See Broadway hits before they hit Broadway

Last August I, along with one of my dearest friends, trekked to Seattle for the weekend. The goal was not to go to the Space Needle but to see "Young Frankenstein: The New Mel Brooks Musical," before it trekked to the Big Apple.

That was the first time I had seen a pre-Broadway run of a show, although world premieres have been happening for years in places such as Los Angeles, Denver and Seattle.

We had a ball! We fit in plenty of touristy stuff — took a Seattle waterfront cruise, ate clam chowder while sitting seaside and shopped at Pike Place Market.

But on Friday night, we headed to the Paramount Theatre to get our first glimpse of the new musical. We enjoyed the crowds, seeing the sold-out house and gauging the audience reaction to something that folks in New York hadn't seen yet. We decided we ought to see it again on Saturday night — which we did, getting two of the final few seats left.

I bring this up because another world premiere is happening right now in Seattle, and you should consider making a quick trip.

"Shrek: The Musical," starring Brian d'Arcy James and Sutton Foster, opened Aug. 14. It runs through Sept. 21 at the 5th Avenue Theatre.

It takes two hours to get James into character for the DreamWorks hit, which they're hoping will go head-to-head with Disney's crop of musicals. Makeup designers Naomi Donne and Michael Marino use "film-quality prosthetics to ensure that James will have full control over his facial expressions."

His costumes also have "head vents and channels to allow sweat to drip out," and the padding "looks like Swiss cheese; hundreds of holes to allow air to go through." One thing though — there is no quick escape. So bathroom breaks are only possible when James can get completely out of his costume.

You'll see top-quality talent and a large-scale Broadway production without paying for the cost of a trip to New York. And the tickets are much cheaper, too: They start at $25 and top out at $77.

Go to www.5thavenue.org to get your tickets.

Or, if Los Angeles is more your cup of tea (or grande soy latte or whatever), you can check out the pre-Broadway World Premiere of "9 to 5: The Musical."

With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton herself, this musical adaptation of the hit film stars Stephanie J. Block, Marc Kudish and Allison Janney. The first preview performance was supposed to be Wednesday, but it was pushed to Saturday because "the technical demands are enormous for this show."