Broadway on Broadway 2012

Two Sundays ago, Eric and I took Ellie into the city for her first taste of Broadway (aside from the shows she attended in utero, naturally) at this year's Broadway on Broadway concert, which is always held in early September to kick off the new Broadway season. As you may recall, I first went to this concert with my mom and Aunt Debbie in 2009, and it was a blast - all of Times Square was blocked off (so there was plenty of space for all the spectators), so many great shows were featured, and the whole thing ended with a confetti drop that gave us a taste of the New Year's Eve experience. Eric and I went back in 2010 and also had a delightful time, but we missed it last year. This year, we figured it would be a nice, easy-going event to take Ellie to. So, into the city we went.

Unfortunately, this year it was set up very differently compared to the other times we've attended. Instead of blocking off essentially all of Times Square and setting up the stage at the south end (under the ball), they had the stage at the north end, right in front of the red steps, with only that segment of Times Square blocked off for spectators. That meant it was crowded. We couldn't even get into the pen, actually, and even if we had been able to, it wouldn't have been fun - super crowded and right in the sun. Because of the location of the stage, that also meant that if you wanted to stand behind the pens to try to get a view, you were largely out of luck because the red steps blocked the majority of the stage. Very disappointing.

But, it was a beautiful day so we made the most of it. We started by walking through the little row of booths promoting the various shows, then found a shady spot by the Olive Garden behind the red steps. We were late, so didn't catch all the performances, but we saw a few by shows like Chicago, Mamma Mia, and Newsies, plus a medley in celebration of Nederlander's 100th anniversary on Broadway. Kathie Lee Gifford hosted the show.

Times Square

Ellie and I made the front page at the Newsies booth!

Hanging out, enjoying some show tunes

The cast of Chicago on the CNN screen

The cast of Mamma Mia on stage

As in past years, the show ended with a rousing rendition of "New York, New York" - always a crowd-pleaser! However, that brought yet another disappointment with this year's production: no confetti drop. We were really looking forward to it, so that was a bummer. I don't know if they couldn't do it now with the stage in the new location or what, but it was definitely missed.

All the performers on stage for the big finale

Crowds trying to get a good picture of the stage

Despite our few disappointments, we did have a very nice time at the concert, and I think Ellie enjoyed it, too. Once again, she was an angel for the entire outing. I could tell she was getting sleepy on our walk back to the train, but she handled it like a champ.

Nestled in to her mama

Holding on

This picture has nothing to do with Ellie or the concert, but we happened to take it that day and it's pretty! Ha!

It was a great afternoon in the city! And I hope it was a good introduction to Broadway for Ellie - I would love it if she would enjoy the theater as much as we do!