Sure this post is two days late, but I've been reeling, feeling bloody awful in the wake of two high profile closingnotices that went up this week.
Although I'll have more to say on the other one shortly, let me discuss my dismay that Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson received the ax on Wednesday. (Almost immediately after the closing notice was posted, the shiny starry revival of That Championship Season -- which on paper stands to be a bigger box office success -- announced it would take BBAJ's Bernard B. Jacobs berth starting in February.)
Yes, my review was among the minority taking a dim view of the show. But I was rather enthusiastic about Michael Friedman's rollicking rock score and the brilliant star-making turn offered by Benjamin Walker as the eponymous 7th President.
My dismay is two-fold.
First, while I can't claim to be among the production's boosters, my hat is off to the enormous effort expended by director Alex Timbers and the Public Theater to make Broadway relevant to a new audience. I fully appreciate that I may be getting a little long in the tooth and may not be the type of audience a show like this was seeking. But I fully support their valiant attempt to infuse fresh new, er, blood into the Great White Way.
Second, I submit that the box office wasn't that bad. Last week, the production grossed $442,113, playing to a capacity of 64.7%. Though those are not the greatest figures, they're far from the worst, which includes shows that are barely attracting 50% and have indicated that they'll be around for a longer haul. Certainly the box office would likely have improved over the upcoming holidays, right? Unfortunately, a lot of talent will be out of work when the show closes January 2.
One silver lining at the box office has been that Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson's average ticket price was at a respectable $82.92 last week -- that's just under the average ticket price for The Phantom Of The Opera, which grossed over $1 million last week.
Perhaps BBAJ's producers should have given considerably more thought to how to attract their target audience, who simply can't afford Broadway prices. My recommendation before the show opened was for them to invest in a $20 ticket promotion -- you know, with that guy on the bill who happens to be the star of the show. My hunch is that they could have earned a major steam of buzz and the type of word-of-mouth that could have kept the show open considerably longer.
Instead, we have a closing notice coming too bloody soon.
In keeping with the 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 directly in exchange for this post.
No sooner had Simon Bent's Ellingopened on Broadway this past Sunday and its producers have announced it's closing. This Sunday, November 28. After just nine regular performances.
Since I've been on vacation, I haven't even had an opportunity -- yet -- to write my review for the show. But I can tell you that I certainly enjoyed the show, which snuck up on me and left me a wee bit teary eyed at the end -- perhaps a surprise for all the folks who walked out of the production who never knew what they missed.
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.
As incredible as that headline sounds, it's for real.
A whopping 21 Broadway shows out of 39 will be closing between now and the end of January 2011. Yes, over half of the shows currently on the Great White Way will be gone in less than two months.
Among those 21 shows, 17 of them are scheduled to close during the month of January (although one could possibly extend beyond). That number may seem inordinately high, especially coming off two consecutive Januarys in which we lamented the closing of an unusually large number of shows due to the perennial winter doldrums coupled with a poor economy.
However, unlike the last two years, 10 of the shows set to close in January are limited runs shuttering on schedule. And among the four shows concluding performances between now and the end of the year (including one, pictured right, that hasn't even opened yet), all but one of them is also a limited run closing as scheduled.
Additionally, it should be noted that of the seven other shows closing in January, five of them -- A Little Night Music, Fela!, In The Heights, next to normal and West Side Story -- will not only have been performing on Broadway's boards for over a year, but each has earned at least one Tony Award, including In The Heights' Best Musical Tony from 2008. And did I mention next to normal's belated Pulitzer Prize?
With box office doing quite well in recent weeks -- grosses hit $22,656,843 just last week -- it's fair to say that things seem to be looking up for the Great White Way, which is relatively flush with green. Of course, it's entirely possible that there are additional closing notices looming for other Broadway shows that aren't faring well at the box office. But I won't speculate here on what else may not be long for this world.
Here's the current schedule of shows set to close between now and the end of January:
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.
No sooner do I post my SOB Review for the outrageously funny La Bête than the revival announces an early closing for January 9, 2011 -- five weeks earlier than originally planned.
By the time the comedy closes, it will have played 101 regular performances -- 76 more than the original production that bombed back in 1991. The current production wasn't even attracting 60% capacity at the box office last week. Unbelievable given all the talent involved.
