Ka-Ching?!Goodbye
Hilton Theatre. Hello
Foxwoods.
As in the Connecticut resort and casino.
Effective today,
Live Nation has once again sold out with new naming rights for its beleaguered barn of a theatre that was initially opened by
convicted producer
Garth Drabinksy's
Livent, Inc., on January 26, 1998, as the
Ford Center for the Performing Arts.
Livent had acquired two theatres, the
Lyric and the
Apollo, gutting and banging them together with some of their original architectural elements remaining in the "new" 1829 seat theatre that's been created in their place.
In its brief 14 year history as a Broadway venue, the theatre has only housed eight shows, most of them flops and/or produced at a financial loss due to their over-the-top nature. With respect to the latter, an excellent case in point is the venue's original tenant
Ragtime. Shortly after it opened in 1998, Livent declared bankruptcy, and
SFX Theatrical Group swooped in to take ownership (SFX would ultimately become part of
Clear Channel and then Live Nation).
The biggest hit that played the Ford Center for the Performing Arts was
42nd Street, which took home 2001 Tonys for Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress for
Christine Ebersole. The production lasted nearly four years and a total of 1524 performances.
Shortly after
42nd Street closed,
Hilton Hotels was granted naming rights (
Hilton's Times Square property is directly across the street from the theatre). Only four shows have played in the theatre during that time, and nothing has played there since
Young Frankenstein closed on January 4, 2009.
Of course, the next occupant was already supposed to be playing to record-breaking crowds. And while
Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark has finally loaded-in with rehearsals about to get into high gear, presumably for a much-delayed fall 2010 opening, the theatre itself has been turned off in darkness for so long, it's probably no wonder that Live Nation was seeking yet another corporate sponsor's name to plaster on the building.
I'm no fan of such naming rights. It cheapens both the landscape and the landmarks themselves.
If I can take hope, it's from one landmark Broadway theatre that had a five year fling with
one corporate sponsor. That affair blessedly didn't last. As of 2007, the original
Winter Garden name stands alone. Miracles really can still happen on Broadway.
As for the newly minted Foxwoods Theatre, perhaps some of their luck will rub off on what is arguably Broadway's unluckiest venue. I'll bet they're counting on a full house.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. Labels: 42nd Street, Broadway, Broadway Venues, Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Foxwoods Theatre, Hilton Theatre, Ragtime, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark, Young Frankenstein
SOB's Theatrical Firsts Of The Noughties: Seeing Shows In Every Broadway HouseOver the course of the last decade, I’ve been truly fortunate to enjoy a number of enlightening firsts in my personal theatergoing that have only served to increase my deep and abiding love for the art form known as live theatre. What follows is one of my ten favorite experiences of the last ten years.If you are a regular reader of Steve On Broadway, you may recall back in September of this year when I finally made my way to Broadway’s
Majestic Theatre to finally see a performance of
Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic
The Phantom Of The Opera, the longest running show in the Great White Way’s history. And what a performance to attend as they celebrated the show’s 9,000th performance milestone, albeit one day early.
Of course, my sole reason for attending was to scratch one last Broadway house off my list, and I guess you can say I did it in style since
The Phantom Of The Opera celebrated its 9000th performance the afternoon I went. It came after just over 24 years after taking my first Broadway show at the
Winter Garden Theatre for another Andrew Lloyd Webber hit,
Cats, in 1985.
But about the time in September
I was crowing I had been to every single Broadway theatre, another newly refurbished one was going back online. With its façade being the only remnant from its original theatre, the entirely
new Henry Miller’s was making its Broadway debut with
Bye Bye Birdie as its first occupant. As I try to see every new show that opens, I dutifully made my way to Henry Miller’s in October and this time, for real, I scratched every last legit Broadway house off my list.
P.S. If you're wondering which Broadway venue I've seen the most shows in, that would be the
Booth Theatre, where I've taken in 10 different productions, bookended by two musicals: the 1992 revival of
The Most Happy Fella and the current hit
next to normal.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for each performance.Labels: Booth Theatre, Broadway, Broadway Venues, Bye Bye Birdie, Henry Miller's Theatre, Majestic Theatre, Next To Normal, The Most Happy Fella, The Phantom Of The Opera
38 Down, One To Go (Plus One)Even if I wasn't so enamored by the current revival of
Guys And Dolls, it did afford me the opportunity of crossing another Broadway theatre off my list. Thirty-eight down,
one more to go ... if you don't count that
"new" theatre coming to a Broadway near you in September.
