Friday 5: 5 Female Performances to Look Forward to This Spring

5 Female Performances

to Look Forward to This Spring

Just like last week's picks for male performances (HERE), the hardest part of today's Friday 5 was narrowing down to just 5 performances! There's quite a mix here. A favorite performer, a couple of exciting debuts and a pair that I'm excited to finally see after years of missing them!

McKenzie Kurtz (Betsy - Schmigadoon!)

I absolutely adored her star turn as the meanest Heather in Heathers: The Musical. So I know she's terrific at dark humor and satire. Now I know exactly nothing about Schmigadoon! or her part in it, but if those crazy ads are any indication, it looks like she's great at parody and innuendo, too. I can't wait to find out!

Juliette Lewis (Magenta - The Rocky Horror Show)

I've been a fan of Ms. Lewis for years. She is a quirky queen! My favorite performance of hers was in the touching film, The Other Sister. I can only imagine how quirky and fun she will be as Magenta in Rocky Horror! I expect her to be fully committed and exciting in her Broadway debut!

Marla Mindelle (Celine Dion - Titanique)

It has been several years since I've enjoyed the comedy and musical stylings of Ms. Mindelle. Memorable in both Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (as a wicked step sister!) and Sister Act (as novice Mary Robert!), I'm excited to see her perform again, but I am so thrilled to see her acclaimed show as creator and writer of the show. It's wonderful when people you admire have all their dreams come true, isn't it?

"Tempress" Chastity Moore (Grizabella - Cats: The Jellicle Ball)

One of the great musical roles, Grizabella doesn't get much stage time, but what an impact! Some great ladies have taken on the Glamour Cat, and I have no doubt Ms. Moore will be brilliant! I'm especially looking forward to see how this kitty's fate will play out in this Ballroom take on the Broadway classic. And I hear "Tempress" is already an icon. We love an icon.

Jessica Vosk (Cee Cee Bloom - Beaches)

Ms. Vosk is one of those actresses I've heard about for years, but have somehow always managed to miss. For that reason alone, she belongs on this list. But what I'm looking forward to seeing is just how she will fill the shoes of the creator of the role, Bette Midler. It'll be tough - Midler was terrific - but I never underestimate the potential of a Broadway diva in the making!

From Where We Sat: New York City Center (House Right Mezzanine

Today, we have the next in our series of seating articles based on many of your emails requests and questions, namely "how were your seats?" Sure, I'm aware of another website that provides a similar service that covers New York theaters, national theaters and concert and sporting venues. I hope to provide a bit more information and insight. That said, if there's anything more you'd like to know or want to share your own experiences please feel free to contact us on social media at JKsTheatreScene.

From Where We Sat:

New York City Center - Main Stage

(House Right Mezzanine)

The Theatre: 

• 131 W. 55th Street
• Current capacity: 2257 seats
• Orchestra, Grand Tier, Mezzanine and Balcony seating

What We Saw There:

• The Wild Party (review HERE)

Where We Sat: 

• Mezzanine Row C, Seats 14 & 16. All of the seating in this theater has above average leg room. The seats themselves were comfortable and in excellent condition.

What We Paid: 

• $69.00 (Today Tix discount price)

The Location: 

• Upon entering the theater, we were directed to the right headed toward the mezzanine level. It is about 2 floors up. There is a large staircase near an added benefit: the merch stand and hearing device station are right next to an elevator to all floors. 
• Row C is the fourth row from the front of the section, which is directly behind the 5 row Grand Tier section.

Seat Amenities:

• In addition to legroom, these seats offer additional comfort.
• The rows of the mezzanine seating are semi-stadium style, so there is no problem seeing over the person in front of you.
• Exiting the theatre is simple. From here, the exit doors are just a few feet away in either direction, and with the wide hallways that lead back to the spacious lobby, there is virtually no delay in filing out. Similarly, the staircases are wide and allow for a steady stream of egress. Finally, as mentioned above there are elevators, but the lines are long to use them. Going down the stairs is much easier than going up, so that's how we exited.
• We were out of the theater and on our way in less than 5 minutes post curtain call.
• The restrooms are on only one side of the theater at this level. As you might guess, the lines are long before a show with no intermission.

So how was the view*?

• We had a full view of the action, including the front of the stage and upstage.
• The seats were not too far off center, and with the rake of the seats, we were pretty much seeing it fully, with the actors in view from head to toe at all times. I don't think people in the orchestra seating on the extreme sides or too close to the tall stage can say the same. The way this production was staged, I'm pretty sure we didn't miss anything on the extreme upstage left portion of the playing space.
• The seats are also close enough that facial expressions and set and costume details were clear.

The bottom line:

• I would choose these specifically. The view is perfect, and they are comfortable.

* - Your seating preferences may vary, of course. And these seats may not be as ideal for a different production.

Other seating at New York City Center - Main Stage

• We have seen several productions at this theater - all Encores! musicals - and we've sat in various locations in the mezzanine and balcony areas. Everywhere we sat afforded a full view of the stage.
• A couple of times, we sat in the center front balcony section. The seats had a fair amount of leg room. You could see the whole stage at once, but it is pretty far from the stage, so you don't really see the details and facial expressions. They are great for the budget conscious. One important note: these seats are at the top of a tall theater, so there are many flights of stairs. There are elevators, but as mentioned earlier, they have limited capacity, so it may take awhile to get up there that way.
• The view from the mezzanine is very good, no matter the location and it feels relatively close to the stage. The leg room is great and the stadium style seating creates full, unobstructed views. There is a rear section that is center, and those seats offer slightly more leg room. That said, while you do have a clear view of the stage from there, you are aware of the balcony overhang. The price difference in these seats may make sitting there a great economic choice, if that's an issue for you.

To read about the view from center mezzanine at New York City Center, click/tap HERE.

 

The JKTS Fan Playlist 22-23 Season: Round 5: Bad Cinderella, Shucked and New York New York

 The JKTS Fan Playlist 22-23 Season:

Bad Cinderella, Shucked & New York New York

Each week, we'll create a survey of all the songs from 3 or 4 shows, and you'll select your 3 favorites from each show (only 3, please!). At the end of the week, we'll tally your choices and the top three from each show will go on to the next round, and so on until we've created a Fan Favorite "Playlist" of one song from each show. 

Up first is the 2022-2023 season, which had 6 musical revivals and 9 new musicals. The final 3 new musicals that opened that season, Bad Cinderella, Shucked and New York New York are on this week's survey. 

• Complete the survey by selecting up to three songs from each show. When you are done, you must tap the SUBMIT button for it to count.
• PLEASE NOTE: It may ask you for an email address to verify you are a real person, but it is NOT collecting your data
• If you would rather, you can email us: jktheatrescene@yahoo.com. Put Playlist Round 3 in the subject line. Then name the show and each of your choices.


Have fun and thank you for playing!