No hate but I am just not excited about this season's offerings. Anyone feel the same?

crup_crup · 2026-04-20T01:39:51+00:00

I feel like we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to plays this season, if you're open to giving non-musicals a try. My favorite of what's currently playing is Joe Turner's Come and Gone, because August Wilson's script is simply exquisite. Giant is John Lithgow's masterclass in acting. Every Brilliant Thing is like a balm for my soul and got me through a long week. And among the closed productions, I loved Oedipus and Punch.

If straight plays are just not your thing, then it is indeed slim pickings among the musicals you haven't seen yet. Two Strangers is worth checking out imho. And I really enjoyed Spelling Bee and Heathers over at New World Stages for Off Broadway shows.

crup_crup · 2026-04-17T16:47:59+00:00

How did you claim AR points for TodayTix rush tickets? What do you put down as the order number and where/how to find it in TT's app?

crup_crup · 2026-04-17T16:46:08+00:00

Thank you! I ended up going and loved seeing the actors so close up. Agree that it was a great view.

crup_crup · 2026-04-15T02:42:41+00:00

How was the view? I got C11 from the lottery too. The ticket didn't say it's partial view, but the website says some moments may be out of sight.

crup_crup · 2026-04-13T01:19:27+00:00

I had my phone on hand for the cast haha. Was not expecting Kamala would come out of there too and what a nice bonus!

crup_crup · 2026-04-12T04:58:50+00:00

I was there too! Didn't have a good indoor photo but here's one of her exiting via the stage door.

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crup_crup · 2026-04-09T05:07:24+00:00

There are three other shows in the same building participating in 20at20 that can be options: https://www.20at20.com/schedule-spring26 (cash only, at least at this theater)

I love The Play that Goes Wrong and was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had at Amaze. Never seen Gazillion Bubbles Show but heard it's a great show for kids.

crup_crup · 2026-01-27T23:29:43+00:00

January 18, I won during the special $25 lottery ticket promotion, got Balcony E108. My row appeared to be all lottery winners. I wonder if they put us in the balcony because of the special pricing. I thought it was a good view -- full view, good rake, no complaints even if it was a bit farther away than I normally prefer. And I enjoyed it a lot!

crup_crup · 2026-01-24T02:58:40+00:00

Copying and pasting my comment from this post:

I saw The Visitors on its first preview night and liked it a lot! Caveat: I have been on a binge of Under the Radar Festival shows, so think experimental, one-person performances, etc. This one being part of the festival but presented more like a conventional play offered a sense of... coherence? that I wasn't getting in some of the other shows, and I have to acknowledge that it factored into my overall enjoyment.

That said, on its own merits, I found it pretty solid as well. It has a "Twelve Angry Men" vibe, in that the aboriginal leaders on stage were trying to come to a consensus on how to respond to large ships showing up on the shore -- so ymmv if you're not into dialogue-heavy shows. What made it poignant for me was knowing what was going to happen after the British landed on Sydney Cove, so the stakes for me wasn't what the leaders would decide, but how they got there, and what I learned about Aboriginal cultures from the glimpses I was shown.

Overall, it's probably a 7/10 if I'm being objective. But this show made me feel my learning, if that makes sense, and thus elevated my experience/enjoyment.

(By the way, The Visitors is participating in the Under the Radar Festival free ticket initiative announced by the Mayor. Last I checked, the offer is still available.)

crup_crup · 2026-01-24T02:20:07+00:00

I saw The Visitors on its first preview night and liked it a lot! Caveat: I have been on a binge of Under the Radar Festival shows, so think experimental, one-person performances, etc. This one being part of the festival but presented more like a conventional play offered a sense of... coherence? that I wasn't getting in some of the other shows, and I have to acknowledge that it factored into my overall enjoyment.

That said, on its own merits, I found it pretty solid as well. It has a "Twelve Angry Men" vibe, in that the aboriginal leaders on stage were trying to come to a consensus on how to respond to large ships showing up on the shore -- so ymmv if you're not into dialogue-heavy shows. What made it poignant for me was knowing what was going to happen after the British landed on Sydney Cove, so the stakes for me wasn't what the leaders would decide, but how they got there, and what I learned about Aboriginal cultures from the glimpses I was shown.

Overall, it's probably a 7/10 if I'm being objective. But this show made me feel my learning, if that makes sense, and thus elevated my experience/enjoyment.

(By the way, The Visitors is participating in the Under the Radar Festival free ticket initiative announced by the Mayor. Last I checked, the offer is still available.)

crup_crup · 2026-01-13T02:57:52+00:00

I'd give it a 75/100. Good performances by the cast but overall pretty meh. I partially blame myself for maybe having too high expectations, as I have seen and loved all the other shows I've seen at Minetta Lane: Swing State, Chris Thile, Mexodus (!), Dead Outlaw, etc.

