I'm familiar with that feeling! Stuff to keep in mind: IF you don't care where you sit, Phantom always has $27 rear mezz seats (I'm kinda far-sighted, so I'm ok with seats like that). Also, Newsies prices keep dropping, and there are lots of advance tickets discounts. That info aside, maybe listen to the cast records of each to see which you prefer to help you. If you're really into choreography, I'd say go with Newsies. Phantom is a classic, but a lot of people complain about the shape of the show now and how the singers perform with a "pop" sound now. And Wicked, well... I saw it with Stephanie J. Block so to me the show could have no wrong since she was the original Elphaba :)
If you have not seen PHANTOM on stage on Broadway go for it. Hugh Panaro is amazing and worth the ticket price alone.
I am a fan of WICKED and NEWSIES, too, but since you have seen WICKED at elast on tour, I recommend PHNATOM.
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If price is your biggest concern, then you should see Phantom because that will be the cheapest ticket.
Newsies is great, but it will tour, and the tour will be the same show you can see on Broadway because it was designed to easily tour. Wicked and Phantom are both, to some degree, different on the tour.
Hal Prince still gives notes and rehearses the cast, so the show is *not* in bad shape.
If you are a self-described huge Wicked fan, then you should treat yourself to seeing its original production. I'm a huge Phantom fan, and I'll never forget seeing the original production (as opposed to the tour) for the first time.
The side seating pricing for Newsies and Wicked may allow you to get both in. The Wicked partial-view seats are a steal and you only miss a bit of the side set (we recently sat in partial view right next to full-price seats, and basically had the same view).
Having seen all three shows, I would recommend Newsies in your situation. I love Wicked, and I would love to see it many more times, but if you have already seen it on tour then I would think Newsies is a better choice for you. The set for Wicked is great on Broadway, but personally, I think the thing about Wicked that most attract me is the songs and the amazing performers who perform (and belt) these songs at every performance. The music is the same on tour, so in my opinion, you have already been a part of Wicked's irresistible magic.
Phantom is great as well, but it doesn't have as much energy that Newsies has. Phantom is a classic, but it is available on DVD (the 25th anniversary DVD I believe, with Ramin Karimloo as Phantom). I'm not saying it's not worth seeing live, because if it is, but if you can only choose one, I'd go with Newsies. Newsies has catchy songs, and the choreography, as many have mentioned, is beyond amazing! The entire cast just radiates energy on the stage, and it's a very exciting experience to be a part of. But yes, I believe it will tour, so even if you miss it this time, you will probably have another chance.
You cannot go wrong with any one of these shows, but I just think that if I were in your shoes, I would go see Newsies! Have fun, no matter what you pick!
"Wicked and Phantom are both, to some degree, different on the tour."
Phantom is no longer touring the US, so the only place to see the Hal Prince staging/Maria Bjornsen design is on Broadway, if that is what matters most to you.
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Newsies! It's going to probably have the most energy right now as it's one of the hot tickets as far as new shows goes. Great choreography and talent in the cast all around.
Loliveve, since when was Stephanie J Block the original Elphaba? In workshops even I'm pretty sure she was ensemble, if that is what you meant.
"Loliveve, since when was Stephanie J Block the original Elphaba? In workshops even I'm pretty sure she was ensemble, if that is what you meant."
Wicked had several workshops before the tryout in San Francisco (I can't recall if there were two or three). I know Stephanie played Elphaba in at least one, and I do think it may indeed have been the first workshop.
Did you know that every day Mexican gays cross our borders and unplug our brain-dead ladies?
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Posted: 11/29/12 at 12:24am