Personally, I'm downright disappointed that this play didn't do better. It was incredibly well-crafted by director Matthew Warchus and brilliantly acted, particularly by Mark Rylance, who deserves a Tony nomination for his virtuoso work.
If there is a saving grace, it's that Rylance has indicated that he's set to begin rehearsals for a Broadway incarnation of Jerusalem, a play that blew away virtually everyone who had a chance to see it in London earlier this year. Rylance would reprise his Olivier Award-winning turn as Johnny "Rooster" Byron, and quite possibly do it at the very same theatre where he's currently treading the boards for La Bête.
To get a taste of what else to expect from Rylance, here's the trailer from the London production of Jerusalem:
After seeing Rylance in La Bête, I'm already salivating for his next star turn. If you haven't already seen La Bête, do yourself a favor and get to the Music Box Theatre before it closes in January. You can thank me later.
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.
After major cast changes and months of sluggish box office, not to mention rumors speculating the inevitable, next to normalhas posted a closing notice for January 16, 2010.
Originally mounted Off-Broadway, as well as at Washington DC's Arena Stage, this unlikely musical delved headlong into mental illness. So potent was the controversial tuner that it garnered 11 Tony Award nominations including for Best Musical. The show would win Tonys for its star Alice Ripley, its score (Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey) and orchestrations (Michael Starobin).
Perhaps its biggest coup de grâce to all naysayers was earning a Pulitzer Prize earlier this year -- controversial in itself since it was hardly a new dramatic work by the time it won.
Personally, I found myself absolutely spellbound by the show, and it certainly melted its way into my heart. And I certainly thought it merited the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical (it lost out to the irresistible charms of Billy Elliot).
By the time next to normal closes, it will have played 733 regular performances. Fortunately for its legions of fans, they'll be able to catch the touring version of the show headlined by none other than Alice Ripley herself. Performances begin later this month (November 23) at the Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
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.
So much for any additional life support for A Life In The Theatre. Sadly, it's time to write the obit as they're pulling the plug more than a month early.
Today, a closing notice was posted for the limited runrevival of David Mamet's slight, 33 year old work presented for the very first time on Broadway this fall. The show will close on November 28.
On paper, it certainly sounded brilliant, particularly with Neil Pepe directing Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight, both extraordinarily gifted actors in their own right. Yet, it seemed extremely tiny, even in its smallish Broadway house. It also seemed woefully thin, not only to me, but also to a hostofcritics.
Even worse, the show has been languishing near the bottom of the weekly grosses for the past coupleweeks (and I'm sure this week's box office totals will bear similar results). In fact, with one notable exception, A Life In The Theatre was not only the lowest grossing show on Broadway for the week ending October 31 ($218,150), but also at the bottom in attracting capacity crowds at 39.3%.
When the show closes, it will have performed 56 regular performances. As Ben Brantley of The New York Times has so eloquently stated, "And now when I see a good production Off Broadway, I shudder to think that it may soon be pushed onto a big, unloving stage where it may well die from exposure." As much as I love Broadway, not every play or musical -- including ones I love -- belongs there.
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.
This morning, it was announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights would close January 9, 2011, after 1,185 regular performances on Broadway. In tandem with the closing notice, it was also announced that Miranda will return to the role of Usnavi on December 25 for the last two weeks of performances.
While the Tony-winning Best Musical of 2008 has been hovering in the 60-plus percent capacity range over the last month, a story posted yesterday by The New York Times' Patrick Healy underscored the ongoing challenges In The Heights and a handful of other shows face:
Most plays need to earn 40 percent to 45 percent of their maximum possible gross to cover weekly running costs....
Other musicals that were under the 55 percent threshold last week were two shows that opened last spring, American Idiot (at a modest 39 percent) and Million Dollar Quartet (47 percent), as well as long-running hits Chicago, In the Heights, Mary Poppins, Next to Normal and West Side Story (which previously posted a closing notice for January 2).
I can't help but wonder how many of the other shows on Healy's list will post their closing notices in the weeks to come. Currently, 15 Broadway shows are scheduled to close during the month of January 2011. Although to be fair, 10 of them were only originally slated as limited runs.
This year, In The Heights resorted to stuntcasting, first with Corbin Bleu of "High School Musical" fame taking on the role of Usnavi, and more recently with "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks joining the cast as Nina. Unfortunately, Sparks' addition hardly ignited any additional box office for the show, and she's currently set to depart the production on November 14.
