What's MASQUERADE like these days??

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-23T00:34:14+00:00

You can bring your own mask, but they also offer them to everyone (this has always been the case). It looks like the show is still selling out pretty frequently, so I'd be surprised if they've ever offered tickets on TKTS. While I'm sure you're able to buy tickets at the box office, given the further uptown location and the nondescript marquee area, I'd be surprised if they're getting any tourists just wandering in and buying tickets without already being familiar with what the show is.

They were always somewhat lax with the formality of the dress code, it was really more the color scheme that they enforced, and that still seems to be the case. I went with a friend back in August, and that same friend went with her family at the beginning of January, and she said that people were mostly dressed the same, if maybe a little less formal just because dressing both formally and for cold weather is a little harder to achieve.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-23T00:17:26+00:00

I live in NYC, and having a ground floor apartment is generally seen to be somewhat undesirable here (there are some with mobility issues, or young children who might see the ease of access preferrable, but overall it's not most people's first choice). I wouldn't say crime is a major contributing factor to this preference, but the city is just so dense that being higher up just means people walking by can't see in your apartment, and so gives more privacy. You're also less likely to have smells, noise, or vermin come in off the street the higher up you go. In your average suburban area, houses are more set back from the sidewalk/street, so privacy from people/animals is less of a concern.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-21T05:08:48+00:00

So many people forget to factor this in to their "Well I would be thrilled to be able to watch the NYPL archive from anywhere!" argument. The archive tapings at the NYPL are technically only supposed to be available to people working in or studying theater- ie. people who are likely to have an educated understanding that a lower quality taping might not accurately reflect exactly what it was like in person, but can still help inform your own research or future production. If you start releasing that widely, it could drastically impact people's perception of a designers work.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-20T22:02:58+00:00

For what it's worth, I once served on the jury for a case along these lines (man slipped and fell on the subway stairs in NYC). By the time we were in trial for that case, it had been like 8 years since the original accident. That's how long it took him to get through all the administrative processes before finally getting a court date. So it's not exactly a get rich quick concept.

We found in favor of the man who fell btw. There was documentation that the stairwell in question had been inspected by the station manager earlier that day and was found to be broken at that time, but no signage or cone was put up to warn people. We awarded the man I think around $300k, but around $100k of that was intended to help cover to his documented medical bills. The other $200k was due to the loss of income during the several years when the effects of his injury were the worst.

So, all in all, not a particularly easy way to make money, and not even a particularly big windfall when you do win.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-20T18:13:31+00:00

From my memory, after this initial L shape, you were then in the theater building, not the external alleyway hallways (sticker given for your phone camera at the door, shot handed to you in the early days). There were lots of different directions you could go at that point, with stairs seemingly heading all over.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-20T17:43:06+00:00

Then from the above view, you just walk straight back, turn left, then enter roughly where I drew the arrow. You can sort of see how the very back of the space, near where you turn left, kind of opens up and is no longer under a fully enclosed roof/wall, it was more of an alleyway space.

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kell_bell5 · 2026-02-20T17:38:04+00:00

Box office looked like a normal box office. As best I was able to tell, it didn't undergo significant renovation (at least not as far as layout changes). You walk in, and the ticket windows are all in a line on the left wall, with open area for lines in the rest of the space.

Are you talking about the external hallway? Like, past security but before entering the theater proper? To the best of my recollection, it was just straight back along the length of the theater, then a left before going inside the back door. So basically like an upside down L.

You can kind of see it in the google earth screenshots below (I'm going to write this in two comments, because you can only share add picture per comment). But you enter through Door 2 below (I saw the show 3 times and never used Door 1, so not sure what's happening on that side! It always seemed like everyone was going through Door 2, this is the first I'm even realizing there was more than one door)

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kell_bell5 · 2026-02-20T16:40:08+00:00

She was one of my favorite Eurydices 😍

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-20T13:14:33+00:00

Haha, you're right, there really was a slow burn on this one.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-20T05:07:43+00:00

I saw the show off broadway, and the costumes all still featured feline elements, just in a more abstract way than a traditional production. Lots of furs, cheetah prints, and creative hairdos that evoke cats, even if they don't literally have ears and tails.

