Also considering The Book of Mormon (big Trey Parker / Matt Stone fan).

I’ve seen both and preferred stomp. I was in orchestra row N dead center.

I’ve seen Stomp several times, the first time many, many years ago. Not in NY but the Broadway road production.I loved it so much, thus the repeat visits. But the last time I saw it, it had lost it’s oomph and luster. It was old and tired.

I have NEVER been able to get tix to Book of Mormon and would love to see it. It sells out immediately whenever it come to town. I would see it in a heartbeat before I tried Stomp.

My husband and I saw Stomp at the Orpheum 20 years ago when I was 5 months pregnant. It's a small, intimate off-Broadway theater and although the closer your tickets, the better, there really are no bad seats there. I'd say ours were probably about midway to the stage and still close enough that my son kicked in delight throughout the performance because of the vibrations. I highly recommend but I'm biased for sentimental reasons.

Two thumbs down for Book of Mormon.

I found it absolutely awful in the most juvenile way, nearly unwatchable , and peddling absurd stereotypes. I know about the background and its creators, and their brand of humor, but my comment stands. This piece sums up my views nicely...https://medium.com/@benluxon/the-book-of-mormon-is-as-racist-as-conrads-heart-of-darkness-cbc1b922aa84  and this ... https://www.npr.org/2011/04/15/135437800/the-root-is-broadways-book-of-mormon-offensive

And no, I don't think I am being too PC or overly sensitive. On top of it all, it just was not funny, not even in a "that is funny but should not be" way, the way I think someone like Howard Stern is.

The most recent thing we saw is The Ferryman, and it was excellent, excellent storytelling. We have tickets to see the new production of Oklahoma, which is supposedly a bit avant garde and ... gritty? I was not a huge fan of Come From Away, it felt a bit like an ABC afterschool special. I would recommend Dear Evan Hansen and Kinky Boots, and I really enjoyed Beautiful very much. I also liked Wicked very much.

I was just looking at tickets for our girls' trip , and didn't come up with much. Id like to see To Kill a MockingBird but, for me, if it is a play, I really only want to be in the first 10 rows and that is like $700-1100 a seat. Nahh.

I've heard very good things about The Band's Visit.

I think I might end up taking my girls to one of the UCB shows, e.g.

https://east.ucbtheatre.com/performance/67115

PS you may also want to look at Air BnB "experiences" ... all sorts of fun and unique tours, classes, etc.

Oh that’s so disappointing to hear about Book of Mormon! Maybe I’ll stop lusting after tickets when it come through next time.

I pretty much agree with mtnrdreux on Book of Mormon. It's not nearly as good as its hype. I saw the touring company version in Baltimore a few years back.

Agree with Book of Mormon. I saw Stomp ages ago with kids and we liked it.

We saw Stomp years ago and loved it. We saw Beautiful last year ( in London) and adored it!

We saw Stomp, ages ago. All loved it, but I got severe migraine which ruined my next 36 hours. It might have been a coincidence but wanted to let you know, just in case.

I'm not sure when you're going, but if it's very soon, Off Broadway Week is coming up

https://www.nycgo.com/off-broadway-week

Saw Book of Mormon in Chicago a few years back. My friends loved it, I thought it was boring.

Oly, think of all the money we are saving you since now you don't have to go see Book of Mormon! You are welcome.

I can save people even more money! Don't go see Hamilton, ok? I hear the gasps. Let me tell you my take. Hamilton is truly inventive and downright brilliant. I admired and respected the brilliance very much. But I did not particularly enjoy the show. I was glad I saw it, but I would not necessarily call it fun. Here is why. For me, it was just so densely packed. At the risk of sounding like a doddering senior citizen (nope) who cannot see (nope,good there) or hear very well (nope, good there, too), every bit of the show was just so densely packed with material that I could not follow or appreciate it all. It was "work" just to listen to it. I admired the genius, truly, but I cannot say it was a "good time". I think it is almost like opera, in the sense that I would not go to see an opera without learning about it and listening to it first. Same w Hamilton. It is a sort of a commitment.

