical group and a Broadway show. The show, in the guise of the band, went on tour - it played Austin and Dallas in January, 2007. Jesus and the theater, For many years, actors were considered by the church to be heathens and undesirables. Actors and 'those nasty theater folk' were not welcomed inside most churches in Manhattan. Reasons, the large number of Jewish people in the theater that were looked down upon by the Christian community, the late hours kept by theater people, and the bawdy entertainment usually associated with live theater. When the Theater District was around Madison Square, one church did welcome actors and it became known as the Actor's Chapel and The Little Church Around the Corner. When the theaters moved uptown to the brand-new Times Square area, a couple of churches in the area were welcoming. A couple of religious themed shows have been hits on Broadway, Godspell based on the gospel of Matthew and Jesus Christ Superstar, one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's early hits. Altar Boyz, while being very respectful and educational about Christianity, has several subtle slams against religion - the four lead Christian characters (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and ... Juan) are discovered to be greedy and selfish. Turns out, only the Jewish character, Abraham, maintains his righteous integrity. In the Heights, about dreams, hopes, death, and tribulations of living in Washington Heights, in the northern tip of Manhattan (that's the George Washington Bridge in the poster and the stage set). It won the Tony award for Best Musical and it deserved it. It began as an original musical conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda during his sophomore year at Wesleyan University. Upon graduating and returning home to New York, Miranda collaborated with the director to rework and restage the campus hit for a larger audience. It opened Off-Broadway, got rave reviews, and built an audience. It moved to Broadway. The direction and choreography are some of the best I have ever experienced - the choreographer also earned a Tony Award. In 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda opened another show, Hamilton. Legally Blonde was a hit movie was translated for the stage with music and dancing, but holding true to the screenplay. I was a bit concerned about this show - when I told people I was going to see it, there were snickers, like, 'Oh, another fluff movie-made-into-a-musical.' Once I got to my seat, I was surprised to see that the Palace Theater was only about half full in the mezzanine and balcony (I didn't check the orchestra section - hopefully it was fuller). I'm not sure this show is earning much respect. The Wedding Singer went through something similar - an excellent production but it was never taken seriously by the New York theater crowd. But, it was a good show, not great, but a good solid evening on Broadway. Individual performances were outstanding, the choreography and direction were excellent - some of the most original and best performed dancing. The sets were designed by David Rockwell who has done some hit shows but his work is too clunky, not quite polished and sophisticated enough for Broadway. I was in awe of the sets at The Pirate Queen and wishing that Rockwell could learn from Eugene Lee who has extensive experience designing sets. Legally Blonde was nominated for 7 Tony awards, including Lead Actress, Featured Actor, Featured Actress, Choreography, and Costume design. Opened, March, 2007 My birthday was coming up in a few days. I would spend it in New York. What to do? My mother usually made a big deal out of my birthday (mothers are supposed to do that). I had been thinking of her and dad - as I often do while in New York - so decided to get a ticket to a dance concert. I saw in the paper that a dance troupe called Pilobolus was playing NYC. I had heard of them and their avant garde pieces for many years. So, this was the time to finally go see them. The Joyce Theater was designed to be a showcase for dance. It sits inside the shell of the 1940s era Elgin Theater, a moviehouse that saw later life as a porn house. The naberhood wanted porn out, so the Joyce moved in. It is an excellent theater - very simple, but with good use of materials, lighting and good sightlines and acoustics. Often, dance pieces are performed with no set, just a black or white backdrop and dramatic side lighting. This was an excellent performance of old and new pieces within the Pilobolus repertoire. The Pirate Queen, from the creators of Miss Saigon and Les Miserables, is a $16 million production with a cast of 42. It is in the Hilton Theater (formerly the Ford Center theater) which is new, large, and with good legroom. This theater was formed from the shells of two old theaters - the Apollo (where I saw Christopher Reeve in Fifth of July) and the Lyric theater. They had entrances on 42nd and so went through their porno-house phase. Now its classy and first-rate. This is one of the most lavish and visually rich shows I've seen. The sets, costumes, and lighting were excellent. The music is quite operatic and not too memorable. Not a single melody stuck in my head. This show didn't make it, maybe because of the slow pacing, the mediocre music, and the lack of surprise and emotion. We know the pirate queen will win and that she will fall in love and be with the one she wants at the end. Yawn. The Pirate Queen opened on April 5, 2007 and closed on June 17 after a disappointing run of just a few weeks. It was critically savaged during its out-of-town previews and, despite an extensive revamp, also when it arrived on Broadway. It is one of Broadway's costliest flops, coming in at a reported loss of $16 million. The producers plan to rework the show and tour it in Europe to try to get some of their money back. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee started as a play entitled C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E (the period of partial darkness at the beginning or end of the day) performed by an improvisational group. A playwright, Wendy Wasserstein (The Heidi Chronicles) encouraged the producers to turn it into a full-length musical. It was workshopped in Massachusetts and first performed in a school cafeteria. It then moved to Off-Broadway where it quickly sold out its run and was extended. Buoyed by that success, it premiered on Broadway on April 15, 2005 and won 2 Tony awards. Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. A quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time. Audience members are recruited to join the on-stage spellers, providing hilarious and unexpected experiences. Spelling Bee is hilarious - clever, witty, topical dialog; mediocre music; interesting set and staging. Xanadu, with a score by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, includes, Magic, All Over The World, Suddenly, I'm Alive, Evil Woman, Have You Never Been Mellow and Xanadu. It's based on the cult movie which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. I had read about the advance press notices. There was a slight air of disdain about another musical made from a movie, and a bad movie, at that. But then, it opened and the reviews came in. They were positive, some even raving that it was a solid hit show. So, I got a ticket. I rented the movie from 1980 to get a sense of the synopsis. I had read the 1980s reviews that stated this was a terrible movie, just awful. But I watched it anyway. Holy shit, it really is a terrible movie - ridiculous dialog, bad acting, weak convoluted plotlines. But I already had a ticket and the press for the Broadway version was good. It rained that day but I got to the theater early enough to dry off. It is in a small theater with some audience seating up on the stage and the band/orchestra on a platform in a far corner of the stage. Not a large performing space but the cast used the on-stage aisles and behind the seating rows. This show is hilarious, well-written, and well acted. Just a hoot. I laughed hard and long. This show is just fun. Who woulda thunk it? It works. Opened, July 10, 2007 Spring Awakening takes its inspiration from one of literature's most controversial masterpieces - a work so daring in its depiction of teenage self-discovery, it was banned from the stage and not performed in its complete form in English for nearly 100 years. Setting, Germany, 1891 - a world where the grown-ups hold all the cards. The students contend with sexuality, failure, suicide, pregnancy - you know, typical stuff - but in an environment of strict oppression from the school headmaster, teachers, and parents. The friends need each other to help them understand what it means to grow up. The show originally was off-Broadway but it built an audience and some good word-of-mouth, so the producers moved it to Broadway and enlarged the show - more singers, larger set, etc. It opened in December, 2006. The cast is superb, all younger than 24 - some even began as young as 14 when the show was being developed in workshop. Opened, December 10 2006 The Wedding Singer - I was wandering around the South Street Seaport and saw the Half-Price Ticket booth. This is operated, with its sister booth in Times Square, to sell tickets to Broadway shows on the day of the show. Theaters that have tickets remaining make them available at these two locations. I thought, why not. I had read that TWS was a hit show, with several Tony nominations including one for Best Musical - so, it seemed a bit odd that it would already be at the half-price booth. Turns out, someone had just turned in their tickets and I got one of them - a great seat, Orchestra section, third row from the stage, and on the aisle. I had plenty of leg room and a completely unobstructed view of the stage. The show was clever, well acted; with good music and very well crafted with great attention to detail. There are many references to the 1980s - 'Where's the beef?' 'Whachoo talkin bout, Willis?' and on and on. Linda, "I learned my lesson, when I applied to DeVry, I needed a back-up school." Evita with Ricky Martin, is about the rise to power of the First Lady of Argentina, Eva Peron. www.jamesrobertwatson.com/shows.html