Personally, I admired and certainly liked In The Heights when I saw it in April 2008, but didn't think it rose to the lofty heights of a Broadway musical. I wrote:
While Miranda & Co. deserve enormous credit for wearing their ginormous hearts on their sleeves, pants legs and virtually everything else in sight including via an impressive 11 o'clock graffiti-cum-work-of-art, I discovered even I'm capable of finding a mushy musical just a tad too treacly.
Despite the promise of something new, including Miranda's hotter than salsa hip-hop funk, In The Heights never quite soars, even with the ebullient energy infused through Andy Blankenbuehler's joyous choreography. Instead, it's a hackneyed pastiche of storytelling we've seen too many times before.
On the plus side -- and it is a huge plus -- is that In The Heights provides a significant and positive yet all too rare depiction of a slice of our Hispanic community on stage. In that respect, it remains a solid winner.
In addition to opportunities to see the show on Broadway through January 9, a touring production is winding its way through the United States and Puerto Rico through April 2011 (its next stop is Sacramento in early November).
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.
Sure, the sophisticated Stephen Sondheim tuner had only been selling tickets through January 9, 2011, anyway. But with the celebrated replacements Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch originally scheduled only through November 7, coupled with the revival's previous plans to close last June 20, I couldn't help but hope the producers could pull a fifth and sixth rabbit out of their stylish hat in terms of its headlining cast.
Instead, the producers announced today a hat trick of another kind. While confirming the show's closure for the second time (and presumably final) time, they simultaneously announced that Peters and Stritch have extended their contracts through the closing date of January 9.
A Little Night Music will have enjoyed a remarkable Rialto run of 425 regular performances, after first wowing the critics across the pond. Trevor Nunn's production captured my heart when I first saw it nearly two years ago in London where his vision worked exceedingly well in the Menier Chocolate Factory's thimble-sized theatre.
Having seen that incarnation and knowing what to expect with Nunn's spare staging, I wasn't at all let down in quite the way many of my colleagues were by the time the show turned up on Broadway. However, I was every bit as genuinely disappointed by Catherine Zeta-Jones's brassy performance as I was genuinely moved by Angela Lansbury. Yet when Peters and Stritch took over as replacements, I couldn't help but believe I had just witnessedthe definitive portrayal of Desiree as manifested in "Send In The Clowns."
Was this a perfect revival? Certainly not. But it surely has provided audiences with a wonderfully rare opportunity to hear some of Sondheim's very best music back on the Broadway stage. And you know what? It sure was rich.
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.
Despite earning mixedreviews, Promises Promises showed enormous box office promise right up through two weeks ago when the tuner was still grossing over $1 million in ticket sales.
The only times those figures ever went south of a cool million were when its much-loved leads -- Kristin Chenoweth and the Tony-nominated Sean Hayes -- were temporarily away. Initially, contracts for the duo were through December 26 of this year. In their closing notice announcement, Promises Promises producers indicated that they were able to extend those contracts through the January 2 closing date (although Chenoweth will be out October 15-27 and December 29-January 1).
With the exception of Tony-winner Katie Finneran, who stole the show as the deliriously funny Marge and who is leaving the show October 10 due to a pregnancy, all other principals are remaining with the production until it closes. Finneran's replacement, Molly Shannon, takes over October 12 for the balance of the performances. This will mark Shannon's Broadway debut.
Early on, this revival of Promises Promises made headlines as Hayes seemed unnecessarily targeted by a Newsweek reporter, who asserted that the actor's sexuality made him unbelievable as a romantic lead. Chenoweth fired back, labeling the gay reporter as "knee jerk homophobic." Then, when Hayes hosted the Tony Awards, he and Chenoweth enjoyed perhaps the strangest televised liplocksinceMichael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley. But no matter -- both only seemed to fuel box office demand.
While I certainly didn't hate the show, I didn't exactly love it, either. I was somewhere in the middle with my two-star review, mostly because I found the first act so incredibly lumbering, yet surprised in my delight with the second, buoyed by Finneran's charms. But as a fan of "The Apartment," which served as Promises Promises' source material, I was disappointed by how flat the musical's story fell. And the shoe-horning in of songs like "I Say A Little Prayer For You" and "A House Is Not A Home" just didn't work for me.
