Tuesday, August 7, 2007


I recently joined the 2007 New York Musical Theatre Festival as a Gold Member. Last year I was a Silver Member.

Each year, during a three-week festival in September and October, NYMF presents more than thirty new musicals at various locations in the midtown theater district. More than half of these productions are chosen by leading theater artists and producers through an open-submission, double-blind evaluation process; the remaining shows are invited to participate by the Festival's artistic staff. In the Festival’s first three years, seven shows transferred to off-Broadway commercial runs, four more were picked up by regional theaters and numerous others secured options or financing.

Past Festival offerings that went on to successful off-Broadway runs include ALTAR BOYS, THE BIG VOICE: GOD OR MERMAN, THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL, [TITLE OF SHOW], and SHOUT! THE MOD MUSICAL.

My Gold membership, at $100.00 (actually it was $105.00 – there is some kind of hidden fee when you order online), includes tickets to four (4) productions plus other “perks”. While tickets for the general public go on sale starting September 1st, members can reserve their seats now. I have already ordered a seat for SHERLOCK HOLMES (THE EARLY YEARS), THE BRAIN FROM PLANET X, I SEE LONDON, I SEE FRANCE (THE UNDERWEAR MUSICAL), and THE KIDS LEFT, THE DOG DIED, NOW WHAT? I also plan to see SUCH GOOD FRIENDS and WITH GLEE.

The shows are performed in small off-off-Broadway theatres with minimal budgets and tickets are really cheap! I thoroughly enjoyed the shows I have seen through the Festival last year, and certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys musical comedy.

Speaking of musical comedy, tonight I am going to “the city” to see the latest version of Gerard Alessandrini’s 25-year off-Broadway phenomenon FORBIDDEN BROADWAY - THE ROAST OF UTOPIA SPECIAL RETROSPECTIVE SUMMER EDITION. I have seen many versions of the review at various locations over the years.

TTFN

1 comment:

Milly Chen said...

This, speaking as one of the writers of Sherlock, is excellent news. You have made a sensible purchase and will have, I can only assume, as brilliant a night as you have ever had in your entire life. (The blogger link, indidentally, is in the name of a persona I, Robert Hudson invented to tell the silly story on the blog, which I am writing because I can't work on anything more serious during the Sherlock period. I've left the blog in that name because it's a better name for someone to read it under if they arrive randomly.)