Ticket Givewaway: Win two tickets to see Spring Awakening for free. I love this show; it’s joyful and beautiful, with an exciting and appealing cast, 17 of whom are making their Broadway debuts.
I’m not alone: the New York Times calls it “thrillingly inventive….a first-rate production of a transporting musical,” the AP says it’s “exhilarating.”
This rock musical about teenagers discovering the tumult of sexuality is presented by Deaf West, performed in both American Sign Language and spoken English.
“Signing has been integrated here so deftly that you feel the language’s fluidity has a natural place in musical theater.” – The Washington Post.
Update: The winner of the drawing is Migdalia Pizarro
To enter the contest for a free pair of tickets to Spring Awakening, answer this question:
What is the most exciting live stage show you’ve ever seen, and what made it so?
(Update: Emphasis on “exciting“)
1. Please put your answer in the comments at the bottom of this blog post, because the winner will be chosen through Random.org based on the order of your reply, not its content.
But you must answer the question, complete with explanation or your entry will not be approved for submission.
2. Please include in your answer your Twitter name and follow my Twitter feed at @NewYorkTheater so that I can send you a direct message. (If you don’t have a Twitter name, create one. It’s free.)
3. This contest ends Tuesday, November 3, 2015 at midnight Eastern Time, and I will make the drawing no later than noon the next day. You must respond to my direct message on Twitter within 24 hours or I will choose another winner.
The winner will receive a voucher to see Spring Awakening on any performance from Monday to Thursday through 11/20/15. Obviously, you have to be in New York sometime during this period in order to see the show.
When I was young, my parents took me to see Les Miserables, and it blew my mind. I fell in love with the imagery and the songs and the emotion, and it drove me into the trajectory that I’ve been on since, advocating for more art integrated into more communities throughout the country. It has stuck with me, and I own it proudly whether it is considered “high art” or not, “good” or not. @claytonlord
The most exciting live show I’ve ever seen was Les Miserables on the West End. The show itself is incredible, and has such moving music, but the way it was staged made it even more exciting, with the turntable and the set. I got chills during many scenes.
My twitter handle is @thebwaycookie
Thanks for the chance to win!
the most exciting theatre i have seen was the Shakespeare in the Park productions of The Comedy of Errors – specifically, because I was at the performance where it downpoured, most of the audience left, they lost sound, moved everyone in closer and ad-libbed the music and shouted their lines. it was amazing. see jesse tyler ferguson’s write-up on it.
thanks @gubbabump
I’d have to say Lion King. I had taken my then partner to see it to celebrate our 3rd Anniversary. The whole thing was a surprise which she didn’t realize until she was standing literally in front of the theatre. I had her do all kinds of things like sitting in a oark, walking through the city, shopping and an ice cream shop to throw her off track. She had told me she had always wanted to see the show. It was so good. She was so stunned she couldn’t speak until intermission. What made it even more special I had arranged with Tom Hewitt – who played Scar back then to go backstage after the show. (I worked at the gym in Chelsea he was a member of and he was able to purchase tickets for me so I wouldn’t have to wait months and months.) While backstage he showed us the costumes, we met a few people and she told him all I had done…..he cried, she cried…I smiled. Nice memory.
@Siwckc
My girlfriend and I have seen a lot of shows together but I think my favorite has been the original cast of Spring Awakening. The music is very moving, and the story line is great. The show is a roller coaster of emotion and I’d love to take her to see this. My Twitter name is Steven_matthew
I volunteered as an usher at @NYTW79 during their production of “What’s It All About.” The stage and house were decorated with couches, rugs and lamps – like a comfy (more) shabby (than) chic living room. I had the honor of sitting on stage & locked eyes with the performers as they were singing these beautiful Burt Bacharach songs. The energy during the whole show was electric. All the direction, art design, and performances came together for an unforgettable theatrical experience. @katieostrowski1
It is so hard to choose just one. I loved seeing Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria. After all, who wouldn’t be thrilled at being able to watch a legend do what she does best?!? 🙂
My twitter name is @ivyleilani. Thanks!
