WE LOVE BROADWAY MUSICALS!
Welcome! We've seen quite a few musicals. In fact, we're musical junkies. All that experience oughta be used somehow, so on this site you'll find reviews of all the musicals we've seen, broken down into sections according to where we saw them (on Broadway or elsewhere). We've also included New York City travel tips, how to be a courteous audience member, comments on musicals that had a quick death, and lots of other stuff. And be sure to check out our news updates at the bottom of this page.
BOYCOTT BALTIMORE'S NEW FRANCE-MERRICK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER!!
We will NEVER spend our money at this theater. We bought 6 tickets (a total of $525) to a performance of "The Phantom of the Opera"'s touring company, which ended up being cancelled. Yes, we will get our money back, but the whole process is a complete fiasco. It is explained here in the email which we sent to the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center (aka the Hippodrome):
I purchased 6 tickets to the October 3, 2004 2 pm performance of Phantom of the opera. These 6 tickets were purchased because it was a birthday present for my father. These tickets came to a total of $525. The show has been cancelled, so I now have to MAIL these $525 worth of tickets back to Ticketmaster for a refund. We cannot see the show any earlier than the day we chose because some of us (my husband and I) will be in Europe before then, and the rest of the group has other commitments at other times, which prevents the entire group going together, which was the point in the first place. I do NOT like having to mail the tickets-I cannot just drop them in a 37 cent envelope and mail them back, I have to spend money to send them registered mail. As if that isn't enough, I have to write void on each ticket and cut it in half lengthwise, according to Ticketmaster's instructions. This is a total waste of time. I charged these tickets on my credit card and Ticketmaster could very easily credit my account, since it is clear that the tickets aren't good because the show isn't playing. The only reason the refund is handled this way is because the unused tickets go to the show producer and they can use it for a tax writeoff. This is also wasting my time. I do not like wasting my time. I already wasted enough of my time ordering the tickets in the first place. I consider it even more of a waste of time, because I had originally decided never to go to the shows at the Hippodrome. It is in a bad area. It was a waste of money to build, especially since the Mechanic will now be sitting empty and unused. I do not believe the lie that you guys have concocted to make the cancellation of the specific performances of "Phantom of the Opera" sound peachy-keen. "We are cancelling the shows to give the cast and crew a vacation" is a lot of baloney. If you aren't getting enough interest to be able to sell the seats, just say so. Don't lie. And frankly, I'm not surprised. $75 is very pricey for Baltimore. Touring productions that stop in Baltimore are nowhere near Broadway productions, and believe me, I've seen plenty of both-I go to New York to see at least a dozen shows a year, and if there's something that comes to Baltimore I haven't seen already, I see it in Baltimore. However, that will not necessarily be the case now. This experience has soured me on EVER going to the France Merrick center at the Hippodrome. I'll gladly drive to Washington, DC and see the shows there, or to New York City, which I do 4 times a year anyway, but I really doubt I will ever feel like patronizing your theater. I had even considered season tickets at one point, and decided absolutely not, because if I say I want Saturday matinee and the show runs for multiple saturdays, and you guys pick a Saturday I work, I have to mail the tickets back to exchange them, and as I've said before, I do NOT like trusting costly tickets to the mail, nor do I have the time to schlep to your box office to do it in person. So far, there is nothing about any experience having to do with your "theater" that encourages me to patronize it, and that's too bad for you because I spend a lot of money seeing shows, that will surely be going to some other theater owner. I operate a theater website and I will be sure to relate this experience to my readers.
And here is the answer I got back from them:
We are sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused you. However, it is not the Hippodrome Theatre that cancelled the show. It was the company of Phantom of the Opera.
