Catching a Broadway show should be at the top of your New York City “To Do” list. But, the surrounding, tri-state area--Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts--also offers great theater. At these venues, easily accessible by public transportation, you get wonderful entertainment at reasonable prices. Plus, the theaters are near nice restaurants and other interesting cultural activities for a perfect day trip. You might even be inspired to stay for the weekend or longer!
Connecticut
1) Westport
Country Playhouse
25 Powers Ct., Westport, CT; Tel: 203/227-4177; www.westportplayhouse.org
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Westport
Country Playhouse, Stockard Channing & Jane Alexander,
David Hare’s The
Breath of Life
(photo: Carol Rosegg)
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Westport
Country Playhouse
(photo: Robert Benson)
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Other Cultural Activities: Westport Arts Center - art exhibits, gallery talks, concerts, and films.
Stay the Night: The Westport Inn
Getting There: From New York (Grand Central Station), take Metro North train (New Haven line) to Westport. Then, a 10-min. taxi ride. (Westport Star Taxi: 203/418-0131) Travel time: About an hour and a half.
New Jersey
Other Cultural Activities: Princeton Tour Company - great walking tours; Princeton University Art Museum - 72,000 works of art including Degas, Monet & Picasso and an extensive collection of Chinese artifacts; free.
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McCarter, Daphne
Rubin-Vega & Jimmy Smits,
Anna in
the Tropics (photo:
T. Charles Erickson)
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2) McCarter Theatre Center
91 University Place, Princeton, NJ; Tel: 609/258-2787; www.mccarter.org
Begun in the 1930s as a venue
for the Princeton University Triangle Club (who still perform here), the
McCarter stage has been graced by some of the most illustrious actors of our
time. (Joshua Logan and Jimmy Stewart were in the first production.) McCarter was
a popular pre-Broadway and summer-stock stop, then developed into a place where
noteworthy playwrights premiere new work (Thornton Wilder's Our Town, William Inge's Bus Stop). Today, the theater continues presenting premieres
and nurturing new talent as well as showcasing re-imagined classics.
Nearby Eats: There’s a café at the theater and a wide selection of great restaurants nearby in downtown Princeton: Alchemist & Barrister, Triumph Brewing Company, Winberie’s Restaurant & Bar, Yankee Doodle Tap Room.Other Cultural Activities: Princeton Tour Company - great walking tours; Princeton University Art Museum - 72,000 works of art including Degas, Monet & Picasso and an extensive collection of Chinese artifacts; free.
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McCarter
Theater
(photo: Peter C. Cook)
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Getting There: From New York (Penn Station), take NJ Transit train (Northeast Corridor line) to Princeton; get off at Princeton Junction, then take the "Dinky" train to Princeton, a 5-min. ride, stops across the street from the theatre. Travel time: About an hour.
3) Paper Mill Playhouse
22 Brookside Dr., Millburn, NJ; Tel: 973/376-4343; www.papermill.org
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Paper Mill Playhouse, Oklahoma
(photo: Gerry Goodstein)
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In 1938, the Paper Mill
Playhouse opened in a defunct paper mill. Begun as a repertory theater, operettas
and musicals were soon added to its’ repertoire. Over the years, the Playhouse
gained a reputation for offering a selection of great plays and fabulous
productions of Broadway musicals. Today, in addition to reviving iconic shows, the Paper Mill Playhouse presents brand-new musicals.
Nearby Eats: There’s
a café at the theater, Kirby Carriage
House, but Millburn’s Main
Street, just a few blocks away, is worth exploring--several ice cream parlors,
coffee shops, and restaurants. (The Millburn Deli is famous for its’ Sloppy Joes.)
Other Cultural Activities: In nearby Short Hills, NJ: Greenwood Gardens, a
28-acre public garden on the National Register of Historic Places; Cora Hartshorn Arboretum & Bird Sanctuary, 16-acres of woodlands with nature
trails.
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Paper Mill Playhouse
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Getting There: From
New York (Penn Station), take NJ Transit train (Midtown direct Dover) to
Millburn. Short walk or taxi ride to the theater. Travel time: About an hour
and a quarter.
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State Theater, musician Michael
McDonald
(photo: Danny Clinch)
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15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ; Tel: 732/246-7469; www.statetheatrenj.org
The State Theater is housed in an historic vaudeville and
silent movie palace from the 1920s. Best known for its’ concert series
featuring headliners at affordable prices--from Aretha Franklin to Yo-Yo Ma to
Bruce Springsteen, the theater also presents Broadway musicals, opera, jazz
& blues festivals, comedy, and children’s theater.
Other Cultural Activities: Zimmerli Art Museum - an excellent university museum with an impressive collection from ancient artifacts to contemporary art.
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| State Theater |
Stay the Night: The Heldrich
Getting There: From
New York (Penn Station), take NJ Transit train (Northeast Corridor line) to New
Brunswick, just a few blocks walk to the theater. Travel time: About an hour and a quarter.
Massachusetts
5) Barrington Stage Company
30 Union St., Pittsfield, MA, Tel:
413/236-8888;
barringtonstageco.org
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Barrington Stage, Debra Jo
Rupp, Dr. Ruth
(photo: ©Barrington Stage)
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Founded in 1995, the not-for-profit company, housed in a
1912 vaudeville theatre, produces award-winning plays and musicals, and finds
innovative ways to attract new audiences and introduce young people to theatre.
The new productions at Barrington Stage are so terrific they often transfer to
Broadway (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Freud’s Last Session)–but you can see them first, right here!
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| Barrington Stage |
Other Cultural Activities: Pittsfield is abuzz with artsy activities from 3rd Thursdays street fair to 1st Fridays ArtsWalk. Berkshire Museum - art &
artifacts from every continent.
Stay the Night: Holiday Inn & Suites
Stay the Night: Holiday Inn & Suites
Getting There: From
New York (Port Authority Bus Terminal) take a Peter
Pan bus to Pittsfield. About four hours (but worth it!)
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