Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Kiss A Chorus Line Goodbye

Kiss A Chorus Line Goodbye

While I was apparently snoozing (actually getting caught up in yesterday's spectacular conclusion to the 2008 Presidential Primary Season), it was announced Tuesday that Broadway's first revival of A Chorus Line had posted its closing notices.

The revival of the musical (which I avoided completely) was most definitely not the one singular sensation that the original was. When A Chorus Line finally shutters at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on August 17, it will have played a respectable 759 regular performances. Compare that with the original, which clocked in at 6,137 performances or 15 years and spanning three decades (1975-1990), and suddenly the revival's less than two years on the boards don't seem quite so special.

Could it be that A Chorus Line just couldn't get past the criticism of its stuntcasting of Mario Lopez, which snowballed into impassioned discussions from purists (including here) about the vanities of stars and the liberties the production had taken with the original material?

Well, consider that last week, A Chorus Line did a collective dip at the box office falling to a paltry 49% capacity, earning it the unenviable ranking as second lowest Broadway capacity of the week. It also plunged an astonishing 20.5% week over week.

Love, nothing. Maybe next time, producers will reconsider what they did for a buck.

Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
Flex And Flexing (May 18, 2008)
A Chorus Line: From Priscilla To Mario Lopez (March 5, 2008)
Are Blogs Making The Time-Honored Preview Obsolete? (August 20, 2007)
Did Chorus Line Do Enough For Love Of Critics? (October 6, 2006)
Will Chorus Line Be A Double Sensation? (October 5, 2006)
A Chorus Line Revival Begins Previews Tonight (September 18, 2006)
A Chorus Line's Casting Announced (April 26, 2006)

Labels: A Chorus Line, Box Office, Broadway, Closing Notices, Jump The Shark, Mario Lopez, Musical, Revival, Stunt Casting

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Wednesday, June 04, 2008