Is Godspell Broken?
Is Godspell Broken?According to New York Post's Michael Riedel, the planned Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell is canceled, "barring any last-minute reprieve." However, Telecharge is still selling advance tckets to American Express Gold Card holders and is advertising that tickets will go on sale to the general public on August 23.
Riedel says Godspell's producers have come up a million dollars short of the $4.5 million needed to mount the musical that had been slated to begin performances October 23 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The revival was to star Gavin Creel.
Riedel calls this the first casualty of the current economic downturn. But a day earlier, he counted at least three other shows intended for the current Broadway season as having had difficulty raising the necessary capital: revivals for both Brigadoon and for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, as well as Turn Of The Century, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice's follow-up to a little musical you may have heard of called Jersey Boys .
Making matters worse, according to Riedel, is that advance box office business is way down, making even a show like Shrek The Musical begging for an audience. To date, the $20 million tuner has only attracted $5 million in advance sales.
Talk about poor timing for the most recent escalation in top ticket prices!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Brigadoon, Broadway, Godspell, Michael Riedel, Musical, Potentially Canceled Productions, Shrek The Musical
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Saturday, August 16, 2008
3 Comments:
I know that many in the theatre community are finding this particular cancellation a little more difficult to bear. BRIGADOON and NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT never made it to their out-of-town tryouts and FOR COLORED GIRLS... was a risk to begin with. In this economy, had FOR COLORED GIRLS... gone forward the tickets sales would likely have made the producers, in fact, consider suicide...
It's definitely going to be a rocky season on the Great White Way. When avid theatregoers like me are feeling the economy's effects on attendance, I can only imagine how the casual theatregoer must feel.
I don't know... I wasn't really looking forward to GODSPELL. Have never really been a huge fan.
But it is a shame that a lot of shows are facing this fate. After s\returning from my week trip in NYC, and after seeing some great shows again, I have an urge to hop right back on that plane and see some more.
I only feel bad about GODSPELL being postponed is because an acquaintance was cast in the show.
As for the show itself, it's far from Schwartz's best work and the book for the show is a snoozefest.
GODSPELL would have made it to Broadway had it not been for the success of HAIR at Central Park. HAIR is rumored to announce a Broadway transfer anyday and you one "flower child" show is all Broadway can handle at this point.
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