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How to See a Broadway Show Without Leaving New Jersey

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It’s a lot of fun to head to New York and catch a Broadway show. But with the average cost of a single tickets going for about $120, add in travel and food and things can add up quickly. Luckily, you don’t have to go to NYC for a Broadway caliber show. You can see one here without paying top prices and traveling very far.  Here are five great theaters to see a play in New Jersey. 1.     State Theatre New Jersey (New Brunswick, NJ) This old vaudeville theater located in Central Jersey,   has   an array of programming (this reads a bit like a press release. A little boring) including Broadway shows. Built in 1921 by the theater and cinema designer Thomas W. Lamb, it was revitalized into a performing arts center in the 1980s. Each year, State Theatre presents their Broadway Series, which features touring productions of hit musicals like Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Fiddler on the Roof . You can see concert and stand up at the 1800-seat-venue. As one reviewer, Zakiyia
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A Plea to All Ushers

I saw "Rent" at the State Theatre last Thursday. It was amazing. But this post is not about that. This post is about the audience. As I've gotten older, I think I've become something of a theatre snob. (It IS ridiculous that the theatre was selling things like hot dogs, popcorn and soft pretzels in the lobby, but maybe that's another post.) I personally believe that when you go to the theatre, you should dress nicely, you should be attentive during the show and you should applaud when the show is finished. Right? Is that too much to ask? I guess so, because the audience at the show was CRAZY. My BIGGEST pet peeve is people on their phones during shows. And there were so many of them! Texting! Snapchatting! Taking pictures of the stage WITH THEIR FLASH ON! And this wasn't just a single person. There were multiple occasions, and that's only from where I was sitting in the rear balcony. Only once did I see an usher come over and flash their little flas
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Why Everyone Should Listen to The Prom

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Hi. Have you listened to The Prom yet? That's ok if you haven't. Just go listen to it first and then come back here. It's on Spotify. It's even better if you have! Go put it on anyway. Don't worry, I'll wait. Now, at this point, you may have figured out that I am a bit of a theatre fan. It's true. I love listening to so many musicals. Yet very rarely there comes along a musical that is so incredible that I want to completely submerge myself into it. I listen to it nonstop, I read all the information about it, I watch cast videos on Youtube, and, of course, I beg everyone around me to go with me to see it. I think the last musical that I felt this way about was...Fun Home, in 2015. Then I listened to The Prom. This musical is amazing. It's loosely based on a real story of a prom being canceled because a teenage girl wanted to bring her girlfriend as her date. But in this version, a group of aging Broadway stars come from NYC all the way to Indiana to
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Revisiting Old Favorites: American Idiot

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I am a very sentimental person, and because of this, I spend an awful lot of time thinking about the past. Yes, at 20 years old, one of the scariest things I can do is think about being in high school. And yet, lately, I have found myself thinking a lot about that, and who I was back then. And, of course, that means thinking about all the musicals I used to listen that I haven't touched in years. So I thought I would make a blog series where I revisited my old favorites. The first one I decided on was Broadway's " American Idiot ". I was so obsessed with this in high school. A good friend of mine and I used to listen to it all the time and talk about it every day. Also, it was so popular on Tumblr back in 2013. Even so, I hadn't listened to it in years. "American Idiot" (the musical) is of coursed based off of Green Day's conceptual punk opera album "American Idiot". The original album, by the way, is probably one of the greate
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So What's Next for Me?

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I am SO excited. This Saturday, I'm going to see " Hello, Dolly! " I cannot wait. Ever since they announced that Bernadette Peters and Victor Garber were going to be in it, my mom and I knew we HAD to go. My mom has been a Victor Garber fan since she listened to " Godspell " for the first time when she was 13. And Bernadette Peters...I mean, she's Bernadette Freaking Peters . I mean, Bette Midler is Bette Midler, and yes, she truly took charge of the stage when she won that Tony. It was incredible, I'm not denying that. But Bernadette Peters, to me, is everything. It's just so exciting! I can't think of the words to say, because I'm just SO EXCITED! And, of course, Victor Garber. I love "Godspell" too, thanks mom. I don't love him nearly as much as my mom does, though, but I don't think anyone does. And Gavin Creel is in it, a man I have had a crush on for quite some time - I had both a "Thoroughly Modern Mill
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Theatre in Other Forms: "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"

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Theatre is just theatre, except when it's not. What? That's right, theatre isn't just on Broadway - it's on our TV screens, too. "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" on the CW is my favorite TV show and honestly one of the funniest shows currently airing (the other funniest show is NBC's " The Good Place "). But what is it? It's a dark comedy/musical show. Isn't that great? A musical, on my TV, every week. I love it! It's so funny, and so twisted. It chronicles Rebecca Bunch's ( Rachel Bloom , whose Youtube channel alone is hysterical, but pretty NSFW, so be careful!) journey with mental illness after she uproots her big city life to move to California to chase after the man of her dreams, Josh Chan ( but she didn't move here for Josh ). The show also features a great cast of singing talent, including Broadway stars such as Tovah Feldshuh, Patti LuPone , Santino Fontana, Lea Salonga, Josh Groban and more. The songs are hilarious, wri
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My Top Five Best Shows

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In my life, I have been lucky to see plenty of shows, but only a few that deserve the title of best. Now, in my mind, there is a big difference between "favorite" and "best." Not all of my favorites are the best, and not all of the best are my favorites. I can enjoy things that just are not very good. But here are the top five best shows I have seen. 5. " On the 20th Century " Posing with Peter Gallagher Seeing the 2015 revival of this Comden and Green classic was a revelation. It was such a fun and delightful performance from one of my favorite theatre seasons. When I think back to seeing this  show, I think so much of Kristin Chenoweth's incredible performance. I truly believe that woman can do no wrong. Another standout was Andy Karl , who deserves to star in a big hit soon. It is a great comedy that is about theatre itself and, I mean, they put a train onstage. I cannot find a picture of it online, but I assure you it was just as awesome
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