ITTN’s Shane Cullen and members of the Irish travel trade are visiting New York City with New York City Tourism + Conventions in conjunction with airline partner, JetBlue and accommodation partner, Fitzpatrick Hotel Group New York.
Broadway – Best in Class
The group were treated to the live stage adaption of the Academy Award-winning 1994 Disney film, The Lion King, at the Minskoff Theatre on 200 West 45th Street, New York.
This show is the winner of six Tony Awards® including Best Musical. Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor reimagines the popular story using some of the theatre’s most extraordinary stagecraft. The Lion King also features the exceptional work of Tony Award-winning choreographer Garth Fagan and a score by the Tony Award-winning songwriting team of Elton John and Tim Rice.
The show was exceptional. The performances, the costumes, the quality of the sound and the energy remind me why Broadway is the pinnacle of musical theatre. The Minskoff Theatre holds 1,200 members of the audience and tickets are north of $200 per person (mid-week evening show at time of print).
In terms of musicals, plays, opera, dance and more – Broadway Inbound organise group discounts, student theatre trips and more. Talk to Jered Fournier and the team at Broadway Inbound.
Broadway Week with New York City Tourism + Convention
It’s worth noting that New York City Tourism + Convention run Broadway Week twice a year. This offers 2-for-1 tickets for a vast array of performances. Having purchased this offer last year on a trip to New York with my other half, it is very straight forward, has a large array of shows and times and gives a sizeable saving on a memorable experience.
Calling all Music Nerds
For music nerds like myself, I managed to take a peak at the orchestra pit. A friendly usher explained a full orchestra accompanies the performers. Most of the orchestra sits below in the pit with a separate room for the brass to avoid bleeding sounds. The music and singers were breathtakingly good. You can’t go to New York without seeing a show.
A High-Brow Performance at the Metropolitan Opera
Making sure the outfit was spick and span, I headed to the opera with members of the Irish travel trade to enjoy an evening at Romeo et Juliette.
Soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Benjamin Bernheim played the star-crossed lovers in Gounod’s Shakespeare adaptation of Romeo et Juliette, with Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the performance.
The incredible performance was at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. You might recognise the setting from Black Swan or Ghostbusters!
The performance is sung in French and the run time is just over three hours. While there is no dress code, dress up rather than dressing down. Full-on floor-length sparkles for girls or guys would not look out of place (I opted for a more subtle black velvet blazer but this is a fancy affair).
Tickets for Romeo et Juliette cost from $174 per person with the run ending on 30th March. For the rest of the 2024 season and 2025 season, check out here.
It’s worth remembering $25 rush tickets available are many performances and go on sale for Monday through Friday evening performances at noon, for matinees four hours before curtain, and for Saturday evenings at 2:00 pm. These sell out quickly – for more, check out here.
ITTN’s Shane Cullen and members of the Irish travel trade are visiting New York City with New York City Tourism + Conventions in conjunction with airline partner, jetBlue and accommodation partner, Fitzpatrick Hotel Group New York.
For More on New York City
Check out ITTN’s interview with Chris O’Sullivan, General Manager of Fitzpatrick Manhattan, part of the Irish-owned and Irish run Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, New York:
For more on New York City for the travel trade, check out – https://www.business.nyctourism.com/travel-trade.
