Cast as Sylvius in the mainstage
show As You Like It, my brother was stoked for his first lead up
there. Not that the show wasn’t fantastic—it was—and not that he wasn’t
fantastic in it—he was—but the true treat of the weekend was his more intimate
cabaret, Myths and Hymns.
He and his four classmates worked
all semester to write a one-hour cabaret, outlining life in the Drama
Department at SU for a prospective student. Packed with the best songs from
Broadway (most with rewritten lyrics) and original choreography, the show poked
fun at Syracuse, the program with ridiculously high expectations, and the
strange characters that comprise the drama department faculty.
Now, I didn’t go to Syracuse and
there were some jokes that went over my head. However, as a musical comedy fan this
show was the genre at its finest. I laughed, I resisted the urge to hum along,
I grooved in my seat, I beamed in pride, and I cried.
While the show was one big spoof,
there was a moment when each of the five students got serious. In a very Chorus
Line fashion, each performer approached the edge of the stage with a photo of
themself at a young age. I listened to each of them explain why they chose
musical theater as their path and then they flipped over the photo to show
their professional headshot they hope will be their ticket to do this for the
rest of their lives.
Jonathan Larson’s song “Why” from Tick, Tick... Boom! strung together these true-to-life
monologues.(Video below)
Hey what
a way to spend the day
Hey what
a way to spend the day
I make a
vow
Right
here and now
I’m gonna
spend my time this way
I’m gonna
spend my time this way
As my brother told his story
about dancing in his high school show to Gloria Estefan’s “Get On Your Feet,”
his eyes sparkled. He spoke about how—at the time— he asked the audience to
stand up and dance in the aisles and how his family was the first to pop up. In
that moment he knew that this was more than a love. Dancing is his soul mate.
And as I cried at the beauty in his confession, I listened to him and his
friends sing, “I’m gonna spend my time this way.”
It’s crazy to me that these 20-
and 21-year-olds can be so sure of how they want to spend their futures.
Performers. That’s what they want to be when they grow up. It’s even crazier to
me that some of them have known it deep down for so long. I still feel like I’m
floundering to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, and I’m already in
the working world.
But when you think about it the
way they do...the way the song does, it sounds so easy to decide. “Hey what a way to spend the day.
Hey what a way to spend the day. ... I’m gonna spend my time this way. I’m
gonna spend my time this way.”
And then it seems simple. How
do you want to spend the day? How do you want to spend your time?
When I see those kids...their
passion, their absolute yearning to succeed at this, I know that they feel so
blessed that they get to spend the day singing and dancing and acting and
learning. As much as they “hate it,” they know that SU Drama is a gift. They
love the way they spend their days. I think this may be the key to happiness
and fulfillment, at least when it comes to career.
I want to feel that way about
what I choose to do when I grow up. I want to be so in love with what I do that
my eyes dance with fire. I want to deliberately choose the way to spend my
days.
A piece of what I love is
writing. So I thank you for reading, and giving me a way to spend (at least) my
Sunday.
While I figure out the rest, I
shall continue to enjoy musical comedy. In fact, last night I went to yet
another farce: Columbia’s 118th Varsity Show. As promised, below are some ways
you can go see some New York theater (musical comedy or not) without paying
full price. I hope you see something as inspirational as I did.
Rush, lottery and standing
room
If you live here in New York, or if you just have the luxury of
spontaneity, try day-of rush or lottery for Broadway and off-Broadway shows. Depending on the show, most box offices
offer deep discounts hours before the curtain. If a show has a ticket lottery,
you can arrive at the theater (usually) 2.5 hours in advance and enter your
name in the drawing. Each show has a fixed number of tickets they lottery off
each day. Typically the seats are front row or side boxes. Often times they can
be partial view—but can you really complain when you’re paying $20-30? The
names of winners are pulled approximately 2 hours before curtain. Make sure you
bring a photo ID and cash—while some lotteries now accept credit cards, most do
not. Do not be that person to win tickets and have no dollars to pay with. Fun
fact: Rent was the first Broadway show to hold a ticket lottery.
