I must take a slight detour from our movie-related programming and tell you about one of New York City’s best-kept secrets. I love living in New York, but it can be quite expensive, unless you know how to beat the system.

You’re reading the title of this post and thinking, “No way.” But yes, there is really a completely legal, legitimate way to get tickets to Broadway shows for only $4. It’s called Theater Extras, and it’s awesome. For a $99 annual membership fee, you can purchase up to two tickets to available shows for $4 each. Usually the offerings are way-off-Broadway theater, concerts, or comedy clubs, but if you check the site daily and subscribe to their email updates, you can get tickets to Broadway shows.

Yesterday I saw Liev Schreiber in Talk Radio. (Schreiber’s performance as a radio shock jock was incredible and I highly recommend the play.) In the past two and a half years, I’ve seen at least ten Broadway shows through Theater Extras, including Sweeney Todd, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and A Streetcar Named Desire. Even at the half-price ticket booth, two tickets would cost more than my annual membership in Theater Extras. In addition, I’ve seen several excellent Off-Broadway shows and one jazz performance, all for the bargain price of $4 per ticket.

Here’s the catch: these are last minute tickets and you don’t know where your seats are until you pick up the tickets. (The TE office is open Monday through Friday, so I found about Sunday’s Talk Radio tickets on Friday.) If you don’t pick up your tickets, your credit card will be charged a $15 penalty per ticket. But that’s it. Generally the seats are not bad, and you sure can’t beat the price.

If you join, tell ‘em julie@trailerspy.com sent ya. (Official site)

Last night I saw Hedda Gabler at BAM. Now Hedda is not exactly a light, uplifting play, so it’s not normally something I would run (ok, hobble) to go see, but this production had the one and only Cate Blanchett in the title role.

I’ve been a fan of Ms. Blanchett’s work since Elizabeth, for which she should have won an Oscar. (Gwynnie was good and all, but I don’t think anyone but Blanchett could have humanized the first Queen Elizabeth. My guy was under the impression Elizabeth was in the vein of Pride and Prejudice, but if anything it’s more like Braveheart. Put it on the queue if you haven’t seen it. But I digress.)

My expectations were high for her performance, and she did not disappoint. Her actions were big and theatrical enough to carry to our high mezzanine seats, but you could still see realizations wash over her face and know instantly what Hedda was thinking. The entire Australian cast was excellent, including Hugo Weaving of The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and more recently V for Vendetta fame. I highly recommend seeing this production, but tickets are scarce.

By the way, this is why I love living in New York. This stuff doesn’t happen in West Palm Beach.