“Give my regards to Broadway.” – George M. Cohan 

This blog isn‘t meant to be a diary of my daily activities; but occasionally I do something outside of work that is just so good that I’d like to pass the information along. This past Labor Day weekend, my wife and I went to see two excellent musicals, each quite different from the other, but both very entertaining.

The first was the Tony Award winning revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic, South Pacific. I always felt that the 1958 movie was just so-so. But, the play, held at Lincoln Center, was really something special. South Pacific takes place during World War II, but the story and messages are still relevant today: Danger, patriotism, love, lust, and racial prejudice.

The leads, Kelli O’Hara and Paulo Szot, were terrific, as was Loretta Sayre, as Bloody Mary.  The score was as stirring and beautiful as ever. The three-hour performance moved along quickly. As the curtain fell, there were quite a few teary eyes in the audience, mine included.

The second show that we saw was Forbidden Broadway, an off-Broadway review. This is a long-running series that parodies and pokes good-natured fun at whatever is currently running on “The Great White Way.” The humor-quotient of the many skits varied, but they were frequently hilarious. Even if you are not up-to-date on what is being performed, you can enjoy the fun.

Forbidden Broadway first opened in 1982, and we have been to see it several times, as the show changes every year. Many years ago, long before she became a household name as Dr. Lilith Sternin from the popular television sitcom, Cheers, we “discovered” the then-neophyte actor, Bebe Neuwirth, who has since become a regular fixture on Broadway, TV and in movies.

Both plays are in relatively small theaters, so don’t worry about buying the highest price tickets. In either of these theaters, there are no bad seats.