The most memorable show I have ever seen (and it has been difficult to come up with just one) was the 8-hour Royal Shakespeare Company production of “Nicholas Nickleby” that introduced Roger Rees to American audiences. The epic scope of the production, the endurance and energy of the cast, the ability of Trevor Nunn’s direction to transport the audience from location to location, and all of the amazing elements that had to come together in order to create such a world exemplified to me the power of theater to stimulate the mind, to entertain, and to bring joy. I also learned that I enjoyed these marathon productions, and try not to miss one, whether it be Tom Stoppard’s “The Coast of Utopia” or Alan Ayckbourn’s “The Norman Conquests”–such experiences bring audiences and casts closer together in ways that other experiences cannot.
Twitter handle: @Queerbec
After a lot of deliberation, the most exciting show I’ve ever been to has got to be “Phantom of the Opera.” I’m a poor college student so I don’t usually repeat shows, but after I saw POTO the first time, I had to see it again. The first time I saw it on an orchestra field trip, after we’d played a medley that year. As it was a field trip we were sitting in these crazy rear mezzanine seats that I wouldn’t usually buy, and everyone on stage was so tiny. I thought it was going to be an awful experience, given where we were seated, that I was with a group of high school students (I consider myself a theater snob haha), and that POTO is generally considered such a rowdy show; but I loved all of it. The storyline and music is so moving, and seeing it with a group of people who actually DID appreciate it as much as I did made all of the difference.
@GermanOptimism [ I kid you not … this is a SA Anna roleplay account. ]
Spring Awakening’s original production. It was so exciting because it was my first Broadway show and the play really resonated with me
The first time I saw next to normal. I saw it because of lyrics in the show [title of show] saying how fierce Alice Ripken was. Little did know it would be the first time musical theatre forced me to face real issues I was dealing with in my own life. Changed the way I saw theatre forever. @candrewandrew
I have to go with the revival of “Ragtime.” It is my all time favorite show and I never thought I’d get the chance to see it. I sat there watching the story that I’d studied unfold and still could not control my sobs. Absolutely gorgeous. @Kiarri_
The most exciting live stage show I’ve ever seen was The Book of Mormon. I was interning in NYC when the show opened on Broadway; I had known about it for awhile since I’m a huge South Park fan. Following the Tony Awards, I knew I had to go. Three days in a row I was in the standing room only line, always getting there with too many people ahead of me to get tickets. So, one Saturday I packed some snacks and spent 8 hours in line to get the standing room tickets. During that time, I got to meet some of the cast before I saw them on stage. The friends I made in line joined me dashing to our spots and since no one was behind us during the show we got to dance a little in our spots. It was so great! This ties with the second time I saw the show and won the Lottery seats for the first row! @caitmason
The most amazing live was Wicked in the Syracuse Theater. It was the first musical I had ever seen and experiencing something as creative and amazing for the first time was breath taking. Ill never forget that incredible moment. @shovelman08
As sad as that is, I honestly think this production of Spring Awakening is the most exciting I’ve ever seen. I’d seen the original production numerous times, and was apprehensive to go and revisit after six years, having left that part of my life behind. But when I finally went and saw it, I was awestruck. The cast and the signing brought new life to the show, giving it a whole new feel. The deaf aspect, not being able to speak what you want to share, having to use your hands, but still somehow feeling bound, it’s transcendent. @broadwaylove
The storyline is outstanding. It shows you that life as a music writer is not just fame and glory. It tells the story of Carole King, a songwriter for the entertainment industry. Together with her husband Jake Epstein, played by Gerry Goffin, the couple competes with Barry Man and Cynthia Weil, played by Anika Larsen,to be the number one song writer and composer. I never realized how many songs are by Carole King; from One Fine Day to Beautiful to Natural Woman – most of which are still popular today!
