Super Bowl Week in NYC: 5 Big and 5 Not-So-Big Ticket Broadway Shows
Features & Advice Rich Thomaselli January 28, 2014

EDITOR’S NOTE: Second in a week-long series of stories on things to do and places to go in New York City during Super Bowl week that are viable alternatives to the typical touristy things to do. Today: Broadway.
You simply can’t come to New York City without taking in a Broadway show. It’s like going to Las Vegas and not dropping at least a nickel in a slot machine, or visiting London without heading to Buckingham Palace.
But Broadway tickets to the best shows can be difficult to get. A good hotel concierge comes in handy here, or a ticket broker service, but both can get awfully pricey for what is already a fairly expensive ticket.
That said, you can see some great shows on the Great White Way – and off it, too.
Here are the top five Broadway shows by gross/seat capacity last week according to BroadwayWorld.com, and here are five suggested alternatives by TravelPulse.com.
Please also note that this is 2-for-1 Week in the city so check out NYCGO for 2-for-1 deals.
BIG TICKET, BIGGISH TICKET NO. 1
"The Book of Mormon." Brought in $1.66 million last week with 100 percent of seat capacity filled. Absolutely the most hysterical thing on Broadway right now and a show you will go home and talk about for months. The average ticket price is $189.70.
If you can get your hands on tickets, go. If you can’t, TravelPulse suggests ….
"A Gentleman's Guide to Murder." You would think it would be hard to find laughs out of a plot that essentially evolves around manslaughter, right? This is Broadway. Even Sweeney Todd was funny. The average ticket price is $84.21 and only 80 percent of seats were filled last week.
BIG TICKET, BIGGISH TICKET NO. 2
"The Lion King." Mufasa: “Everything the light touches is ours.”
Simba: “What about that shadowy place over there?”
Mufasa: “That’s New Jersey. You must never go there Simba, except for the Super Bowl.”
Grossed $1.6 million last week, with 98.7 percent of tickets bought actually having fannies in the seats. The average ticket price is $119.83. It’s Disney, so if you can get your hands on tickets, go.
If you can’t, TravelPulse suggests ….
"Cinderella." Yes, it probably caters more to the American Girl Place crowd than to the other gender, but this production, based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein television movie, is a winner. The average ticket price is $75.42 and 35 percent of seats went unused last week. Go for it.
BIG TICKET, BIGGISH TICKET NO. 3
"Wicked." This long-running show is a dynamite re-imagining of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ from the standpoint of the Wicked Witch of the West and her nemesis, Glinda the Good. Grossed $1.59 million last week at 98.3 percent capacity. Average ticket price is $106.28. If you can get your hands on tickets, go.
If you can’t, TravelPulse suggests ….
"Newsies." Another Disney Theater Production, Newsies tells the story of the 1899 Newsboys Strike in New York City. A great musical dominated by younger actors, so quite appealing to families as Wicked is. Average ticket price is $83.28. NOTE: The Fantasticks, an off-Broadway show that first appeared on stage in 1960, is also a great alternative.
BIG TICKET, BIGGISH TICKET NO. 4
"Kinky Boots." Harvey Fierstein and Cindy Lauper. Does it get much better? The musical won the Tony Award last year, and Lauper won a Grammy for the score two days ago. The story tells how a drag queen helps save a failing shoe factory. Grossed $1.38 million last week with seat capacity at 93.3 percent. Average ticket price is $130.26. If you can get your hands on tickets, go.
If you can’t, TravelPulse suggests ….
"Chicago." Sexy. Sultry. Naughty. Tons of fun and great music that you’ll immediately recognize from either having seen the show before, or having seen the movie adaptation. Average price is $75.06 and seat capacity was at 75.3 percent last week, so great chance of getting in.
BIG TICKET, BIGGISH TICKET NO. 5
"Motown the Musical." Who doesn’t love Motown, we dare ask? Grossed $1.15 million last week with seat capacity at 85.7 percent. Average ticket price is $107.89. Trust us, you’ll remember and sing along to every word in this epic story of how Berry Gordy put Motown on the map.
If you can get your hands on tickets, go.
If you can’t, TravelPulse suggests ….
"Jersey Boys," "Mamma Mia," "Rock of Ages." We’re giving you three choices here to close out, all in the same historical, musical, get-off-your-butt-and-dance in the aisles vein of ‘Motown’. Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, is a must. Average ticket price is $98.69, with seat capacity at 75.2 percent, so good seats still available. Mamma Mia uses nothing but a score by ABBA, so that alone is worth attending. Average ticket price is $72.16 with 77 percent capacity filled last week. And Rock of Ages is an ‘80s music fan’s dream come true. Average ticket price is $85.15, and seat capacity was at 88.3 percent last week.
Follow me on Twitter @RichTravelPulse.
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