How to Have a Romantic Night of Theatre and Grub in NYC for Less

Regardless of your income, if you live in New York City, it’s a tradition to see a Broadway performance and have a great meal in a nice restaurant at least once a year.

But how do you pay for it?

The names are big. The productions are grand. The prices? Humongous. Julie Taylor’s “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark” is living proof. With a million dollar a week operating budget, tickets run anywhere from $76.50 to $289.00.

That’s a hefty price to pay for what has been universally heralded as one of the worst productions in Broadway history.

Even the great performances, such as a heavy-hitter the likes of “The Lion King” costs more than ever before. With the recession taking a bite out of consumers’ wallets, it doesn’t help that the price of the best seats in the house for a performance has risen over 30 percent since 1998.

For example, front row at the critically acclaimed “The Jersey Boys,” will cost you $238.80… for one seat.

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to enjoy a night of drama and romance though – even on a budget. To escape the glitz of Broadway and big chain restaurants, simply give smaller shows and less established restaurants a try – and still have a great night with a loved one. It’s all possible for the same price as that one premium seat to “Jersey Boys.”

Here’s our guide to a night out with your loved one that won’t cause your wallet to explode.

What Off Broadway Offers: “The Next Hit Broadway Musical” at the Triad Theatre, a comfy cabaret-styled theatre that seats about 200 guests on 158 West 72 street is just a cab ride away from Broadway. For $20 a ticket and a two-drink minimum, you can enjoy a completely unique performance and even participate. To start the show, every member of the audience writes the name of a song on index cards. It can be a real title or an invented one. The MC picks four cards and the members of the cast perform the songs on the spot. The crowd picks its favorite, and the cast improvises a 40-minute musical that is completely original and hilarious. Playing on selected dates through April, you can’t go wrong here.

At the end of the night, it’s possible for two people to laugh the night away and have a few drinks for under $100.

Another great option is “Avenue Q,” which is currently playing at the New World Stages on 340 West 50th Street. Like many former Broadway hits, the production moved to an Off-Broadway venue to make more money. While the house is smaller than it was on Broadway, production costs are much less. The result? A great show at an even greater price. Mezzanine tickets are $69.50 on ticketmaster, but can be found as cheaply as $55 on sites such as BroadwayBox.com.

How Off-Broadway is different: Seating anywhere from 99 to 500 theatre-goers, the houses are obviously smaller. The New World Stages, the Snapple Theatre and the Little Shubert Theatre Theatre are houses that fit into the Off-Broadway mold perfectly.The performances are different as well, as they focus more on creativity than glitz and glam, and usually feature lesser-known actors and less commercial topics that regular theatre-goers can appreciate.

“It’s just a different atmosphere than Broadway,” said Judd Hollander, who has done press relations work for Off and Off-Off Broadway productions for over a decade. “There’s just something about a small performance where the people can get so close to the action. It allows everyone to be affected by the stories being told.”

What Off-Off Broadway offers: With fewer than 100 people in the theatre, Off-Off Broadway performances are the perfect place for one-man shows or productions which rely more on characters and ideas than lavish sets and music. Many of the actors aren’t members of the actors unions and are simply performing to advance their careers or for their love of the medium. In the end, while the multi-purpose venues aren’t as attractive as the beautiful theatres on Broadway and suitable ones Off-Broadway, you get one of a kind stories told by actors who respect the craft.

To find Off-Off Broadway productions, look at the New Yorker’s website and on sites such as BrownPaperTickets.com. The New York Theatre Experiment and Planet Connections produce quality work and can be easily found on the web too. There are over a dozen Off-Off Broadway festivals all over the city, all year, making it even easier to find a show. You just have to look.

How Off-Off Broadway is different: Perhaps more than any other form of theatre, Off-Off Broadway productions try to balance the need to turn a profit with the desire to create original, thought-provoking concepts on stage. Using often unproven or less-experienced actors, it’s the breeding ground for the stars of tomorrow.

“I think there’s something really exciting about seeing young up and coming theatre makers at work,” said Erik Pearson, director of “Up, Up, Down, Down,” an Off-Off Broadway performance that closed on Feb. 20 at the Access Theatre. “You get a fresh perspective.”

Pearson’s performance, which received a myriad of positive reviews, cost only $18.00 to attend — about the standard price of a ticket for the bounty of shows playing around the city.

Where to Eat: When it comes to restaurants, just like theatres, bigger is not always better.

To make matters worse, prices for nearly 12,000 beverages and 14,000 food items from casual dining brands have increased in 21 markets nationwide according to a Intellaprice’ 2010 study conducted in August and September. Their research produced these results; lunch entrées are up $.93, dinner entrées rose $.72, and kids entrées are up $.30.

This spike in price at the big restaurants shouldn’t scare you away from eating in New York City. As a matter of fact, it makes it that much easier to try a small, one of a kind restaurant you’ve never heard of.

“There are definitely bargains to be found at small restaurants in NYC,” said Laurence Weibman, founder of NYCFoodGuy.com. “One of my favorite places for an affordable but tasty meal with good atmosphere is Gnocco in the East Village. They have pizza, pasta, salads, cheeses and a great backyard garden that’s open all year. Share a pizza, a pasta, and a nutella calzone and your date and your wallet will be happy.”

Smaller neighborhood restaurants are more creative and less expensive. In addition, unlike big chain restaurants such as Olive Garden, which often serve prepackaged food and rely on faster service, a quaint smaller restaurant may give you time to linger over a glass of wine with your honey. The food will taste better and cost either the same or even less.

“Working at a smaller establishment allows me creativity that many of the bigger chains aren’t capable of,” said Tricia Norris, Chef at Wally’s Square Root Café in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, a 25-minute train ride away from many of the Off-Off Broadway theatres in the Lower East Side. “I can order a blooming onion at any Outback’s Steakhouse in the world and it’ll taste exactly the same. I can also go somewhere smaller and taste a chef’s own interpretation of the dish.”

The Olive Tree Café, on McDougal Street in Greenwich Village, is another great place to eat and only walking distance from the Lucille Lortel Theatre on Christopher Street. If great food wasn’t enough, the setting is fun, as you can draw on chalkboard tables and watch Charlie Chaplin films projected on the walls. The service is quick and the food ranges from chickpea and falafel to macaroni and cheese and burgers. With an open kitchen until 4 am, it’s the perfect place to take a date after a play and a nice night of walking around the city. A dinner for two, with entrees, a few drinks and desert, should run around $100.

Now that you know where to see a great show and have a great meal, what’s stopping you from taking your sweetheart out for a night they’ll never forget?