Broadway in Austin at Texas Performing Arts

I have had season passes to Broadway in Austin in the past and bought individual tickets as well. This is a great time for everyone. Amazing shows that bring the audience to their feet, terriffic seats with great views of the stage and always a fun time with friends!
Broadway is fun, but getting to see it here in Austin is even better. If there is a musical you’ve been waiting to see, do not hesitate and GO! So much fun!

I love musicals! I also loved The Little Mermaid when I was younger, so when the opportunity came up to attend I was all in! The entire production for The Little Mermaid was awww inspiring! They really did allow my imagination to believe I was under the sea! The actors and musicians were spectacular. All the mermaids and sea creatures were as realistic as possible with every motion they made and it stood out all the way up on the balcony of the Bass Hall. Oh and the Bass Hall is definitely of my favorites venues in Austin. I love the views from the different sections and the seats are super comfy and accommodating to big booties. Before the show started there were different Little Mermaid activities through out the hall. There was a photobooth in one area and an artists wall where people could draw whatever they wanted in the frames — it was all mermaid themed, which as totally cool! My good friend, Thao E and I had so much fun! I look forward to attending more shows in the future! Thank you to Broadway in Austin @ Texas Performing Arts, to Unilocal and the amazing Kelly S for having an amazing relationship with each other!

I recently attended Kinky Boots, and it was great. While I barely recall the movie, I can honestly say that the musical was way better. The music was excellent, as is the dialogue and the storyline. More than those parts was the incredible cast. It’s been a long time since this Ex-​New Yorker has see such talent. Thank you to TPA for bringing these talented people to Austin. It reminded me of the boundless abilities of Broadway theatre.
The space is wonderful. If you haven’t been to the Performing Arts Center before, then go to their website and find a show to attend. It’s a beautiful space with good acoustics and comfy seats. The only, small, caveat is that the orchestra seats are one very long row — so expect for people to be stepping over you to get to their seats.

Wonderful experience seeing «Kinky Boots» at Bass — much better than previous shows!. Too bad they didn’t have a specialty boot store in the lobby, cuz I was primed to buy after this show :-)
Texas Performing Arts has really stepped up their game. All the external aspects went extremely well:
— Parking was no issue despite arriving 10 minutes before the show — those garages were
easy entry and easy exit.
— Ticket pickup was straight-​forward
— Finally, plenty of time between acts to get a drink and make a pit stop. Certain things
cannot be rushed!
— Sound and lighting were quite good — my personal problem was understanding the
English accents.
And Kinky Boots itself — wowsa! Great dance scenes (we got to see some cool ballroom
dancing — can you say «Tango»), especially with the cabaret «girls». «Lola», the lead, simply knocked it out of the park. Lola is a bravura role, with both an in your face high energy drag queen diva part, and the sensitive, insecure boy underneath the shimmer and boots. J. Harrison Ghee nailed it. The tap your feet, get up and dance boogie sound drew everyone in, and of course, the kinky boots just took it over the top. And I really enjoyed the message, much more subtle than I expected. Great show, recommend it to everyone.

Broadway in Austin does a phenomenal job of putting on Broadway-​level professional musicals. It doesn’t hurt that Bass Hall is a great place to see a musical. I’ve seen several shows in the Broadway in Austin series here, and I have never been disappointed in the production quality of these shows. My favorites so far have been Les Mis, Book of Mormon, and Wicked. And wow, those Lion King costumes! Yes, it can be an expensive night out, but it’s a huge bargain considering the outrageous prices many of these shows command in NYC.
I was a season subscriber for a couple years, and it’s a great program. You save some money on the tickets, and you can even buy additional tickets for individual shows before the public.
Shout out to Unilocal for the complimentary orchestra tickets to opening night of Kinky Boots! It was a fun spectacle of a show with a positive message.

Kinky Boots was hilarious and incredibly well-​performed. The entire experience was more than satisfactory.
+Smooth ticketing and check-​in process
+Great seats in the orchestra section; even from my side-​ish seats, the view was fine
+High-​quality sound and lights production
Very professional overall. Would definitely come back.