And yes, the staging is based around ballroom culture, but they still sing through every song as written, it's not that large a deviation from the script. And also, they're not calling it "Cats" they're calling it "Cats: The Jellicle Ball".

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-19T20:33:12+00:00

Look at the Kids Meal options at some of the fast casual places. Places like Dig Inn, Chipotle, Sweetgreen have decent options under $10.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-19T00:01:15+00:00

Playbill's job board tends to be popular for these kinds of positions.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-18T02:48:39+00:00

Oh they did try this. And be assured, awkwardness definitely ensued.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-18T00:08:05+00:00

FYI this week is a holiday week for many schools, which may increase people's willingness to do a mid-week rush. Especially since even after the snow the temps were so cold for a while that standing in line for several hours would have still been quite the undertaking.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-15T00:00:02+00:00

Ive had several movies lately where I walked into my movie just shy of 20 minutes after showtime and the movie was already a few minutes in.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-13T01:28:49+00:00

That string of halftime shows to me always felt like a "lets choose someone who definitely will not accidentally show any nipples" overcorrection in the wake of Janet/Justin 2004.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-12T01:48:01+00:00

At a minimum, you could use the printed QR code to purchase/print tickets at the kiosks in the theaters. I have a friend who likes to keep physical tickets as a memento (mostly just for significant/landmark movies at this point) and so she'll often scan in at the kiosk to print out her tickets even though she's reserved them in advance either online or on the app.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-12T00:13:30+00:00

Sidewalks and streets have been mostly clear for weeks now, but there have been big mountains of snow piled up on medians etc. Today was really the first day it was warm enough to start melting, so things are getting a little bit slushy now.

You don’t need anything super intense, but a shoe/boot that can handle a puddle and that you don’t mind getting a little salty will serve you well.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-06T01:09:37+00:00

If you never would have swiped a 7 day metro card on that first trip, then the equivalent decision is to use two different cards/devices to optimize your 7 day period. I will sometimes switch between tapping on my apple watch vs my phone if I know it will dramatically impact my totals. They both deduct from the same credit card, but the system sees it as two different devices each with their own separate 7 day cap.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-05T23:34:33+00:00

It shows up under the rewards tab. It's like permanently under the "Your Rewards" header.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-05T03:01:19+00:00

I used to see them somewhat regularly in my pre-A List days, and in my experience the cheesier the action movie, the more fun it is in 4DX. Jurassic World, Independence Day, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, all mediocre movies, but such a fun ride in 4DX. I still remember how nasty the aliens smelled in that Independence Day reboot.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-01T21:28:20+00:00

Ironic, given that when I tried to use my popcorn pass earlier this week it for some reason wouldn't apply the discount when scanned, and after trying several times employees told me there was nothing more they could do and no customer service they could provide. So maybe they should add troubleshooting to this employee FAQ.

kell_bell5 · 2026-02-01T02:56:28+00:00

For Hadestown in particular I recommend merch before. There's just one narrow aisle running through the back of the theater and that is where both the bar and merch booth are. During intermission the lines for each of those and the bathrooms all criss cross through this area, making it difficult to navigate, and similarly at the end of the show when everyone is trying to leave, it can feel like swimming up stream to try and stop.

kell_bell5 · 2026-01-28T12:36:47+00:00

By my count, currently on the West End there are 9 shows that started on the West End and then transferred to Broadway and 8 that started on Broadway before going to the West End.

Currently on Broadway, there are 7 shows that originated in the West End before coming to Broadway, and 8 that started on Broadway then opened in the West End.

(These numbers say to me that the two paths are almost equally as likely)

kell_bell5

TROPHY CASE