Still, I had hoped for a second act miracle for the production itself. Just as Finneran lifted the entire musical after Promises Promises' intermission, the thought of an inspired recasting of the leads along the lines of what was accomplished with A Little Night Music intrigued me. But those hopes were dashed as it appears that the production and creative team gave up on finding anyone suitable as a box office draw that could replace either of them. Instead, that same team appears to be limiting its focus on prepping another upcoming 60s-era revival, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, for Broadway in the Spring of 2011.
But suppose for a moment that the show were to receive an 11th hour reprieve, whom would you cast as Chuck Baxter and Fran Kubelik?
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.
Something's Coming: A Closing For West Side Story Revival
On the very day that the newly renamed Stephen Sondheim Theatre is formally unveiled, news comes that the current Broadway revival of West Side Story -- the show for which Sondheim earned his earliest lyrical credit -- is set to close January 2, 2011, after 748 regular performances.
In recent weeks, audiences have dwindled precipitously. Just last week, West Side Story had the dubious distinction of attracting the lowest capacity of any Broadway show: just 50.5%. So the handwriting was certainly on the wall. West Side Story opens up the Palace Theatre for the United States premiere of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert in March 2011.
As I noted in my SOB Review from April 2009, I genuinely adore the gorgeous score Sondheim wrote with Leonard Bernstein. Yet I felt cheated by this revival's initial use of the Spanish language that came without any sub or supertitles. It seemed to come as a surprise to director Arthur Laurents that not everyone -- including a new generation of theatregoers -- were not familiar enough with West Side Story for that conceit to work. Ultimately, he relented and most of the Spanish language elements were reverted back to English.
In spite of that, Karen Olivo earned a Tony Award for her sharp turn as Anita. The show itself garnered three other Tony nods, including for the affecting performance offered by Josefina Scaglione as Maria. Olivo left the production back in May due to an injury. Scaglione departs the production on September 19.
As a revival, this West Side Story goes out a winner, having recouped nearly one year ago. Additionally, the show was honored with a Grammy Award in January for its lush cast recording.
If you've missed West Side Story on Broadway, at least you'll have your chance to see it somewhere as the national tour kicks off September 30 in Detroit.
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.
Yesterday, in one fell swoop, the Broadway musical Fela!not only announced it would close on January 2, 2011, but that on September 14, singing legend Patti LaBelle would assume the role of Funmilayo (Fela Kuti's mother), currently played by outgoing Tony nominee Lillias White.
Evidently, the scrappy, revolutionary tuner isn't going down without a fight. The show will have played 463 regular performances by the time it closes.
What is remarkable is that for a show all about "originality," it appears to be employing one of the stage's most tried and true devices of keeping a Broadway production chugging along: stunt casting. Now before you jump all over me, keep in mind that I have long championedFela! It was undeniably last season's most innovative, new musical, and in my opinion, the best musical of the past year.
To her credit, apart from threeseparateconcert series through the eighties and nineties, Patti LaBelle has performed in one Broadway musical. She appeared nearly 28 years ago in the short-lived Your Arms Too Short To Box With Godrevivalwith another soul legend Al Green. In addition to appearing in several films and television shows, she's also portrayed Mama Morton in Chicago out in Los Angeles.
Also to LaBelle's enormous credit, she has graciously said this about Fela!:
After seeing the show, I was struck by the choreography and work of Bill T. Jones, and the passion and joy that overflows from the stage. Fela's mother, Funmilayo, was a strong, truly inspiring woman, and I am so privileged to be able to pay tribute to her on the Broadway stage.
Indeed, she will be. But will LaBelle's new attitude be enough to keep ticket sales humming through the pipeline during the fall when so many other new shows are opening?
Let me say this, if you haven't already seen Fela!, do yourself a favor and go. You'll see why I've been saying "Yeah, yeah" since it opened last November 19.
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.
Forget ol' blue eyes. Here's a couple black eyes with a little red thrown in for good measure.
While a little birdie gave me an early indication that this would occur, Come Fly Away officially posted its closing notice late yesterday afternoon. The show will close September 5, 2010, after 187 regular performances.
For a month, choreographer Twyla Tharp's dance salute to Frank Sinatra has been struggling to break 50% capacity at the box office. Inexplicably, the average ticket price never dropped accordingly.