Thanks to Unilocal in Austin, I got treated to fantastic seats for Kinky Boots last night.
I’ve seen previous broadways in Austin and other theater events in general, but I loved this broadway!
It was so cheery even though the play had a deeper meaning. The audience was laughing throughout the whole play! The crew didn’t miss a note at all! They all seemed like they were genuinely having fun on stage and they were super fun to watch. The lead performer, what an amazing voice!
Everyone says you’re going to love this play when you see it, and you really will. It’s a gem in its self, but it’s uniqueness is what makes it so great.
Hats off to Cyndi Laper, you did great!

Keri B owns red kinky boots and did not wear them when we went to watch Kinky Boots. There must be some kind of punishment for this kind of hurtful lapse in judgement, but I was her guest so I said «it’s okay.»
This production was a dream: well-​crafted sets and well-​timed set changes; flashing disco lights when appropriate (which: always); the topic of shoes discussed every other minute; the absolutely amazing performers, especially Lola and her drag crew. Did I want to storm the stage, throw on some boots and pretend I knew the dance routines? Sure. Had I just had prosecco while wearing my own heels, which would have rendered me collapsed in the aisles on my way to storm the stage? You betcha. I instead kept myself put and annoyed my fellow patrons with seated dancing, timely hollering, and intense clapping. It’s the closest this east coast theater minor gets to Broadway in Texas, and it totally delivers.
What you should know: an hour ahead of the show there is ample parking in the parking garage to your left (if traveling west from I35) on Clyde Littlefield Dr. It was $ 10 and worth it. There are beers, wines, and bubbly inside ranging from $ 8 — $ 10. I strongly suggest a pre-​show happy hour, which will make you — and I’m not kidding on this — generally quite happy. When intermission hits, run upstairs to the second floor bathrooms, as that line is usually shorter to start. Each time I have seen a different show, there has been some kind of fun posing area set up on the platform right across from the main entrance doors. Just in case you’re looking for a photo op (and if you’re not then you probably should be).
We had amazing seats and I temporarily lost my voice, meaning it was the best idea for a Tuesday night out that has ever come to pass. Imagine yourself embraced by your family and local community as a leader in the arts and a beacon of hope, and know that this recognition will come to pass if you take advantage of these awesome productions that come to town. Support the arts, gain respect.

What is better than seeing a Broadway show from the comfort of my home city? Seeing it in New York of course! If you can’t get to Broadway, this is certainly the next best thing. Broadway Across America brings amazing talent with its touring productions. I have definitely seen far too many shows to name, because I am a musical junky.
Last night, I was treated to the jubilant, spectacular show that is, Kinky Boots. It’s the story of fathers and sons and the weight of their expectations. Young Charlie Price grows up, with his dad expecting him to take over the fourth generation of Price and Sons Shoe factory, but Charlie follows his childhood sweetheart to London instead. When Charlie’s father dies, Charlie decides to go back to his small town and save the failing shoe factory. With the help of a drag queen named Lola, who has her own story of letting her father down, he comes up with a niche market that may save the factory and may teach him a powerful lesson about acceptance.
The show was a treat and the musical numbers and costumes really will «raise you up!» Loved it! Thank you, Unilocal for the free admission! I would definitely have paid to see this one!

Ladies and Gentlemen… and those who’ve yet to decide…
Get your sequined asses out to Kinky Boots! This was my second «drag show» this week, the first being Rocky Horror, and I have to say… I absolutely LOVE a muscled, confident man in drag. Kinky Boots was one of the funnest Broadway shows I’ve seen, right up there with «Priscilla» of course. The lead, Lola, had more attitude and head snaps than a full season of «Project Runway», and a gorgeous, huge voice to back it up. AND, it was not ALL glitz and glam and neck whippin… NO, this show had a message, one that anyone could learn from… acceptance of self, of others, of what life throws at you. It was just a big huge lovefest in heels, and that’s MY kind of party.
Once again, the night was seamless, with pre show noshing just 3 minutes away at Salty Sow, easy parking in the garage, and fantastic seats thanks to Unilocal.The only thing that woulda made this better would be if I’d worn my own red Kinky Boots and been invited on stage, AGAIN, to dance with the cast. I think Dej and I woulda fit right in with the struttin and sashayin on stage… meh, their loss.

Once again, thanks to Unilocal,I had the pleasure of seeing another Broadway play, Kinky boots. It was fantastic (I think I liked it better than Jersey Boys). The actors were phenomenal especially the one who played Lola… I really enjoy seeing these performances. Thanks again!

