Blognik: The Official Givenik Blog

Jude Law returns to Broadway this fall in HAMLET for 12 weeks only - Groups of 10 or more can save up to 20% on tickets!

Direct from a sold-out, critically acclaimed run at London's Donmar Warehouse, international stage and film star Jude Law returns to Broadway in a riveting new production of Shakespeare's iconic revenge tragedy, Hamlet. Directed by Michael Grandage (Frost/Nixon), Hamlet arrives in New York at the intimate Broadhurst Theatre for a strictly limited 12-week engagement, beginning previews on Saturday, September 12th toward a Tuesday, October 6th opening night.

Groups of 10 or more can get exclusive ticket access and discounts for a strictly limited time! Book now and enjoy Orchestra / Mezzanine Rows A-C $105.00 and Mezzanine Rows D-H $89.00 (all regularly $116.50). Student Groups can also get $25.00 Mezzanine Rows J-L seats (a signed letterhead from the school requesting is required and availability is limited!) And as always, 5% of every group purchase is donated to the charity of your choice. Click here to book your tickets to Hamlet today!

RAGTIME returns to Broadway this October! Groups can get exclusive tickets and rates now for a limited time!

One of the most beloved American musicals of our time returns to Broadway this November, in a sparkling new production that recently finished a critically acclaimed, sold-out run at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Ragtime, based on E.L. Doctorow's classic novel and featuring music, lyrics and book by Tony Award-winners Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, will arrive at The Neil Simon Theatre, with previews beginning October 23rd toward a November 15th opening night.

Groups of 15 or more can get exclusive access to tickets and very special rates! Book now and enjoy Orchestra / Front Mezzanine $76.50 at most preview performances. Fantastic rates are available through April 2010 - and as always, your favorite charity gets 5% of every group purchase. Especially fantastic for student groups, as well as groups of all ages, don't miss out on the best availability for tickets. Contact us to today to enjoy Ragtime's triumphant return to Broadway!

Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID to Close on Broadway August 30th - Get tickets now for as low as $69.50!

Disney's The Little Mermaid will play its final performance on Sunday, August 30th @ 3pm at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. At the time of its closing, the show will have played 50 previews and 685 performances. The show will begin a national tour in 2010, followed by a number of planned international productions. Featuring an array of beloved songs, including "Part of Your World", "Under the Sea", "Kiss the Girl" and more, this beloved adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's classic tale has been dazzling audiences of all ages since its very first preview.

Special discount tickets are available on Givenik for the final weeks of this true stage spectacular! Enjoy Orchestra / Front Mezzanine $97.50 and Mid-Mezzanine $69.50 at most performances now through the final one at the end of August. As always, your favorite charity gets 5% of every purchase - so book now for the best availability!

LAST CHANCE: IRENA'S VOW to close on Broadway Sunday, June 28th - Orchestra seats as low as $45.00 on Givenik!

Irena's Vow, the new play by Dan Gordon, starring four-time Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, June 28th, the producers announced today. The production will have played 21 previews and 105 regular performances.

"Our play, which has truly become the 'People's Choice', has been moving audiences to laughter and tears at each and every performance. But unless business improves over the next two weeks, we will sadly be forced to close the production," said producer Daryl Roth. She added, "We have recently been blessed by the attendance of Archbishop Timohy Dolan who, after seeing the play, has become an extremely vocal supporter of Irena's Vow and is enthusiastically spreading the word.

Givenik is the only place to get discount Irena's Vow tickets to see a luminous performance from Tovah Feldshuh in this moving and powerful play and have 5% of the cost donated to your favorite charity. Enjoy Orchestra seats for $45.00 at Tuesday - Friday evenings now through the final performance ($69.00 on matinees and Saturday evenings). Balcony seats are available for as low as $41.00, too.

FIRST LOOK: Chelsea Morgan Stock Goes Under the Sea as Ariel in THE LITTLE MERMAID! See her with discount tickets as low as $59!

San Jose California native Chelsea Morgan Stock took on the role of one of Disney's moved beloved princesses, as she began performances as Ariel in The Little Mermaid this past Tuesday. Check out this spectacular new production shot of Chelsea as Ariel - and click to open it in an even bigger pop-up window. She looks fantastic!

