Your Guide to Family-Friendly Day Trips in New Jersey, New York…and Beyond
I went into Sunset Boulevard cold. My husband saw it in the West End 30 years ago with Patty LuPone. I didn’t know the story, and I only knew a little of the music. While he was eager to tell me about the differences between the shows at intermission (and after), he didn’t need to tell me much. The staging, which I knew ahead of time was different, was totally obvious.
Should you see Sunset Boulevard with kids? I’ll share more at the end.
Read on only if you don’t mind spoilers.
It’s time for a staycation! I’ve been to the Civilian Hotel numerous times for drinks in two of its fabulous bars, but we wanted to stay here as well. This stylized Broadway theater district hotel plays on that strength (see bars, later). But you just feel like a hip, trendy person when you go there. When you walk into the hotel, there are 2 desks down the hall – one is for dining/bar reservations (I think) and one is for hotel check-in. It was the smallest reception desk I’ve seen in my life, but it worked perfectly well and you can leave your luggage with them there if you need as well.
A musical about the suffragist movement? (Don’t say suffragette). Sounds about as exciting as a musical about the history of Alexander Hamilton.
We know Hamilton is amazing. But so is Suffs. My husband is a history buff and even he learned new things about this time in history.
It’s a little intimidating (okay, a lot) to review a classic show that’s been on Broadway before, and was also a classic movie. I’m talking about Cabaret. I can’t really say if I had seen it before, yet I know so much of the music without having bought the album, CD or mp3s.
Is Cabaret on Broadway appropriate for kids? We’ll get to that later on. But let me start by saying I’ve seen a lot of Broadway shows in my life. And I have never received as many emails before the show as I did with Cabaret.
I read Water for Elephants many many years back and enjoyed it. I didn’t see the movie. I couldn’t even remember precisely what happened in the book, other than a guy joins the circus and there’s a love triangle. So if you ask me whether it follows the book, I think it did. But that’s only from memory. Is Water for Elephants appropriate for kids? We’ll get into that later.
When Shucked the musical came out on Broadway, I thought it looked pedestrian and corny (yes, a pun!). Turns out I was wrong. Though it IS corny! But is Shucked appropriate for kids? Read on.
You know you’re going to a museum about Broadway when you have to buy your ticket through Telecharge, and you pay a $4 service charge plus tax for the privilege! That said, I’ve wanted to go since I heard this was opening. I brought a friend who grew up in the area and is a huge Broadway fan, with stories going back decades. Should you visit the Museum of Broadway with kids? Read on.
The Museum of Broadway opened in November 2022, and it is on 45th Street, just off Times Square. It’s across the street from RISE, another newcomer to the tourist scene.
We’d been seeing the ads for a few months now, a Broadway musical set in high school with a woman way out of high school playing the lead. I’d heard good things, but didn’t know much about it. Got tickets without doing any more research. Is Kimberly Akimbo good for kids?
Continue reading “Review: Is Kimberly Akimbo Good for Kids?“
I’ve been seeing a lot of Broadway shows lately. It’s good to be back! So the big question is, are these Broadway shows good for kids?
Broadway is back! See our post about what that looks like. Even though Broadway is back, those affected by the theater are still trying to survive. We went for a drink at Beer Culture after the Lion King and the bartender told us that they’re at about 30% of volume. They’re hoping that with Broadway coming back, their business will improve as well.
Other industries are hurting as well, including costume designers. The Showstoppers: Spectacular Costumes from Stage and Screen show was created to raise money for those costume makers who were unable to work during the 18 month shutdown. The Costume Industry Coalition formed in May 2020 and started a recovery fund for its members, which includes 55 independent businesses and hundreds of artisans in and around NYC. These are the people who create the costumes for live and recorded shows. The exhibition designer, Thinc Designs, donated their efforts. Designers lost $26.6 million in gross revenue from the pandemic in 2020 (up to $35 million by now in 2021). The show was put together in 3.5 months, where a show like this would normally take two years. Here is our review: Showstoppers NYC.
Continue reading “Review: Shopstoppers NYC”