Before 2015, the last musical I saw was a performance of School House Rock songs in the second grade. You know that counting by fives song is my jam! Now I’ve seen two musicals this year and will see Book of Mormon in a couple of months!
Bass Concert hall is a great venue for musicals. There’s not a bad seat in the house. I was up in the first balcony for Disney’s The Little Mermaid and still really enjoyed the performance. The audio was great and I was thoroughly enjoying myself the entire time. Even frequent death stares from a former employee couldn’t keep me down (Yes I saw you, creepin. Get over it. Life’s too short).
I can’t wait to see what next year’s lineup holds! These will certainly be memories that I won’t bury unda da sea!

I can’t get over how fantastic «The Little Mermaid» was last night. It brought me back to my childhood of singing ‘Part of your World’ on the top of my lungs and having a crush on Prince Eric. The production definitely captivated the audience. The costumes and props were elaborate. Performances of each character was amazing. It was just awesome how they can interpret the sea and ocean creatures onto a stage. Loved every part of it!
Thanks Unilocal Austin for the tickets!

Growing up, The Little Mermaid was one of my favorite Disney movies of all time (Second only to Beauty and the Beast, because she lived in France obviously). I’ve seen it a million times and know the words to every song by heart. I was curious to see how they would translate it to the stage but they completely nailed it. I was blown away and even admit to nearly tearing up a few times. Ah, nostalgia.
I took Noni as my plus one (my grandma) because the movie reminds me so much of our time together when I was younger. The poor woman was tasked with playing the part of Ursula numerous times in our pretend sessions, and had to suffer through hearing me sing the same songs over and over, so needless to say she earned it.
Disney gets huge props for this one because the costumes and sets were downright mesmerizing. Especially the Under the Sea performance where all the vivid colors and music were almost reminiscent of Carnival. I loved every second of this play and while Alison Woods was fantastic as Ariel, it was Melvin Abston and Jennifer Allen who stole the show for me. They played the parts of Sebastian the crab and Ursula the sea witch and sang some of the best songs of the night. Their quick wit and humor really added to the experience and made it all that much more enjoyable.
The entire cast did a phenomenal job and our seats were amazing. We were in the second balcony and had a perfect view of the entire stage. I snapped a few pictures of the backdrop but deleted them immediately when one of the workers kindly informed me that pictures were not allowed due to Disney’s strict copyright laws. I get it, you don’t become Disney without setting certain rules in place.
It was so much fun seeing children in the audience dressed in their Little Mermaid outfits. The performing arts center even provides booster seats for them so they can get a better view. We both had such a wonderful time and I will forever be grateful to both Unilocal and Texas Performing Arts for allowing me to make these special memories!

Holy smokes ANNIE! This was the best Broadway I’ve seen in Austin yet! The costumes, the set changes, the music, the DOG (Sandy!). Oh yeah. The company! Let’s not forget him! ;)
TIPS!
— Ladies, make a beeline for the bathroom (right side on level 2, left side on levels 1 and 3) as soon as intermission hits if you want to avoid the 20+ people line that emerges within minutes.
— $ 7 domestic beers and $ 8 crafts — White Rabbit, Shiner Light and Bock, Fat Tire were all available.
— I parked on Dean Keaton in those back-​in spaces and walked. It’s not a bad walk for date night.
–Also «no photography or selfies» in the theater. That’s what the usher told me. Do I not look old or smart enough to know that a selfie is a photograph?

Since I’ve been lucky enough to return to this theater quite a few times over the last few years care of Unilocal (and also, care of my own wallet), let me just share a few interesting tidbits from this trip.
One thing I found out during this trip to the theater is that Joel W. will see ANYTHING on stage and love it. For example, he mentioned he was sad about missing Mama Mia. I pointed out that it’s been in our Netflix queue for about 4 years. He said, «that’s different». Probably only interesting to me, but worth noting.
Something useful — you can save 6 $ by purchasing your parking online, but you can’t do it the day of. How do I know? Let’s just say I paid 12 $ for parking because I waited too long.
There was a very enthusiastic usher that let us know that there was NO photography in the theater at all. Even before the performance started. That’s different (so I went outside to snap my required insta pic: D).
It was nice to see Errol M. briefly, I was sad that our seats weren’t closer.
As for Annie (the musical itself) — get ready to be a kid again. It had been so long since I’d seen this show, I had forgotten all but the high points, which was kind of awesome! I can agree with Errol’s criticism — I would definitely say that sometimes it was hard to understand exactly what words the actress playing Annie was singing. Very minor though — certainly didn’t ruin my night or anything.
As for just about everything else — we get to see a lot of opening night performances, and sometimes you can tell they are sort of still figuring things out. Not the cast of Annie. They were absolutely sharp and on point. Mrs. Hannigan was frankly the star of the show. The ensemble was amazing. I rooted for the good guys and wanted to see the bad guys punished. Sometimes during shows I’m checking my watch (because, frankly, 11 on a weekday is late for me and I’m getting tired), but this show went by in the blink of an eye.
Thanks as always Unilocal,Kelly, and Texas Performing Arts for a great night!