Student rush evolved as a way for high school and
college students—aka kids without income—to see high quality theater for low
prices. These seats can also be front row and box seats. Most student rush
happens when the box office opens for the day (often at 10AM). Depending on the
popularity of the show, people can line up starting at 7AM or at 9:30AM. Best
to visit the box office and ask the attendants at the window what time the line
typically begins to form. Don’t forget your student ID and cash.
Fear not poor non-students!
With the economy the way that it is, students aren’t the only ones short on
cash. General rush functions on the
same policy as student rush (minus the student ID part). Same seating section,
same price. You may have to show up early, but when you end up paying around $60-70
for two tickets instead of $136.50 for a single ticket it will totally be worth
it. Brava!
If none of these work for
you, there is the chance that you can get last-minute standing room seats when the show is sold out. For shows like Book
of Mormon, the standing room line can be long. But for most other shows, standing
room is cheap and available. Check at the box office just before the curtain
rises. It may be your lucky night.
For a list of shows and
the details of their individual policies, you can visit playbill.com or any of the show’s
individual websites for their ticketing policies.
Discounts
for young people
For
those of you young sprightly theatergoers, you can subscribe as a member to
discount ticket services. Roundabout Theatre Company (responsible for such
shows as the Tony-winning revival Anything Goes) offers HIPtix, $20 to any Roundabout show for ticket buyers age 18-35. All
you have to do is go to the website and sign up for HIPtix. The membership is
free and you can get up to two tickets per show—your guest will have to show
proof of age at the box office. Plus, HIPtix throws great parties after the
show. Buy your tickets online, by phone or in person.
To compete with HIPtix,
Lincoln Center Theater (host of Tony-sweeping War Horse) offers LincTix for ticket buyers ages 30 and
under. Sign up for a LincTix membership by visiting their website. Then,
whenever you want to see a show all you have to do is sign in with your member
ID number, pick your show, pick your date, and get one seat for only $30. There
are a limited number of LincTix seats per show, but this is better than rush
and lottery because you can purchase these seats in advance! What if you want
to go with a friend? If they are a LincTix member, you can use their name and
ID number to request seats together. What if you want to go to a show with someone
over 30 you say? Just visit the box office. You can buy one seat with your ID
number and one full price seat side-by-side.
Finally, there is Manhattan
Theater Club’s 30 under 30 deal. It
works just like it sounds, offering $30 tickets for buyers 30 years and under.
You can buy up to two $30 tickets for any MTC show subject to availability. At
MTC your guest can be any age, but YOU must be under 30. Sometimes there are
parties, giveaways or extra perks to non-MTC shows. Isn’t it great to be young?
TKTS
Back to day-of sales, the
TKTS booth at 47th Street and Broadway can be great for discounted
seats that may be more desirable than front row. The booth located under the
red stairs in Duffy Square opens at 10AM for matinee performances (11AM on Sundays) and 3PM for evening performances (2PM on Tuesdays). Tickets are on sale at 20-50% off.
Check the board to see what shows are selling that day. Some shows like Phantom
of the Opera are on sale at TKTS all the time. Other shows like Book of Mormon,
Wicked or Jersey Boys rarely light up that digital show list.
Less people know about the
other TKTS locations at the South Street Seaport and Downtown Brooklyn. Both of
these locations sell day-of tickets for evening performances and next-day
tickets to matinee performances. Check the link for their hours.
Cash and credit cards
accepted.
2-for1
Off Broadway Week
Usually once in the early
fall and once in the winter, NYC & Company sponsors 2-for-1 Broadway and
off-Broadway week, in which you can buy one ticket and get one ticket free.
Check nycgo.com for dates and details.
Broadwaybox.com
Finally, if you’re just
desperate to see a show without waiting in lines or waiting until the last
minute, broadwaybox.com is a great website for legitimate discounts on theater tickets. No age requirements. Purchase in advance. The prices are
not as low as the other methods above, but at least you will save a little.
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