The Little Mermaid was the #1 selling Broadway show of 2008 and has grossed over $67 million dollars so far. Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal raves, "I expect it to run from here to eternity and back again. I'd see it again in a heartbeat." And The Philadelphia Inquirer declares the show "a triumph of stagecraft." Isn't it time for you to experience Broadway's phenomenal new hit?

Now on Givenik, enjoy Orchestra / Front Mezzanine as low as $69.00 at select performances, as well as Mid-Mezzanine $59.00 now through June 21st. More great discounts for the rest of the summer are on the way, so check back soon. And even deeper discounts are available for groups of only 15 or more! Click here to learn about the many great ways you can experience The Little Mermaid and support your favorite charity!

FIRST LOOK: See GREY'S ANATOMY star CHANDRA WILSON Spice it Up as MAMA MORTON in CHICAGO for only $66.50!

WHOOPEE! Beginning Monday, June 8th, don't miss three-time Emmy Award nominee and Grey's Anatomy star Chandra Wilson spice it up in Chicago as Cook County's reigning cellblock diva, Matron "Mama" Morton. Check out these hot-off-the-presses shots of Chandra heating up the Ambassador stage as Mama! Click each one to enlarge it.

For her critically acclaimed portrayal of Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy, Wilson has earned not only three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, but also a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, a second Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Drama Series Ensemble and three NAACP Image Awards.

No stranger to the stage, Wilson began performing in musicals at age five with Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), going on to earn her BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Her greatest New York stage accomplishment thus far is her portrayal of Bonna Willis in Lynda Barry's The Good Times Are Killing Me, at Second Stage and Minetta Lane Theatres, for which she won a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance. She also appeared opposite Tonya Pinkins in the critically acclaimed musical Caroline, or Change as Dotty Moffett.

Catch Chandra's triumphant return to the New York stage on Givenik and get a special offer on tickets! Enjoy Orchestra / Front Mezzanine $66.50 at most performances. Full-price tickets are also available on Saturday evenings - and, as always, 5% of every purchase will be donated to the charity of your choice. Hurry and get tickets today - Chandra is playing a strictly limited engagement through July 5th.

More fantastic fun is on the way at Chicago this summer, when two-time Emmy nominee and "Dancing With the Stars" co-host Samantha Harris joins the cast as Roxie Hart beginning July 7th, too! There is always someone fabulous center stage, which is one of the many reasons Chicago is great for groups, too. Book only 10 or more tickets for fantastic discounts, including special Student Group savings as low as $28.75!

FIRST LOOK: Get discount tickets to see PHYLICIA RASHAD in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY and Support Your Favorite Charity!

Catch the much-anticipated return to the Broadway stage of Phylicia Rashad, who tackles the riveting role of toxic pill-popping matriarch Violet Weston in August: Osage County, Broadway's unstoppable hit that continues to thrill audiences nightly at The Music Box Theatre. Joining Phylicia is Tony nominee Amy Morton, who returns to the role of Barbara Fordham, Violet's daughter, for which she was nominated for a Tony award & received tremendous critical acclaim.

Catch Phylicia, Amy and the rest of the incredibly acclaimed ensemble and get special discount tickets on Givenik! Enjoy Orchestra / Front Mezzanine $74.50 and Rear Mezzanine $49.50 at most performances now throughout the summer. Hurry, though - Phylicia is in the show for a strictly limited engagement through August 23rd. And as always, your charity gets 5%!

Turn up that dial! MEMPHIS to arrive at Broadway's Shubert Theatre beginning September 23rd - Groups on-sale now!

Turn up that dial! From the underground clubs of Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, by way of hit runs at the La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre comes this sizzling new Broadway musical with heart, soul and energy to burn, arriving on Broadway at The Shubert Theatre (home of the limited engagement of Blithe Spirit) beginning September 23rd!

