Summer Best Bets!

Summer is a good time for Broadway. Although it's a bit off a tourist trap, you can find good deals at the TKTS booth and ticket discounts online (since nothing much opens in the summer, there aren't many super-hot, sold-out shows). Here's what Theasy recommends!

BEST BETS SUMMER 2009

Take A Date: Rock of Ages
There is nothing sexier than 80s hair bands and drinking beer during a Broadway show.
Visit broadwaybox.com for future discount codes.

Take Your Parents: Jersey Boys
Tickets are hard to come by, but this story of The Four Seasons is a seriously parental crowd pleaser.
No discount codes, sorry!

Take A Theatre Novice: 9 to 5: The Musical
Light, silly, cheesy entertainment that doesn't require work from the audience.
Use discount code 3BBOX to save 35%.

Take A Theatre Snob: Mary Stuart
This British import boasts some of the best acting on any New York stage.
Use discount code QSBBX615 for $55/$65 tickets.

For A Laugh: 39 Steps
A quick paced salute to Hitchcock movies, this four person play is hilariously clever.
Use discount code 39BX0407 to save over 50%.

For A Cry: Next to Normal
A new groundbreaking musical reminiscent of Spring Awakening and Rent.
Use discount code NNBBX0420 for up to $38 off.

For Brilliant Storytelling: The Norman Conquests
Ayckbourn's play-in-three-parts is British humor at its absolute finest.
Use discount code NCBXEONM to save up to 40%.

Before It's Too Late: Avenue Q
This 2004 Tony Winner for Best Musical closes September 13th. Its R-rated puppet madness is not to be missed.
Use discount code AQBBX0313 to save up to 40%.

BEST BETS JULY 2008

Summer is down time in the professional theatre world. New shows will open in September for the '08-'09 season and shows that did well at the Tonys will ride that wave through tourist season. So this month's installation of Best Bets reflects the past year and what's made it through.

Take your parents: Gypsy
(one of the best American musicals ever, with a tremendous cast and a trifecta of Tony-winning performances from the three leads).

Take a date: In The Heights
(yes it's absolutely the obvious choice, but it's also endearing, sweet and will make you feel all warm and happy inside)

Before it closes: Stitching
(a very storytelling experience in a great downtown space, closes July 19th)

Best off-Broadway: Fuerzabruta
(why did it take us so long to see this show?)

Most exciting new cast member: Beth Leavel in Young Frankenstein
(the show is still selling out despite mediocre reviews and as most of the leads leave this summer the cast gets some fresh blood; Beth Leavel is sure to be a rockin' Frau Blucher)

Because you know you should see it: August: Osage County
(yes, it's a long, talk-y drama, but that doesn't mean it isn't damn entertaining! see this Pulitzer Prize winning, Tony Award winning, really stellar production before it's gone and you wish you had)

BEST BETS MAY 2008

It's that time again, when your trusty Theatre Is Easy writers simplify the New York theatre scene. Let us recommend...

TAKE A DATE: From Up Here
(it's endearing, and you can bond over the awkward high school scenes)

TAKE YOUR PARENTS: South Pacific
(parents are to Lincoln Center as tourists are to Times Square)

IF YOU LIKE EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE #1: Adding Machine
(a very cool musical take on a story that's nearly a century old)

IF YOU LIKE EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE #2: The Sound and the Fury
(a re-working of Falkner's novel, half read and half spoken as dialogue)

FOR A LAUGH: The 39 Steps
(it's officially on Broadway now after a super-successful run with Roundabout Theatre Co.)

FOR A SOLID STORY: Cherry Docs
(it will make you feel, it will make you think, and it's only $11 a ticket)

Check back June 1st for a new Best Bets list!

BEST BETS APRIL 2008

There's a lot of good theatre out there this month, and some of it is actually affordable! Presenting the best of the best, for the cheapest price possible...

TAKE A DATE: In The Heights
(for the second month in a row, but you can't go wrong with sweet romance and smokin' hot dancing. CHEAP TICKETS: play the 'In The Heights' lottery and win 2 tickets for $26.50 each)

TAKE YOUR MOM: Crimes Of The Heart
(it's funny, touching, and chances are she loved the movie 20 years ago...also worth it for the Kathleen Turner "turn your cell phones off" speech before the show starts. CHEAP TICKETS: if you're 35 or under, check out Hiptix for $20 tickets that you can buy in advance.)

FOR A LAUGH: 'Almost An Evening'
(this new Ethan Coen play is as beautifully absurd as any Coen brothers movie. CHEAP TICKETS: $20 student tickets are available at the box office, day of...or just suck it up and buy regular priced tickets here for a mere $50 each.)

ROCK OUT TO: Passing Strange
(2+ hours of good ol' rock and roll thanks to front-man Stew and his talented band. CHEAP TICKETS: if you're 25 or under get $25 tickets at the box office, day of...find ticket information here)

OFF-BROADWAY'S BEST: Adding Machine
(sure it has that off-beat, downtown feel...and that's why we love it. CHEAP TICKETS: $25 student rush tickets are available at the box office, day of...find ticket information here)

QUALITY BROADWAY: Sunday In The Park With George
(it's a remarkable cast, a lovely musical, and a modern interpretation. CHEAP TICKETS: if you're 35 or under, visit Hiptix...anyone can sit in the nosebleeds for only $36.50...find ticket information here.)

Check back May 1st for a new and updated Best Bets list!

BEST BETS MARCH 2008

BEST BETS MARCH 2008:

Our top picks for your all of your theatre needs...

To take a date: In The Heights
(A romantic musical with some hot, Latin choreography)

To take your parents: August: Osage County
(Takes this spot for the second month; family disfunction has never been funnier)

For a laugh: The 39 Steps
(A fun, goofy, wonderfully British ride)

For a good story: Liberty City
(A compelling story of the fight for civil liberties in South Florida in the late '70s)

Cheap but awesome: Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind
(The NeoFuturists perform 30 plays in 30 minutes for less than 50 cents a play)

Quick, before it closes: Liberty City
(Theatre like this doesn't come around that often...and unfortunately doesn't always stick around that long)

Check back April 1st for a new and updated Best Bets list!

BEST BETS FEBRUARY 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing the first of our new monthly series, Best Bets. Let us save you time and let you know the NY theatre experience perfect for your every need. Theatre is really easy.

BEST BETS FEBRUARY 2008:
To take a date: The Farnsworth Invention
(Go with the hot, intellectual thing)
To take your parents: August: Osage County
(Relatable family drama that will make your family look normal)
For a laugh: Avenue Q
(Obvious but solid entertainment; Try the lottery for cheap tickets, 2.5 hrs. before show)
For a good story: The Seafarer
(The plot is hole-y, but the characters are fantastic)
Cheap but awesome: Speech & Debate
(The first of Roundabout Theatre's new Underground series)
Quick, before it closes: Speech & Debate
(Closes Feb. 24 after a very extended run)
Let us be the first to tell you: In the Heights
(Previews begin Feb. 14 for this awesome new musical)

Check back March 1st for a new and updated Best Bets list!