Speaking of high school, back in those dark ages I remember the school sponsoring trips to see Broadway shows. I think I saw at least two shows that way, but the one that stands out is "Brighton Beach Memoirs." I remember the mass moving up from the last row to the front of the balcony as there were so many empty seats and it was the custom of the day to move up to the more expensive seats. I also remember thinking in a couple of years Chuck, another high school friend, could replace Matthew Broderick in the lead.
As an adult, I had a meeting in NYC so the company paid for me to spend the night in the city. Don joined me. We went to the TKTS building and bought last minute half-price tickets to see "Miss Saigon." I wish we lived closer so we could take advantage of that deal more often.
i remember seeing "Beauty and the Beast" and "Lion King" with Don early in our marriage. We saw "Beauty and the Beast" a second time to celebrate my sister Melissa's birthday.
When Ashley was 5 we took her to see "Mary Poppins" on Broadway. THAT was one of the most magical experiences of our lives. We were chatting with the stage door manager before the show. He introduced us to each of the actors as they came in for their calls. We were invited inside for a back stage tour led by one of the crew. He let us take pictures of ourselves on the stage, and gave Ashley a broken prop. We were invited back for another back stage tour, which was led by "Mr. Banks." During the second tour we were not allowed to sit on the set. 
A year later we were serenaded by Young Nala and Young Simba after seeing "Lion King." We learned a lot from their moms about what life is like for a young Broadway performer. 
Fast forward a few years to Spring Break 2013. A deal from Disney credit card gave us the push we needed to go into NYC to see "Newsies" on Broadway. The show was phenomenal! The singing and dancing are quite entertaining. Everyone on stage looked like they were living their dreams and having the time of their lives. I will concede, though, that the plot is extremely thin. You go to this show for the dancing not for the plot twists. On the other hand, this makes it a great show to bring kids to because it is so entertaining.
I feel we had the best seats in the house. The coupon let us choose just about any seat for their discounted price, so we chose wisely. We were 5th row mezzanine in the dead center. The seats, in the balcony, are extremely steep, which meant Ashley could see over the head of the lady in front of her. As we were in the last row before the aisle, we did get her a booster seat so she could see even better.
The theater itself is tiny -- no wasted space on a wide lobby so it is a log jam to get inside, and another one to get out. The traffic flow in the ladies' room was nice (I know some of you care about this). By the time we left there was such a crowd around the actors, who were enthusiastically signing autographs, and we were tired from a long day walking around NYC, so we walked the two blocks to the Port Authority Parking Lot. I think Ashley was asleep before we left NYC.
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