As luck or fate would have it, I was the very last person served at that counter. The server impatiently asked me what show I wanted to watch and I said Phantom because I had watched the movie before and rather liked the dark drama. He told me he had tickets for the 8pm show which was the last show for the day and to quickly pay before it was too late. So even though I had no idea whether USD71 was a reasonable price to pay for a broadway ticket, I gave him the money and he told me to run to the Majestic Theatre on 44th Street as the play would start in 3mins. And as I turned away from the counter with my ticket in hand and the person behind me stepped up at 8pm sharp, the server cried out that there were no more tickets for sale and pulled down the shutters.
I only realized later what an excellent deal I had gotten - as per the ticket above, the price I had paid was at a 50% discount and for fourth row seats from the front at that! However, I had to run at full speed from 47th to 44th street to get to the Majestic Theatre on time and less than 2 mins after I had fallen into my seat huffing and puffing, the doors were closed (about 8.10pm). I guess the moral of the story is to buy last-min discounted tickets at a theatre which is near enough to TKTS on 47th street so as to avoid being denied entry (until the interval) or missing the start of the play.
I only realized later what an excellent deal I had gotten - as per the ticket above, the price I had paid was at a 50% discount and for fourth row seats from the front at that! However, I had to run at full speed from 47th to 44th street to get to the Majestic Theatre on time and less than 2 mins after I had fallen into my seat huffing and puffing, the doors were closed (about 8.10pm). I guess the moral of the story is to buy last-min discounted tickets at a theatre which is near enough to TKTS on 47th street so as to avoid being denied entry (until the interval) or missing the start of the play.
Of course, photography of the play is prohibited and with the LCD screens most cameras have these days, it is easy to be caught taking photos or videos during a performance. So like most people, I took photos of the theater before the play begun. As per my pic below, there are circle and balcony seats on a higher level other than the main floor which was quite fully packed.
The picture below is of course the stage of the theater - the chandelier (top right) plays a rather large part in the play as per the plot but so do the other seemingly unmovable parts. However, these features/effects pale in comparison to the costumes, props (there was even a fake elephant), dancing and acting by the performers on that stage. 
The Slog Reviews: 10/10. Awesome. Truly spectacular in every sense of the word. I am not a musical person or one who appreciates or likes plays but Phantom on Broadway had me riveted and converted. The change of each scene was carried out with precision and maximum efficiency without compromising the quality of the setting. And the performers conveyed the different emotions of each of their characters with not just song but by their entire body language.
I haven't watched any other Broadway plays to make a fair comparison of Phantom but I dare say that one should most definitely catch a Broadway play if one is in NYC instead of just shopping and if one isn't sure of which to watch, just remember that Phantom is the longest running musical on Broadway and the Slog here who has nary an artistic bone is raving all about this play. :D
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