Let me tell you what I didn’t like about «Annie» so I can move on to the good stuff: I thought Ms Swickle in the title role was charming but not a very good singer, and I wondered briefly if English was her native language. And her orphan outfit in the first act simply made her look pregnant. What’s up with that?
With that being said, it was the best Broadway in Austin show I’ve seen so far at UT’s Texas Performing Arts center. The set design and changes were amazing, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than being completely fooled by a talented ensemble doing multiple roles. Right before intermission I was still thinking, «Jeez, how many people are in this cast?»
And pretty much any theater group within the near universe can pull off «It’s a Hard Knock Life» and «Easy Street,» but I’ve never seen anyone stage «NYC» with the subtle finesse this group had. I actually did a jaw-​drop. By comparison, even Sandy yawned during tonight’s «Tomorrow,» but that’s probably because he/​she has to attend all the rehearsals too.
Our center orchestra seats ten rows from the stage were ideal, the sound system is still the best, and this was the first time I explored all six floors & the top patio of this building. A truly remarkable venue. I always say getting free tickets here is the best Austin Elite benefit ever, because it is. Thank you, Broadway in Austin. And thank you Unilocal.Kelly rocks. Unilocal rules.

Jersey Boys is a musical about the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. This is of course, before the dreaded reality show, Jersey Shore with the fake tan and abs.
It was a great musical and it was awesome to see the crowd get into the songs which I only hear when I’m in the car with dad. Of course 50’s and 60’s music is the only thing my Dad and I have a common ground when we listen to music. I know Clint Eastwood did an adaptation of this musical but I rather see it on the stage.
The seats I had were awesome — center and I can see straight to the stage, no side views at all. I happened to be sitting next to Dwight B and Lindsay M. It was a pleasure meeting them. The volunteers were helpful in finding my seat and greeting me.
Parking is not cheap and it’s $ 12. I just park outside of the campus on Dean Keaton where you back into the spot. It’s free and it’s a bit of a walk.

Got to catch Rain perform on Friday night which seemed less like a Broadway production and more like a highly polished rock concert. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical initially during the first couple of songs. It just seemed odd to me that all these people — packed house in a large venue — were here to watch a Beatles cover band. I’m used to seeing cover bands playing to tens of people in some nondescript college bar or coffee house. Was it that Rain was just that much more talented, was it the show’s affiliation with Broadway, or was it the music itself that commanded this popularity? By mid-​show/​concert, the question seemed moot as it was impossible not to get caught up in the whole production. And by the end, it was apparent that the answer was all of the above.
I liked that each band member sang the part of their Beatles counterpart, so Paul’s equivalent sang Paul songs, John’s sang John songs, and so forth. And their voices were all excellent, there were no weak links in the band. The production of the show itself was impressive with the digital screens behind the band walking the audience through time. It gave the entire concert a nice storytelling arc — Broadway’s contribution. I’m always impressed with the Broadway in Austin stages and effects when I come here and this show was no exception.
And finally, the night was all about the music. This concert could have gone on for several more hours and everyone would have been cool with that. The Beatles catalogue is just so extensive and undeniably good. Buying the rights to it was probably the best decision MJ ever made.

Oh Honey, Honey. Thank You for the Music.
I’m so glad Texas Performing Arts and Unilocal decided to Lay All Your Love on Me with tickets to a wonderful show last night. Our seats were fantastic and the production was wonderful — I definitely went home feeling like Dancing Queen! I’ve actually never seen Mamma Mia! and wasn’t familiar with the story line at all so it was an extra special treat. I loved all the colors on the set, I can’t wait to visit Greece this year!
By the way, one of the cast members even commented on my Instagram pic. *blush*
Thanks again, I was glad to see you Take a Chance on Me.