The way the show is done is amazing! Jessie Mueller’s portrayal of Carole King is uncanny. It is amazing the way she sings and acts just like Carole. She is so good that she won the Tony Award for Best Lead in a Musical. I was also really excited to see Jarrod Spector as Barry Mann because I saw him in Jersey Boys, not once, not twice, but three times (that’s how much I loved how he sang ‘Can’t Take My Eyes off You”)! I fell under his spell then and I knew I would go see whatever he was in next. I was definitely not disappointed. Actually, everyone in that cast is extraordinarily talented. I can go on and on but I won’t
@thebroadwaywiz
The most captivating show I’ve seen was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in West End. I was only 12 years old, and seeing a car fly above me in the audience was pure magic. I became obsessed all things Chitty Chitty and it really sparked my love for stage design and production. Just singing the theme song brings back great nostalgic memories!
@goorace
At the risk of sounding a bit basic, I would have to say Wicked on Broadway. It was my first Broadway show during my first trip to New York, and my mom surprised me with orchestra tickets almost exactly six years ago for my 18th birthday. My mom was the person who first got me interested in musical theatre and I was so happy to share my first Broadway show with her. It’s true that there’s something about live performance that can’t be replicated anywhere else; as soon as the orchestra started playing the overture I started tearing up because I was so happy to finally be seeing this show that I had listened to and come to love for so long. Since then I’ve tried to see as many shows on Broadway as I can on a student’s budget, but it’s always a treat! @omfgpinchme
The most memorable show I ever saw was “Night Mother” by Marsha Norman. I was very young and this drama left quite an impression on me because it was the 2nd play I have ever seen and the subject matter was so intense and the performances were so riveting. I was at the edge of my seat and the ending had me almost in tears. It was magic seeing these two performers bring the script alive.
The spring awakening revival is the best show I’ve ever seen. It includes everyone and creates an experience like no other. Have a love and passion for sign language, and having spring awakening be my favorite musical, this show just is everything I could ever want. An amazing, innovative cast, brilliant direction, music I can’t get out of my head and choreography that is visually stunning and unforgettable. There are some scenes that are just so exciting to watch that you feel part of the story. I was so excited that my two favorite things, this show and ASL, came together to form the best peice of live theater I’ve ever witnessed.
The most exciting show I’ve seen was DISASTER! at St. Luke’s. It was the first Off-Broadway show that my wife and I had ever went to and we didn’t quite know what to think when we walked in the doors. St. Luke’s is certainly no Winter Garden. Although we had front row seats, the chairs were less than comfortable. Our expectations were pretty low, but that all changed when the show began. Production values were economical to say the least, but the actors were so excited to be performing for us that all of the negatives soon disappeared. The entire audience laughed, clapped, and occasionally groaned in unison. The highlight wife was when a prop dummy was thrown off the stage and landed on my wife’s foot. She shrieked and the whole theater erupted. From that moment on, the actors could have said or sang anything and we would have been with them. After leaving that show, we had a new found respect for Off-Broadway productions. My twitter handle is @NYCplebe Thanks!
The most exciting show I’ve ever seen was definitely my most recent show which was “An American in Paris”. I had never seen the movie, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Needless to say it blew my mind! I was so impressed with the songs, the dancing, the colors, and of course, the Paris setting. I teared up through a lot of the songs because I just felt so overwhelmed by all of it. Absolutely amazing. My twitter handle is @ingenium21, thanks!
