Broadway

There's no finer live acting in the world than on Broadway from drama to comedy to musical theater.  The trick is to get tickets which don't require you to sell one of your children.  There's a thriving business based on getting 'discount Broadway show tickets', so you don't have to choose a child to sacrifice.

In 1955 the cost of a balcony ticket was $2.30 and an orchestra seat was $4.90.  Of course, gas was $.23 a gallon, and the average income was $4,137 annually.  The average Broadway ticket this year is $122.  The 2019 median salary for men was $51K (while women only earned 80% of that).  If you do a multiplier...., well, a Broadway ticket in the orchestra should cost about $50 a ticket.  However, if you want to see Jeff Daniels in "To Kill a Mockingbird" expect to pay about $400 a ticket.

Today, we went to see a Broadway show which debuted in 1943:  "Oklahoma!".  It ran for five years and grossed $7 million dollars.  The show was revived this year, and it is an electrifying re-imagination of this ground breaking show with book and lyrics by Rogers & Hammerstein.  "Oklahoma!" kicked off a collaboration between those two men which dominated Broadway throughout the 1950's.

The 2019 show included Tony nominated artists, as well as cornbread and chili served to the audience at the intermission.  Agnes DeMille's breathtaking choreography in the original version, which included ballet in the middle of a musical, was also re-imagined.  The re-imagination paid homage to Ms. DeMille, but also had a modern edge which worked.  This show ran THREE HOURS.  Unheard of in this day of 90 minute attention spans.   Basically, this was a wonderful performance in a venue which enhanced it.  (Circle on the Square Theater).

We managed to get half price tickets by taking the subway to the seaport ticket booth of TKTS yesterday.  These are the NY people who market tickets which haven't sold by the day of the performance.  You can get some incredible tickets if you are willing to attend the theater the same night you get the tickets or the next day matinee.  We paid 'half price' for our tickets - just about the price they should be according to the multiplier.

I know many people feel we are doing something with our lives which they don't understand.  (Believe me when I tell you there are days we don't understand why we are doing this.)  Our kiddos can certainly afford to pay for child care, but we are committed to getting our grandson off to a good start.  You only get that kind of care using someone who actually has a stake in the child's welfare.

As a perk of doing this incredible upheaval to our lives, we've decided not to miss all the opportunities which New York City offers.  Broadway shows are one of them.