Last week alone, Come Fly Away increased its capacity a paltry 1.1% over the previous one to a disappointing 49%, yet the average ticket price for the seats sold was still a whopping $91.03. Compare that to the average capacity (84.02%) and average ticket price ($87.85) for all of Broadway last week, and it becomes evident that the producers of Come Fly Away missed an opportunity to increase their audience share (and potential positive word-of-mouth) by discounting their tickets.
In a late gambit, producers even began to sell tickets through the beginning of 2011. But luck would not be a lady for next year, let alone tonight. Yet, just as the producers were announcing the shuttering, they also announced that a national tour is planned.
Personally, although I know Come Fly Away had itsadvocates, I thought it was the worst show to open on Broadway all last season. As much as I hate to see any show close, all I can say is "bye-bye birdie."
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.
Next Fall walked away from the Tonys with no wins, yet the show was already stumbling and falling at the box office with weeks of very low sales in what is Broadway's tiniest house.
While my prediction came true, I don't relish it for one moment -- even for a show I didn't much care for -- because it means that the play's hard-working actors and crew won't have jobs. But the blow here is particularly hard.
Next Fall cost about $2 million to mount, and one of its lead producers, Richard Willis, said that the show will close at a total loss to its producers and investors.
Among those producers were Elton John and David Furnish, whose names were often included above the title.
Maybe if the show weren't so cliché-ridden or preachy, ironically about how narrow-minded people of faith purportedly are, it could have attracted a much wider audience.
Next Fall will close on July 4 after 26 previews and 132 regular performances.
Good thing I didn't make a bet to eat my Next Fall Playbill if it didn't post closing notices.
A couple days ago, I had predicted that due to its lackluster box office performance in the already tiny Helen Hayes Theatre coupled with no Tony wins that it would likely shutter soon. But its producers say, for now anyway, that it's their goal to remain open through summer.
So far, none as a direct result of Sunday night's Tony Awards.
In fact, this year's Best Play Redannounced just yesterday that its limited run would close as scheduled on June 27, which is really too bad because it offers those fortunate enough to see it two of the year's most magnificent stage performances (Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne). That is, unless you count those being offered over at the Cort Theatre for this year's Best Revival of a Play Fences with the two other stellar performances (Denzel Washington and particularly Viola Davis). Fences currently remains on schedule to close its limited engagement on July 11.
But here is the full list of Broadway shows currently scheduled to close:
On June 9, it was announced that the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Music otherwise known as "The American Tribal Love Rock Musical" would shutter on June 27, 2010, after 29 previews and 519 regular performances (over and above those Hair extensions in Central Park during the summer of 2008).
Most of this revival of Hair's original cast may be seen in London through September 4. Plus, a tour commences this October at the Shubert Performing Arts Center in New Haven, Connecticut.
An import from London's Donmar Warehouse, this year's Tony Award-winning Best Play has only been scheduled for a very limited run. That engagement will conclude as scheduled on June 27, 2010. Red will have played 22 previews and 101 regular performances.
Look for John Logan's work to be mounted by regional theatres throughout the United States over the next couple years, albeit with different direction and casts.
This limited engagement initially was set to finish this past Sunday but was extended by two weeks. When it closes on June 27, 2010, this revue will have played 37 previews and 76 regular performances.
As for a life beyond? Unless there's a tour, which seems highly unlikely, it's hard to imagine regional mountings given how a major portion of the show incorporates Stephen Sondheim's own words via video. Plus, there are already several other Sondheim songbook revues out there.
The last-minute, surprise hit run that managed to garner Tony nominations has always been a limited run and is scheduled to close on July 11, 2010. When it shutters, Everyday Rapture will have played 11 previews and 85 regular performances.
Although Sherie Rene Scott is portraying a semi-fictionalized version of herself, there's no reason why enterprising regional theatre companies couldn't pick up this show a laHunter Bell and Jeff Bowen's semi-autobiographical [title of show]. Yet Scott herself seems to be keeping the door open to returning to her character for a tour, although "it wouldn't be for another year."
Director Kenny Leon's camp at this year's Tony-winning Best Revival of a Play has been so silent over the past few days that you can't help but wonder if they're secretly working toward extending their limited run past July 11, 2010, which is nearly sold out. Or are they waiting to announce something else like a new cast and/or a tour?