The most exciting live show I saw was Les Miserables when I was little. It was my first live theatre experience, and I remember absolutely falling in love. I loved the fact that they were performing live right in front of me, and the songs and performances were breathtaking. It inspired me and got me into theatre! Ever since then, Les Miz has had a special place in my heart. I still remember how fascinated I was by the coustimes and set. The round turning stage was incredible! @lexivas
The most exciting show that I have ever seen live was Big Fish. Even though the show didn’t last as long as it should, it was such a captivating show from start to finish. How can you not fall in love with Norbert Leo Butz playing roles from a young boy to a old sick man? I saw it right when it first opened, and then my friend and I went to the closing night. The emotion in that last show grabbed a hold of the audience and had you sobbing right along with the cast at the end! This will always be one of my favorite shows!! @sassafrass227
The most exciting things that has ever happened to me in the theatre was when, as a teenager newly discovering his love for directing, I saw John Doyle’s production of Sweeney Todd from the second row and Michael Cerveris pointed at me during “Epiphany” and said, “You, sir, how about a shave?” I almost fainted. @lanewilliamson
I was at Circle in the Square for Sydney Lucas’s last performance in FUN HOME. During the finale there was a moment when the original Allisons disappeared, and instead I saw the actress Beth Malone, seeing the actress Sydney Lucas, locking eyes as they recognized the incredible thing they’ve helped create together, as women, in theater. As the song they were singing suggests, flying and falling can feel very much the same, but the audience – from all sides! – was so in love with this moment (and these actors, and this musical) that it felt like we were all soaring together. It was magical, and as Kron/Tesori wrote, I WANT MORE!
I don’t see many Shows but the ones I have seen among which were Wicked and Pippin were truly amazing. I have to say The Lion King was my favorite. The tickets were a gift from my husband for my 50th Birthday. The music, the dancing, the costumes made for a very exciting evening. I will never forget t experience. I hope I will be able to take my Granddaughter this year.It will be her first Broadway Play and I hope it will be unforgettable for her also. @PiscesMist
The most exciting live stage show I’ve ever seen as of now, is probably Hamilton when it was in previews. Because, first of all, after many times playing the lottery, I met another girl who was also trying everyday. we decided to team up and if i won I would take her, and she would do the same for me. One day we both played and she happened to win, and winning the lottery to see a show everyone and their mother is trying to see is already incredibly thrilling. The seats were front row center, basicaly the perfect spot to catch Jon Groff’s spit while he sings “You’ll be back.” The show starts and it is a rollercoster ride that gets me grooving in my seat and nodding my head to the hip hop beat. What was really exciting was the fact that I was able to catch most of many 90’s hip hop references from songs that I had not heard since i was a little kid. It brought back so many memories from the days i spent hanging with my bother watching MTV, and The Box. talk about throw back. Im not even old enough to correctly remember The Box, but it took me there. The fact that Hip Hop came to broadway was a big plus. It has never been done in that way before. It is a true Hip Hop Musical, the first of hopefully many. The choreography and flow of the show keep my excitement up and trying to catch the story and keeping an eye on everything from where i was sitting was almost overwhelming, but in the best way possible. not to mention the story was told so clearly. Most importantly, what made the show exciting was the cast that included mostly people of color. This is important because as a young black actor and person, representation means a lot. To see people who look like me telling an american story of revolution, was inspiring. made me feel for the first time that i am apart of this country. With all this talk about race relations and racism in america, which is something i am passionate about, it is important that I start seeing diversity everywhere as well as on stage, and this show hit that spot. Not only did this show excite me visually and satisfied my earbuds, but it stirred something inside of me, telling me that this too is my country and I need to go after the things I want. We only live once, and I am not throwing away my shot.
@da_go92
The most exciting show I’ve ever seen was the 2001 production of Richard II starring Sam West at the RSC in Stratford. The show was as stripped down as a show can be, and really got back to the elements of what makes theater exciting — the characters, the actors, the relationships– instead of using a lot of fancy automation and expensive scenery. It was done entirely in a white box, with the house lights on throughout the whole performance, and it felt like we were all there, all witnesses to the usurpation of a throne, and when David Troughton, as Bolingbroke, commanded the court to their feet, the vein in his forehead that stood out in relief scared the dickens out of us as an audience and we all jumped up together. I would give years off of my life to go back and see that show one more time and experience that kind of taught, fraught involvement in a show.
@SuzanEraslan
The Book of Mormon in 2012. It was the first Broadway show I have ever seen and it was simply breathtaking.
