For the past few days, I have been in New York City taking photos and gathering information for an interactive New York City travel guide iPhone app which I am developing in conjunction with Bizmosis. The app is called BizTravel (for business travelers), and it'll be launched in early-2010.
Tonight, I went to see my good friend Diana DeGarmo star in the off-Broadway show The Toxic Avenger, and she was absolutely fantastic! This show was really funny and entertaining, albeit a bit quirky. If you're visiting NYC, I strongly recommend seeing this show, especially if you're traveling with teens, or you're a fan of the 1984 movie (which has become a cult classic).
If you look at the box office ticket prices for any off-Broadway or Broadway show, you might think that seeing a show as part of your NYC trip is simply too expensive. Well, this isn't the case at all! For starts, in the heart of Times Square is the TKTS Booth, which sells same-day show tickets at up to 50 percent off.
In addition, surrounding the TKTS Booth are people distributing discount coupons for individual Broadway and off-Broadway shows. Today, for example, there were at least a dozen of these people giving out coupons offering $25.00 tickets for various popular shows, including The Toxic Avenger.
There are a bunch of amazing shows currently playing on Broadway. While you probably won't find half-off tickets for the Broadway shows that sell out night after night, like Wicked, these shows have daily lotteries at their respective box offices, during which a limited number of $25.00 seats are offered to those who attend the seat lottery in-person.
To participate in the Wicked ticket lottery, for example, show up at the box office (Gershwin Theater, 222 West 51st Street) at least 2.5 hours prior to showtime and add your name to the list. Two hours before each performance, the lottery is held. There's a two ticket per winner limit, and you must be present for the actual lottery to purchase your $25.00 ticket(s) if you win. For more info about the Wicked ticket lottery, click here.
Instead of waiting in potentially long lines at the TKTS Booth, you can also go online, visit www.broadwaybox.com and/or www.playbill.com/club (if you're a member of Playbill's "club," and receive special codes which you can use at a theatre's box office to obtain a significant discount on New York-based show tickets (up to 50 percent).
Just some of the wonderful musicals currently on Broadway include: Billy Elliot, Bye Bye Birdie, Hair, In The Heights, Jersey Boys, Mama Mia!, Mary Poppins, Rock of Ages, Shrek The Musical, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, and Wicked.
I haven't seen Rock of Ages yet, but Constantine Maroulis, who, like Diana DeGarmo, I got to know from my involvement with American Idol a few years back, is getting a lot of positive notoriety for his amazing performance in this musical. I have seen first-hand how talented Constantine is, so I have no trouble believing he's absolutely amazing in this show.
Off-Broadway, in addition to The Toxic Avenger, I recommend Alter Boys, Blue Man Group, Stomp and The Fantastics. If you want guaranteed seats for any of these shows, you'll need to reserve them in advance and pay full-price. However, if you have some flexibility in your schedule or you want a bargain, check out which shows are offering same-day discounts at the TKTS Booth in the heart of Times Square. The selection is typically extensive (unless it's a holiday).
Oh, and speaking of American Idol contestants, Anthony Federov is about to once again star in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat for a limited time (October 10th - November 1st) in Seattle, Washington at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. Click here for a video promoting that show.
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