If the show closes as scheduled, it will have enjoyed 13 previews and a mere 80 regular performances. But why do I have this hunch....
The single most hilarious Broadway show I saw all year was initially an open-ended run. But on May 21, a closing notice was posted for August 15, 2010, which marks the end-date for its ensemble's contracts. Tony-nominated for Best Revival of a Play, Lend Me A Tenor will have played 25 previews and 153 regular performances.
There's no word on any plans for this production beyond Broadway, but Ken Ludwig's farce is already regularly mounted by regional and community theatres.
Although the show has already recouped its initial investment, don't be surprised to see it close earlier if the box office doesn't experience a bounce from its new cast.
August 22, 2010: South Pacific - Vivian Beaumont Theatre
On February 19, it was announced that this 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Musical would close on August 22, 2010. But when it does, it will have played 37 previews and 1,000 regular performances. The show will go out with a bang as original cast member Kelli O'Harareturns August 10 and again appears opposite Tony-winner Paulo Szot (rumors that Matthew Morrison may also return remain just that -- rumors).
Earlier this year, I caught the South Pacificnational tour and I can tell you that it is nearly as good in every way as the Broadway mounting; that tour will last through 2011. Additionally, when the closing notice was posted, it was also announced that there are plans to bring the production to London and Australia.
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.
That came just hours after this year's slate of Tony nominations were announced. While British import Enron earned a respectable four nods, including almost improbably (but deservedly) in the Best Original Score category for its playwright Lucy Prebble and sound designer Adam Cork, the captivating thrill ride of a play with music failed to win any nods in the Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (Rupert Goold) and Best Lead Actor in a Play (Norbert Leo Butz) categories. So for a show about failure, it seemed to be living up to its name.
But hold on a minute.
I for one regret not writing enthusiastically about this highly stylized gem of a show earlier. In my humble estimation, this breathtaking work should have been nominated in each of the aforementioned categories. But I sensed that Tony nominators, if not New Yorkers in general, are weary of all things Wall Street, let alone allusions to 9/11, which is a shame because we cannot afford to have the complete collapse of either our economy or other towers ever occur again.
Perhaps we just don't like being lectured by the British, although I submit we can learn a lot from our mother country. In Enron, Prebble slyly portrays the slippery slope of self-deception onto which the company's principals placed themselves, beginning with the disingenuous mark to market accounting principles right through the creation of the deceptive LJM. Prebble presents plausible rationales, however deluded, under which Jeffrey Skilling (Butz), Andy Fastow (an exceptional Stephen Kunken) and ultimately Kenneth Lay (Gregory Itzin) were operating.
Butz, as you've never seen him before, is particularly brilliant in his first truly dramatic role on Broadway. Nailing the quirky behavior of an industry wonk, it's simply astonishing to watch his metamorphosis into a ruthless would-be titan. Despite what the nominators have said, I thought his to be the best performance I've yet to see him deliver on stage. Butz is a fierce force with whom to be reckoned.
As for reckoning, Wall Street would do well to remember the phrase coined by Spanish philosopher George Santayana's that, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Lucy Prebble's Enron should be required viewing for everyone associated with Wall Street. If it actually were, the show would be running for years.
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.
If Doug Hughes' Broadway mounting of David Mamet’s Oleanna succeeded in dividing audiences, it wasn't necessarily always along the gender lines the production had sought to foment. If anything, the revival seemed to split its audiences on whether the 75-minute play was good to begin with.
Perhaps stung by mixed reviews (including a pan from The New York Times Ben Brantley that left me wondering if we had seen the same show) and an illusion of declining fortunes at the box office (the show took in $241,999 last week, its second week in a row with an increase), it was announced yesterday that Oleanna would close January 3, immediately prior to the long cold winter months that typically take their toll on Broadway. UPDATE (12.1.09): Today it was announced that Oleanna would accelerate its closing to Sunday, December 6.
Of course, part of the appeal, but by no means my reason for providing the show with a generous 3 1/2 stars, was the talk back session employed immediately after my preview. It's often been said that audiences vote with their feet. In the case of my fellow theatregoers the day I saw Oleanna, they were clearly engaged as virtually everyone stayed for the talk back session.
