The Best Broadway Black Friday Gifts 2018 (aka our Official Holiday Broadway Gift Guide).
Happy Black Friday everybody! (And please excuse this interruption from my usual 5 Friday Finds, but this is gonna be oh so much better.)
That’s right, today is the #1 Shopping Day of the year . . . except on Broadway. Seriously . . . I had at least three rants at meetings over the past two weeks about how Broadway doesn’t take advantage of this one day of the year when people are sooooo ready to spend money. (In fact, you’ll see this show of mine go big with a Black Friday deal that came as a result of one of those rants.)
Part of the challenge of Black Friday shopping and Broadway as a holiday gift, in general, is because it’s just hard to give a ticket . . . since you have to pick a date and a time, yada yada yada. So, until we get much better at gift cards (shouldn’t all shows have them???), we’re going to have to find better holiday gifts for the Broadway lover in your life.
So, just like we have in the past, we put together this updated holiday gift guide with non-ticket theater gift ideas to make your shopping easier.
Without further you-know-what, here are our 10 Best Broadway gift ideas for you and your friends and family!
1. Be A Broadway Star Board Game
Yep, this is my game, and the only Broadway board game of its kind (it’s like “Life” and “Charades” had a board game baby.) Be A Broadway Star continues to be one of the best selling Broadway gifts on the ol’ Amazon.com, with a ton of reviews with a four-and-a-half out of five-star rating. Oh, and Ben Platt plays it (as you can see on his Instagram here), so yeah, we’re cool. A tip . . . Amazon has gotten real tricky with their inventory so we can’t keep as many on their shelves as we used to. Which means it could sell out earlier this season than usual.
2. A Playbill Binder For Your, Yep, Playbills!
Playbills are probably the one thing on the planet that is given away free, yet is priceless to a Broadway fan (especially a NEW Broadway fan). Protect them in this binder that includes free sheet protectors!
3. A Broadway Puzzle of your favorite Broadway Stars!
If you’re like me, then holiday times at the parents’ house includes puzzles. So forget about the ones with windmills and skylines, how about one featuring Broadway stars!
Need a stocking stuffer or a Broadway Secret Santa gift? This is it because it’ll come in under ANY budget.
5. Playbill PJs
These adorable pajamas make me long for my days of sleepovers. And just look who they got to model them! (Can you name the Broadway star and her husband?)
6. Anything from The Drama Book Shop
This classic NYC haunt for the serious theater student (and where Lin Manuel Miranda was “discovered” according to local lore) recently lost its lease (again) and is looking for a new location. So get anything from them and you’ll be helping keep this legendary brick and mortar alive.
This one is for the real Broadway fanboy or fangirl in your life. It’s expensive, but it’s the only Broadway convention out there, and it’s pretty awesome. It’s the kind of thing I dreamed about when I was just a fan. Give this and it’ll be like giving a Broadway fan a ticket to Disney World.
Like BroadwayCon you gotta be here for this one, but a walking tour certainly ranks high on the unique list. Hear juicy backstage stories about what happened and where, as a Broadway expert (and actor) walks you through Times Square.
9. Anyone of these Great Broadway Books
Broadway books could have taken up this whole list! Here are my quick fave gift options: Hamilton The Revolution, Through The Window (The Dear Evan Hansen “making of”), The Untold Stories of Broadway, and Razzle Dazzle.
10. A Membership to Pro for your Pro!
If your Broadway fan wants to be more than a fan, then check out our membership site, which will teach him or her how to get from an idea to the page to the stage.
Of course, tickets are always great gifts, as are cast recordings, iTunes gift cards, Broadway coloring books, playbill frames, and more. But if you need other ideas, you can check out our previous lists or see what Amazon has on its Broadway shelves here.
Happy holidays!
Podcasting
Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.
