on location: northeast O randy mink s warmer weather hits the streets of little old New York, exciting plays with big-name stars, are in the mix. the Broadway theater scene promises to be red-hot, of- Martin says the musicals to watch are: Afering tour groups a dizzying array of choices. Jesus Christ Superstar. The Stratford Shakespeare Fes- This spring, in fact, will be “the busiest season I ever could tival’s new interpretation of the classic rock opera by Andrew have imagined,” said Dennis Martin, director, group sales pro- Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, one of the most popular musicals grams, Broadway.com/Groups. “When one show closes, no of all time, just opened at the Neil Simon Theatre. more than a day and half goes by before another moves in.” Evita. A new production of Webber and Rice’s legendary Martin said not a single theater—Broadway has 40 of show won critical acclaim when it premiered in London in 2006. ’em—will be empty by the end of April, the deadline for shows Superstar Ricky Martin and its London original star, Argentine to open if they want to be considered for a Tony Award this actress Elena Roger, head up a cast that includes Tony Award June. At least seven new musicals, plus revivals and some winner Michael Cerveris. The first-ever Broadway revival of Evita From cutting-edge productions to revivals of old favorites, New York City stages offer groups a tempting spring and summer calendar BROADWAYBOOM Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, a mind-blowing theatrical adventure, continues to create buzz 52 April 2012 on Broadway. LeisureGroupTravel.com ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: See the article on Manhattan’s budget-friendly Apple Core Hotels at http://leisuregrouptravel.com/?p=26095. Angela Lansbury, Candice Bergen and Eric McCormack of tele- All 40 Broadway theaters, most vision’s Will and Grace. of them on streets Other Martin recommendations opening in April are End of off Times Square, will have tenants the Rainbow, a drama with music about the final months of this spring. Judy Garland, and for younger audiences, Peter and the Star- catcher, a prequel to the tale of Peter Pan. Disney Theatrical Group’s The Lion King, the seventh longest-running musical in Broadway history, opened in opens April 5 at the Marquis Theatre. Ghost The Musical. Bruce Joel Rubin has adapted his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for the stage. The score includes the iconic song “Unchained Melody,” performed in the 1990 film by The Righteous Brothers. The new musical opens April 23 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Nice Work If You Can Get It. Two-time Tony Award winner Matthew Broderick (The Producers) and three-time Tony nom- inee Kelli O’Hara (South Pacific) star in this brand-new Gershwin musical comedy, a song-and-dance spectacular set in the Roaring ’20s. Songs include “But Not for Me,” “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” and “I’ve Got a Crush on You.” It opens April 24 at the Imperial Theatre. Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Sister Act—hot new musicals that opened last spring—con- tinue to pack in the crowds, Martin said. How to Succeed in Business Without Re- ally Trying, which debuted last spring with Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame), now stars Nick Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers) and Beau Bridges. The must-see new comedy, Martin said, is One Man, Two Guvnors. The National Theatre of Great Britain’s production, laced with low-brow British humor, is “wet-your- pants funny.” It opens April 18 at the Music Box Theatre. Revivals of three classic plays also are creating Broadway buzz, according to Mar- tin. They are Death of a Salesman, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman; A Streetcar Named Desire; and Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, a political drama starring James Earl Jones, LeisureGroupTravel.com April 2012 53 Hot tickets this summer: Cirque du Soleil’s surreal Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall and the wild musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. on location: northeast O people. With a cast of 75 international artists, the rock opera blends circus arts with the surreal to create a world where November of 1997 and is still going strong. Only Phantom of physical virtuosity rubs shoulders with the bizarre, a slightly the Opera, which opened in 1988, and Chicago (1996) have twisted fantasy universe where, little by little, chaos and crazi- been on Broadway longer than The Lion King. Other long-run- ness give way to festivity and love. ning current shows: Mamma Mia (2001), Wicked (2003) and The story follows Zark, a magician who has lost his pow- Jersey Boys (2005). Disney’s Mary Poppins, now in its sixth ers—and the love of his life—in an abandoned theater popu- year, also continues to be a group favorite. lated by a motley collection of off-the-wall characters and One of New York’s hottest tickets this summer will be Cirque incomparable acrobats. He runs into the Mutants, four sirens du Soleil’s Zarkana. Running from June 6 through Sept. 2, the as sinister as they are fabulous, who are determined to divert acrobatic spectacle returns to Radio City Music Hall after a tri- him from his quest. Zarkana has been playing Moscow’s Krem- Jeremy Daniel, Richard Termine Costume: Termine Richard Daniel, Jeremy du Soleil ©2011 Cirque Hranitelj Alan umphant 2011 premiere season that drew more than 500,000 lin State Palace Theatre and moves to Las Vegas this fall. Blue Man Group, the long-running Off- Broadway hit, continues to dazzle groups at New York’s Astor Palace Theatre and just introduced new material in March. New passages include Blue Men interacting with “GiPads,” a perceptive look at contempo- rary communication vehicles, and a pulsat- ing new finale featuring an original music score. Much of the new content is from the company’s larger-scale productions, adapted for use in the intimate venues. “We like to call it ‘alternative Broadway’— a synthesis of our intimate Off-Broadway roots with the spectacle we created for our larger shows,” said Chris Wink, who co- founded Blue Man Group with Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman. Stanton said, “Many of our audience’s favorite passages, including ‘Paint Drum- ming’ and ‘Gum Balls/Marshmallows’, will continue to be a part of the production. And yes, the first few rows still will need to wear ponchos.” LGT NEW YORK BOSTON CHICAGO LAS VEGAS ORLANDO NATIONAL TOUR Obtain New York visitor guides and itineraries and contact group-friendly suppliers directly 1.800.BLUEMAN BLUEMAN.COM Appearing exclusively at sea onboard at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info 54 April 2012 LeisureGroupTravel.com .