@bubblebbuss
Twitter name: Anyab
The most exciting live stage show I’ve seen was Sting’s “The Last Ship”
I have never seen a show more perfectly cast…every actor/actress in the show was amazing! And Sting’s rousing score was sheer poetry and genius. The storyline touched my heart like no other. I saw the show 7 times and loved it more and more each time I saw it. It literally broke my heart when it closed so early. I am hoping the Last Ship will set sail again on tour
I’ve still got a soft spot for Fuerza Bruta. I am not typically one for being part of the action in a show, but this was one of the few times where the energy and sense of urgency being “onstage” was truly exciting. Twitter: @dyanysus1116
The most exciting live stage show that I saw was “Billy Elliot” because of the phenomenal talent, dancing, and passion on stage.
@mymusicboxes
I saw three hours of Taylor Macs ’24 decade history of popular and it had a profound impact on me. The show deals with so many complicated ideas all of immediate relevancy. But Taylor as a maker leads the way on expanding what it means to make theatre. That show made me want to build a better theatre and always strive towards authentic failure after impossible goals.
@chemunn
For my ninth birthday, my mom took me to see a local theater production of west side story. I have no idea where the rest of my family was, but I was the lucky beneficiary of my mom’s second season ticket on opening night. I had always loved Disney musical movies, but seeing Maria and Tony’s story on stage was the most exciting thing I had ever seen on stage. It was the first non “children’s theater” production I had been to and I got to see this beautiful love story with a tragic end of stage. I was too young to know Romeo and Juliet, so the story was brand new to me and I was so excited that I got to be one of the first people to see if, not knowing, of course, that it was a classic. It was brand new and I thought, just for me, which made it the most exciting and life changing moment of my life.
@freck1123
I would have to say wicked. While I had been to see shows on Broadway before I had been young. When I saw wicked the show just hooked me into theather. I always loved to wizard of oz but when elphphaba flies at the end of act one I was floored. I the idea that this wonderful show was happening live in person right in front of me, excited me.
@kickenkid7
@Hesiods
The most “exciting” live stage show I’ve ever seen would be the first show I’d seen on Broadway: Phantom. Prior to this, I formed an attachment to the film and the book by Gaston Leroux and by the time I recieved a ticket to see the show for my 18th birthday, I was stoked. The show was exciting for me because it was a story I had become so invested in; the stories, the characters, the haunting tunes. I was seated in what felt like the sky (really high up balcony) and yet I felt like I was experiencing my own little piece of Heaven. Seeing it in person and knowing all the lines and experiencing the splendor of the set up of the stage was truly remarkable and not only was it my first Broadway show, but it is the most memorable. The entire experience was euphoric and my heart was pounding uncontrollably with excitement from start to finish!
I have seen many exciting productions, so it is very difficult to choose just one. But certainly one of the most exciting was Peter Sellars’ production of AJAX starring Howie Seago, who signed his role. It was an extraordinary anti-war production, and the physicality of the signing was so powerful that I have been wanting to add sign language into all my shows since.
Twitter: @erinmee1
I think that the most exciting show I’ve ever seen would have to be Wicked. I think a lot of the excitement had to do with the fact that I had been listening to the soundtrack for the past two years and was finally getting to see the show in person. Also, the music is just so loud and fun, the costumes are incredible (and often quite flashy), and I loved the acrobatics that the flying monkeys did. What a great show!
My Twitter handle is @HeyJennaC
Thanks for providing this awesome opportunity!
One of the first big musicals I ever saw was the original production of Starlight Express in London, when I was a little kid, and it was sooo exciting! People on roller skates literally skating all around me, since the stage had a track that went around the theatre!! I was very much awestruck the entire time, I’ll never forget it.
Twitter: @ladystardust25
The most exciting show for me had to be the first time I saw The Lion King. It was like nothing else on Broadway and the opening number alone brought all the emotions; it’s so poignant in my memory!
Thanks for offering this; I still haven’t seen this show and want to experience it so badly!