It may be heresy to other theatre lovers, but up until seeing
Guys And Dolls during one of its last previews prior to opening, I had never set foot inside the wonderfully restored
Nederlander Theatre (pictured here, photo by Matthew Blank). That's right, I never saw its previous occupant
Rent there, even though it squatted at the Nederlander through 5,123 performances. Fear not,
Rent-heads, I actually took in the very first "Angel" touring company of
Rent during its initial stint in Boston (way back in 1996), as well as a later tour of St. Paul (2000).
Which of Broadway's current 39 theatrical venues have I visited the most? That would be the
Booth Theatre -- home to countless prestige shows and arguably the Great White Way's most uncomfortable seats -- beginning with the 1992 revival of
The Most Happy Fella and as recently as its current occupant,
next to normal. Which brings me full circle:
Frank Loesser wrote the scores to both
Guys And Dolls and
The Most Happy Fella , while
Michael Greif directed both
Rent and
next to normal.
So, dear readers, how many Broadway theatres have you visited? And do you think I should just bite the bullet and finally see that
last remaining show (even though I
have seen it in London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas) to round out my overall Rialto experience?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Booth Theatre, Broadway, Broadway Venues, Frank Loesser, Guys And Dolls, Michael Greif, Nederlander Theatre, Next To Normal, Rent, The Most Happy Fella
36 Down, 3 To GoLast week, Chris Caggiano over at
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals was musing about how he'd finally get inside Broadway's
Lyceum Theatre now that
[title of show] is headed there this summer. He mentioned how that would leave just three Rialto theatres in which he's never stepped foot.
His post got me to pondering whether I've been in all 39 Broadway theatres that are currently functioning, and like the geek I am, I systematically went through the
Internet Broadway Database's encyclopedic history on each venue and discovered that I've now been in all but three myself. And those three might actually surprise you.
First, the theatre housing Broadway's all-time longest running show is the
Majestic Theatre. Is it heresy for someone purporting to be "Steve On
Broadway" to admit he's never actually seen
The Phantom Of The Opera on the Great White Way? Sure, the show's been running for 20 long years, but since I first caught the London production about the time the Main Stem incarnation was first being performed, I didn't feel compelled to go to see it at the Majestic. Oh sure, I've seen it again -- thanks to freebie tickets 10 years ago in Los Angeles, and then again for kicks and giggles just last year in the truncated
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular -- but suffice it to say that as long as
The Phantom Of The Opera is playing the Majestic, I won't be going there.
Second is the
Nederlander Theatre, home to the musical
Rent since 1996. I've seen
Jonathan Larson's landmark tuner twice, just never in New York. In fact, the first time I saw it was when the first touring company swung through Boston during the winter of 1996-97, and I saw it again in St. Paul in 2000. Unlike
Phantom, I actually enjoyed this profoundly moving show, and I had even considered (at the last minute) to get tix for the Broadway version when
Adam Pascal and
Anthony Rapp reprised their turns as Roger and Marc, respectively, just last year. But alas, the show was sold out the first time I tried and only had back row seating available the next. With the departure of
Rent from the Nederlander now imminent, coming in September, I suspect that I'll finally get into that theatre sometime in the next year.
Finally, I have never been to the
Neil Simon Theatre, host to current occupant
Hairspray since 2002. Through a little bit of serendipity, I actually saw and loved
Hairspray with its original cast, but it was when I was passing through Seattle during its tryout performances there. And I also enjoyed seeing the first touring production when it passed through Minneapolis. While its current cast is appealing, I am probably not inclined to go see it, saving my theatregoing dollars for other shows.
So which theatre have I been to the most? That distinction goes to what is arguably Broadway's worst venue: the
Booth Theatre. Always one for prestige productions, I've been going there since 1992 when the acclaimed revival of
The Most Happy Fella enjoyed a 229 performance run. Almost in spite of how lousy this theatre itself is, including some of the least desirable seating
(read: tightly crammed), some of my best Broadway memories came from this house, where visions of
Paul Newman,
Dame Edna,
Vanessa Redgrave and others still dance in my mind. And I'm absolutely looking forward to returning next month to see
Laurence Fishburne in
Thurgood. I'm just not looking forward to being uncomfortable.
Finally, my very first Broadway theatre
ever was none other than the
Winter Garden where I caught
Cats near the beginning of its 18 year run. Fortunately, as much as I disliked that show, it has not deterred me from coming back to the Great White Way for performance after performance.
I just wonder how many more years it will take for me to check the Majestic off my list....
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Broadway Venues, Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, Hairspray, Musical, Rent, The Phantom Of The Opera, title of show