Set in the turbulent South in the 1950s, Memphis tells the story of Huey Calhoun, a white radio DJ whose love of good music transcends race lines and airwaves. Thanks in part to his passionate persistence, "race" music reaches the center of the radio dial, quickly exploding throughout mainstream America. But when Huey falls for a beautiful black singer he has set on the path to stardom, whether the world is really ready for this music - and their love - is put to the test.

An electrifying theatrical story, Memphis features a book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) and an original score by David Bryan, Bon Jovi keyboardist and founding member. Directing is Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreography is by Tony nominee Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys).

Groups of 10 or more get exclusive access to seats - and fantastic discounts! Book now for previews September 23rd - October 18th and enjoy Orchestra / Mezzanine $66.50, Front Balcony $46.50 and Rear Balcony $36.50. From performances October 20th & beyond, enjoy Orchestra / Front Mezzanine $79.50, Front Balcony $56.50 and Rear Balcony $41.50. Student Groups can get Balcony $26.50 at many performances, too - and as always, 5% of the cost of every group order is donated to the charity of your choice.

Get ready to experience the exuberance and the emotion of this defining time in our country's history. Tune into Memphis and the birth of rock 'n roll!

Support our Givenik non-profit The Ali Forney Center and see The Broadway Beauty Pageant for only $25!

Looking for something fun and exciting to do this Monday? Check out The Broadway Beauty Pageant, a spectacular and sexy event that will benefit The Ali Forney Center, an organization that provides shelter and services to homeless LGBT youth in New York City. Hosted by Tovah Feldshuh and featuring an amazing panel of celebrity judges, including Ana Gasteyer, Charles Busch, Beth Leavel and Seth Rudetsky, The Broadway Beauty Pageant pits sexy stars of some of Broadway's best shows, including Billy Elliot, HAIR and Wicked, against one another in interview, talent and swimsuit competitions as they battle for the crown.

Get tickets to this fantastic and fun evening this Monday, April 20th @ 8pm for only $25! Visit the Symphony Space web site and enter code 'RAC102'. If you can't make the event on Monday, you can still support the amazing work of the Center by seeing any of the shows on Givenik and choosing them as your non-profit to benefit, too.

REVIEW ROUND-UP: A round of raves for August Wilson's JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE! Get tickets for only $56.50!

Lincoln Center Theater's production of August Wilson's classic play Joe Turner's Come and Gone has returned to Broadway in a production being greeted with almost universal acclaim from the critics. Helmed by Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher (South Pacific), Joe Turner is shaping up to be one of this spring's must-see theatrical events:

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: "Great works of art often tote heavy baggage. Yet the revival of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, a drama of indisputable greatness, feels positively airborne. Much of Bartlett Sher’s splendid production moves with the engaging ease of lively, casual conversation...Unlike many of the later Wilson plays and other high-reaching American dramas of social magnitude, Joe Turner seamlessly blends the ordinary with the extraordinary."

David Rooney, Variety: "August Wilson's gift for storytelling has rarely been more beguiling than in this lyrical 1986 drama, and in his searing revival, director Bartlett Sher makes every note strong and true."

Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal: "So let me put it as simply as I can: This is a show you must see. Like David Cromer's Off-Broadway revival of Our Town, it will remind you of how good live theater can be -- and send you home unwilling to settle for anything less than the very best. I haven't spent a better night on Broadway all season long."

Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press: "Joe Turner's Come and Gone is a leisurely play, clocking in at nearly three hours as it artfully dabbles in bringing its characters to life. Wilson uses the time to set up the inevitable dramatic confrontation that brings down the curtain. Each of the play's two acts ends on a high. Consider the final minutes of Act 1, when much of the cast erupts in a frenzied dance, a juba, reminiscent of what was once done by African slaves. These are people celebrating their past, finding an identity that has eluded them for most of their lives. It's a dazzling Wilson moment — one that makes Joe Turner's Come and Gone essential viewing."

Get tickets on Givenik to catch this critically lauded revival and enjoy a special discount of Orchestra / Front Mezzanine $56.50 at most performances through June 14th! Don't miss this strictly limited engagement of one of August Wilson's most powerful works, in a sterling production that is already the the talk of the town. And as always, your charity gets 5%!