My twitter handle is real_wetmogwai
The most exciting live show I have ever saw was a community theater production of Carrie the Musical. It was performed in an school building that became an arts center. The theater was creepy and seemed haunted which made the show a million times better. I fell in love with the music of Carrie and the teen angst. It provoked my interest in darker materials and Carrie has been one of my favorite shows ever since. @lydiashirley
Wow .What is the most exciting live stage show I’ve ever seen, and what made it so?
“A Chorus Line” at the Shubert Theatre was one of the first…I was so moved, .. seeing Yul Brynner in “The King and I” at the Broadway Theatre in ’85 is certainly up there. I’d seen the movie and to see him do it live was incredible. Alan Cummings’ one man “Macbeth” had me mesmerized… and multiple visits to Sting’s “The Last Ship” seemed more passionate and became more exciting each time….
Recently I found “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” at Paper Mill Playhouse to be incredibly exciting..especially the scenes between Michael Arden and Patrick Page ..their work together was electric,… and Michael Arden’s Quasi, with his flawed and simple sign language added so much depth. That (as well as loving the original production of “Spring Awakening”) led me to see Deaf West’s “Spring Awakening” which I think is one of the most exciting, original shows I’ve ever seen. I think the passion that a great cast has for their show is what makes it exciting. The added dimension of ASL gives it so much depth it’s almost too rich, and there’s never a moment that isn’t richly and intensely satisfying. @karen111s
I have not seen a lot of broadway musicals, but from the ones I have seen, Kinky Boots stands out. It’s fun and very entertaining!
Twitter name: @luvmacarons
The most exciting show I’ve seen is Kinky Boots, because it was the first Broadway show I saw live after e obsessed with Broadway for years, so I was ecstatic.
My twitter handle is @moritzstiefeIs (the l in “stiefels” is actually an uppercase i so copy and paste it to find me)
Twitter: @SooEuropean
The most exciting show I’ve ever seen was the recent Broadway production of A View From The Bridge, because the acting was so good, and the tension was so high, that my heart didn’t stop beating the whole time!
Honestly, the most exciting show I’ve seen was the original “Spring Awakening” with Jon Groff and Lea Michele and that phenomenal ensemble. It was staged like a rock concert, the choreography was so inventive, and as you sat there watching them you were in awe that you were lucky enough to see these amazingly talented young people in a truly one-of-a-kind show. A “Perfect Storm” of talent.
Grease would have to be the show for me. It was 1999 and te very first show I ever saw on Broadway. Walking into the theatre with my mom and finding our seats (last row of the orchestra and there were standing room people behind us and I just couldn’t get over that) and sitting down and looking through a playbill for the first time. The whole experience of getting ready to see a show was so thrilling. I remember sitting through the small pre-show they did and just being wowed by everything and then the lights went out and my excitement went through the roof. That show is still one of my favorites and the O’Neill is still my favorite theatre because of that show and experience. @Victoria1220
I remember seeing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and thinking that it was the most fascinating, thrilling, and intense piece of theater I had ever seen. Everything from the set design and lighting to the incredible acting absolutely blew my mind. Sitting in my seat so far from the stage, it was the first time I ever felt so involved without actually experiencing an interactive show. Every experience for the character – an autistic math whiz on a desperate mission to solve a local mystery – was mirrored for the audience through every possible facet of the production. Even if for a moment, I could understand what it must mean to be overstimulated, confused, and lost as an individual moving through this world with autism. It was such a revelatory experience, one in which I could connect to a character that I never imagined myself to be capable of understanding, let alone relating to. The piece was so transformative for me in my life. It urged me to see the world as such a different place, allowing me to connect to individuals that I never before would have spoken to. It certainly heightened my abilities to accept and empathize, which are traits whose value I never quite fully realized until leaving that theater.
My twitter handle is @jenziaburgos
Thanks!
Most exciting show ever–so hard to choose. Was going to say The Producer’s with Nathan Lane. But Serafina won out perhaps it was the music and the excitement of the end of apartheid and the energy of Ladyith Black Mambazo. It is most memorable with excitement. lyndacc