Smile Big,
Jamila Webb-Lewis
Clear Channel Entertainment
France-Merrick Performing Arts Center
443-703-2449 (Direct Line)
410-837-7410 (Fax)
jamilawebblewis@clearchannel.com
Gee, what a dazzling answer. Kinda seemed like they only read the first part and fobbed off the blame to someone else without addressing all of my concerns, doesn't it? What do you guys think? Write to them!!! I have written them a response to their response. Here it is:
I'm sorry that your theater won't be getting any of my money. You obviously didn't read my entire email, because you really didn't address all of my concerns. How about my concern about the poor handling of ticket exchanges for season ticket holders, which led me (thankfully) to not bother getting a season subscription? How about my wasted time? There is no way for me to write to the producers to complain about the valuable time I have wasted on these show tickets that were really just a way for the producers to give themselves a tax writeoff. It is your theater that is losing my business. I guess you guys don't care about the potential money I would be spending at your theater. Look at my website, see how many shows I've seen, see how many readers I have (and the fact that I have included this exchange) and you'll see what I mean.
I'm sure that the Kennedy Center, the Warner Theater, the National Theater, the Lyric Theater, and all of the assorted theaters in New York City on Broadway will be delighted to have my business. Anyway, as far as the Hippodrome goes (because naming it a floofy name like France-Merrick blah blah blah doesn't make it any less the Hippodrome in the nasty place it's in because it's not like you moved it or anything), I always say, you can dress a mule up in horse harnesses and clean it up, but it will still be just a mule.
2004 Tony Award Nominations and Winners
Musicals We've Seen on Broadway Descriptions and reviews of musicals we've seen in New York City, on Broadway. Included: Forum, Aida, Big River, Candide, Chicago, Dance of the Vampires, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, The Full Monty, Gypsy, Hairspray, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Kiss Me Kate, The Last 5 Years, The Life, The Lion King, Miss Saigon, Nine, Oklahoma, Parade, Phantom, Putting It Together, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Side Show, The Sound of Music, Sunset Boulevard, Tea at Five, Titanic, Triumph of Love, Urinetown, Victor/Victoria.
London's West End Musicals Details and reviews of the shows we saw while in London. Included: The Beautiful Game, and Mamma Mia!
Other Musicals We've Seen Descriptions and reviews of musicals we've seen elsewhere, including touring companies of Broadway Musicals, shows touring to get ready for a Broadway opening, and some other stuff. Included: And Then There's Bea, Chita and All That Jazz, Flower Drum Song, Jekyll & Hyde, Man of La Mancha, Martin Guerre, State Fair, Whistle Down the Wind, Beauty & the Beast, Cabaret,Cats, Chicago, The Civil War, Fosse, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Les Miz, Ragtime, Rent, Secret Garden, Showboat, Sunset Boulevard, Victor/Victoria, A Chorus Line, Ain't Misbehavin', Annie, Annie Get Your Gun, Applause, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Camelot, Carousel, Company, Dreamgirls, Fiddler, Hair, Hello Dolly, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Peter Pan, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Barry Manilow's Copacabana, Fame: The Musical, Starlight Express, and EFX.
Musicals that Never Got a Chance Yep, the title says it all. "Ya Just Missed It...": comments about musicals that closed so fast there was no chance we'd see 'em and "Close Shaves!": comments (in addition to those in the "Musicals We've Seen" category) about musicals we luckily got a chance to see, but closed soon after. Included: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Capeman, The Civil War, Once Upon a Mattress, Seussical, Steel Pier, Candide, Side Show, State Fair, Victor/Victoria, and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Make the Most of Your Theatre Experience Comments on when and when not to pay attention to reviews. How to be a courteous audience member (or how NOT to be a RUDE audience member).
Broadway Musical Books and Other Stuff A listing of books, cd roms, etc. about Broadway Musicals.
New York City Travel Tips After reading our Tony and other musical information, do you have a hankering to take a trip to the Big Apple? Click here to access our handy-dandy NYC travel tips.
Links Lots of other places on the web with show and ticket information.
NEWS & STUFF
We're devoting this section to news tidbits as we find them out, such as Broadway show openings and closings, cast album releases, tour information, and other stuff.
Check back later! :)
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