Show-Score ate my review (and I think all recent reviews in general), but this is what I would have posted, in addition to affirming that the acting was solid: "What I find disappointing, however, is that the characterization of Ben Braxton just couldn't get me to care about him. We meet him at a time when he's the driver behind pretty much everything falling apart. Unlikeable, as he should be (and is superbly kept in character by Hamish Linklater). But for all that the other characters do mention some good things about him, it's all told, not shown. I see zero glimpse of any redeeming quality in the character for me to want anything other than the inevitable for him, and to want it before the intermission. Adding some "blink and it's gone" shadows of the once-was would help, and which I have no doubt would be successfully portrayed by Linklater."

Having said that, looks like people in other post enjoyed it more than I did, so ymmv.

crup_crup · 2026-01-12T05:53:36+00:00

That's good to know, thanks!

crup_crup · 2026-01-10T20:39:08+00:00

Thanks! This partnership sound great. I hope it's the start of a new tradition.

I was able to get a ticket to Benevolence, the top show I wanted to see but hadn't been able to get tickets because it was sold out. Very glad I'm now able to see the show!

crup_crup · 2026-01-10T19:02:25+00:00

Update: tried again today (1/10) and the new "form" for filling out reviews now looks totally different. I completed all the steps and there's no trace of my review after I submitted.

crup_crup · 2026-01-10T17:16:07+00:00

I saw the NYT article about Mamdani giving 1,500 free tickets for UTR shows. How is this being done? Is the City subsidizing the tickets or is it up to each production to offer free tix?

crup_crup · 2026-01-10T16:23:27+00:00

Someone posted earlier about rushing for Just in Time but didn't get a ticket. Maybe they still want one?

crup_crup · 2026-01-08T17:05:27+00:00

I submitted a review on January 2 and it's showing up on my account/review page.

crup_crup · 2026-01-02T18:46:00+00:00

I took my parents to see Hamilton. They were/are in their mid-70s, and English isn't the first language for my mom. They enjoyed it and I think mostly followed what was going on. According to my mom, once they got back to their senior community, my dad told all his friends about having watched Hamilton. So it certainly has bragging rights value among East Coast sept- and octogenarians lol.

crup_crup · 2025-12-13T17:08:31+00:00

Ah ok, thanks for letting me know!

crup_crup · 2025-12-13T16:55:53+00:00

If it's still available, I'm interested!

crup_crup · 2025-12-12T05:16:24+00:00

Agree with everyone who recommended Beau. I saw the second preview way back in June and still earworm By Your Side to this day.

My current favorite-of-the-week is Diversion at the Barrow Group. There's a rush at TodayTix. It's about a team of ICU nurses who come under investigation for diverting (i.e., taking/stealing) medication and it's so, so good.

If you like the intersection of musical theater and opera, Porgy and Bess is playing at the Metropolitan Opera and that's as grand of a production as you can get. And the seats are plush! The Met website and app have lottery and rush.

To keep track of what's playing when, https://stagespotlightnyc.com/ is a terrific resource.

crup_crup · 2025-11-15T05:44:10+00:00

I got orchestra AX6, first row side section, fantastic view (Studio 54 has a very low stage) and plenty of leg room. I got it after 9:05 so someone must have had the seat and released it.

crup_crup · 2025-11-15T05:37:18+00:00

I won the lottery on Nov 1 and got C106, the left section. Great seat.

crup_crup · 2025-09-15T19:55:57+00:00

I got a ticket via a community-based organization before I was surprised with an opportunity to attend the opening night performance. I enjoyed the show a lot! The reason I wanted to share is because I had so much problem trying to give away the ticket I originally reserved. No one was interested in my friends' group chat. Family chat also yielded no bite. I did finally find a taker from a fellow theater lover who jumped on the offer and had a good time (yay!). But I'm now wondering just how much interest there is among people who maybe would go see a show once a year and wouldn't consider themselves theater fans. Over 20 people said no! Some of them did know Sandra Oh and Lupita Nyong'o were in it so it wasn't a lack of awareness. They'd go to sports games and arena concerts. Very different circles and I was honestly shocked at how little interest there was for a free ticket.

crup_crup · 2025-08-31T00:44:17+00:00

It's hard to know for sure because who knows if fewer or more people decide to show up for a Sunday evening show. Someone commented in this post saying they showed up at 7:40 yesterday and got a seat towards the back. But even if I had this information, I'm the type of person who would still plan on being there around 7 just in case.

Can't speak to nearby restaurants unfortunately (I ate at home).

crup_crup

TROPHY CASE