Help me choose a show to get tickets to for her birthday in August.

July 11, 2011 9:16 AM

My girlfriend loves musicals. Help me choose a show to get tickets to for her birthday in August. I'm new to Atlanta, and I also don't know much about musicals. I'm in need of some help and suggestions on where and for what to get tickets. I'm open to any ideas those with knowledge of these things (musicals and Atlanta) may have. Thanks!
posted by rbf1138 to media & arts (8 answers total)

Do you know what type of musicals your girlfriend likes? For example, there are folks that love the newer, more "pop"-oriented shows like The Lion King and Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys but don't care for shows with darker storylines and not as many catchy tunes like Les Miserables and Evita. If you can let us know where her tastes lie it would be easier to suggest some appropriate shows.
posted by Oriole Adams at 10:02 AM on July 11, 2011

A touring production of Wicked is coming to the Fox in Sept and Oct. I wasn't sure if you wanted the show to be in August or if you wanted to give her the tickets in August, but Wicked is one of the most beloved modern musicals so if she hasn't seen it that would be a real treat.
posted by hydropsyche at 10:03 AM on July 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Disclaimer: I have not ever seen any theater in Atlanta, and I'm not from there.

However, googling yielded Atlanta Performs's August performing arts calendar. A Chorus Line, Into the Woods, and West Side Story are all famous musicals being performed in August that your girlfriend would probably enjoy if she hasn't seen them before. I can't speak to the caliber of the theater companies putting them on.
posted by pupstocks at 10:04 AM on July 11, 2011

(note: I do not live in Atlanta).

It looks like Wicked at the Fox Theatre might be the way to go. Wicked is a fairly recent musical that won a ton of awards and is very popular. Performances are from September 14 to October 9.

If you are specifically looking for a musical in August, you could do Guys and Dolls, which is also at the Fox Theatre from August 16 through the 21st. It's one of the classics and a solid choice. Looks like they're also doing a run of "Frank Sinatra's 'Come Fly Away'" in early August but that is a "jukebox musical" (a bunch of songs by one artist strung together by a simple plot) and your girlfriend might not consider that to be an actual musical.

I can't tell from your question if you want to bring her to a musical ON her birthday, or just want to give her tickets. If her birthday doesn't fall within the Guys & Dolls run, I'd go with buying her tickets to a future Wicked show and presenting that as a birthday gift.
posted by castlebravo at 10:15 AM on July 11, 2011

Should've mentioned the following: she's already going to see Wicked, and I have a connection to get house seats for Guys and Dolls. I'm going to look into West Side Story, which I know she hasn't seen before, as well. Thanks for the help so far!
posted by rbf1138 at 10:25 AM on July 11, 2011

Via my girlfriend, who worked in local theater for many years:

A Chorus Line will be a decent bet, but is in Lawrenceville, a bit of a truck from intown ATL. Fabrefaction is lame; it's a trust fund theatre. Into the Woods is by far the best bet. It's a musical-lovers' show, and being produced by Atlanta's only Tony Award-winning theatre. It will probably preview for at least a week before it opens, and those will be the cheapest tickets, plus more in the August time frame. Three Sistahs at the Horizon could be fun, but I make no promises. (And of course, Noises Off will be awesome at Georgia Shakespeare, but it's not a musical. It DOES have a lot of the lighthearted feel that musicals have, but not so much singing and dancing.)
posted by jessicapierce at 11:16 AM on July 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ooh, Into the Woods! It's a great musical.
posted by jeather at 11:53 AM on July 11, 2011

Into the Woods it will be! Thanks everyone!
posted by rbf1138 at 11:54 AM on July 11, 2011 [3 favorites]