I will also throw a critique in the ring. I am not sure why casting blacks to play white people is considered any sort of ... IDK homage or even nod to blacks. I think blacks playing themselves, telling their own story, might have been a better counterpoint. It was still history from a white POV. I think casting anyone should be true to the aim; if you are casting a biopic of Marilyn Monroe, an attractive young platinum blonde makes sense and that is in no way an offense to middle aged brunettes. Far more important is to tell the stories of people from all walks and backgrounds, not to keep telling us the stories of rich white men but just waltz thru different ethnicities and genders to read the lines.

Hi Ida,

Wanted to be sure you saw this (I've not read it).

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/theater/stomp-25-years.html

mtnrd, I agree that for some of us old folks, Hamilton needs some preparation. I loved it but also read about it extensively and listened to the cast recording before we went. I generally dislike musicals. I admire the talent but find most of the story lines to be too corny.

DH, who is a wing-it kind of guy, saw it without any preparation and also really enjoyed it.

I guess it depends on your personality.

I don't have an issue with the casting. It is related to the genre of music and I think it helps attract people who wouldn't normally be interested in a Broadway show about American history.

Wonderful article, mtn! I have decided to see Stomp in a couple of weeks, but just not sure whether it should be the Thursday or Friday night performance, and whether to get my ticket in advance so I can choose my seat well ahead of time.

I just bought my ticket to see Stomp at The Orpheum. So excited! I decided not to wait until I was in NYC, as my time there will really be at a premium and I didn't want to have to spend any of it chasing down tickets, and I'm pleased with my purchase. I decided to sit up close (second row on the aisle) so as not to miss the performers' facial expressions, which is said to add to the humor and overall enjoyment of the show.

The Orpheum is 15 minutes from my hotel via subway. That's about 4 minutes walking from my hotel to the subway station going, and 4 minutes on the way back, and 7 minutes via the subway. I'm assuming this is a very safe option (understanding it may not be the sweetest-smelling)? I will be returning to my hotel after 10pm. It's not so much the safety of the subway I'm questioning, but the walking to and from. My hotel is on 57th, as is the subway station. I would imagine there will be people milling about all over the place, even fairly late at night. (OK, so 10:00 is late for me. Probably not for New Yorkers!)

Your hotel is catty-corner from Carnegie. Hall. Yes, there will be plenty of people on 57th st at that time of night. Enjoy the show!

I don't even think twice about my safety in Manhattan even at much later hours. You will be fine just take the same care one does in any city.

http://blog.newyorkpass.com/how-safe-is-nyc-for-tourists/

Thanks so much! I was certain that would be the answer, but thought it wouldn't hurt to confirm. I've never felt unsafe in the areas I've visited in London either, even late at night -- and there have been a couple of times when we (3 of us traveling together) were very turned around close to midnight in areas we didn't recognize, and we still encountered friendly, helpful souls who steered us in the right direction. I do imagine NYC to be much the same way.

Good heavens, I'm an idiot. Just realized the "Orpheum Theater" I've been looking at is actually an AMC cinema that goes by that name! The Orpheum that I need to go to is actually in the East Village and a bit further via subway (24 minutes vs. 15). I still think that's my best bet though. Just glad I caught my mistake well ahead of time, and this makes me realize I really need to pay closer attention to locations and place names!

Ok, all who encouraged me to see Stomp -- you were right on! I absolutely loved it! Sooooo much fun and high energy, with a hefty dose of humor in the mix. My seat was right in front and couldn't have been better. I'd see this show again -- it was that good -- and the young performers were all just adorable. Totally a feel good evening. (Oh, and I rode the subway there and back and even had some time to walk around the eclectic East Village. )

I'm so glad it was great! I felt the same way about it the first few times I saw it and it sounds like the NY production keeps a young and fresh cast. The disappointing ones I saw were the traveling Broadway productions.

So glad it lived up to the hype! Great seats, too.