Some detractors could say that they merely stayed to get their full money's worth since the thinking is that a one hour and 15 minutes performance doesn't justify paying upwards of $100 for a ticket. But I believe this is one of those plays that leaves an audience grappling for answers, hoping to validate their opinions with others and verifying if others saw the same thing.
When given the opportunity, I stay for talk back sessions after shows offering them as personal elucidation -- my way of filling in the blanks left behind. Oleanna was the perfect kind of play to provide these sessions to round-out the communal aspect that is the theatrical experience. I was not only pleased to participate, but I was proud that fellow blogger and friend Leonard Jacobs of The Clyde Fitch Report was tapped as moderator for one of them.
Unfortunately for this production of Oleanna, its playwright apparently was none too pleased with the novelty of the talk back session and they ceased immediately after the show opened. According to one of the talk back moderators, New York Post columnist Michael Riedel:
Alas, Mamet hated them. He never attended one, but he's against them on principle, believing that his play should stand on its own and not be picked apart by "experts" on the law, feminism and campus sexual harassment policies.
"The talk-backs added a lot to the show," an investor says, "but we were told by David's agent right after we opened that he didn't like them."
Mamet couldn't stop them. Writers control only the script, not what happens onstage after the final bow. But he had a trump card to play. When the show opened to mixed reviews, the producers had to cut expenses and asked Mamet to waive his royalties.
His price? No more talk-backs.
I don't know that I would go so far as one wag Riedel quoted who essentially said Mamet was giving his audience the finger, but I do wonder if Mamet hasn't grasped how the mindset of today's theatregoers has evolved along with their expecting more from each experience.
It's my firm belief that in order to broaden the appeal of this great experiment called live theatre, particularly during a time when its pricing seems so out of whack with reality, you need to give audiences a bone to go with their meat. Producers have to engage their audiences in new ways, incorporate talk back sessions where they make sense, use social networking to connect and yes, reach out to theatre bloggers who can help create a viral buzz that in this age of splintered media becomes ever more important.
If there is a plus, it's that the producers of Mamet's newest work Raceseem to get the importance of active outreach, including with the blogging community. Let's just hope Mamet doesn't stop them.
The new Broadway revival of Brighton Beach Memoirsthat just opened at the top of this week will close Sunday.
Over the past 15 hours, there has been a flurry of slightly varying news items about the future of the show, along with word that the planned production of Broadway Boundoriginally scheduled to run in repertory with Brighton Beach Memoirs beginning in November would be scuttled.
The notice can be taken down at any time and no final decision on closing will be made until Monday, Nov. 2, when a statement will be issued.
However, this morning, the fate of Brighton Beach Memoirs appeared to be sealed as noted by The New York Times' Healy in a story posted at 10:08 a.m. Healy quotes producers Emanuel Azenberg and Ira Pittelman from a statement released earlier today:
A lot of nice people on stage and off will be out of work and a lot of good partners and investors will have lost a great deal of money. They all deserve better. It makes us sad.
It would be hard for anyone to say with a straight face that they didn't see this coming. As noted above, ticket sales have been extremely weak. Over the past coupleweeks, Brighton Beach Memoirs had been the single lowest-grossing Broadway production by a mile, as well as the one with the lowest average ticket price. For the week ending October 25, the play's average ticket price was a steal at just $21.32.
Personally, having easily scored a front-row seat without paying a premium just a week prior to attending the show, I was hardly shocked by the news. On my Saturday at the Nederlander Theatre, I was surprised by how few people were in the audience.
While I'm thankful I had an opportunity to see Brighton Beach Memoirs for myself, I'm a little sad that my hopes for seeing what Cromer et al had in store for us with Broadway Bound have been dashed. So excuse me for feeling a little melancholy today.
While the 2004 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Avenue Q still resides on Broadway, it's simply for now. The little adult puppet musical will close on September 13 after playing 2,534 performances.
Avenue Q began as a "million dollar idea" initially conceptualized for television by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez. But as it progressed, it took shape as a downtown musical with Jeff Whitty providing its book in time for its original mounting at New York's Vineyard Theatre. From there, it transferred to midtown to Broadway's John Golden Theatre, where it opened July 10, 2003.
When I first caught the fledgling little Avenue Q during the 2003-04 Theatrical Season with its original cast -- long before it was awarded the 2004 Tony for Best Musical -- I enjoyed its devious humor that tracked an ingenious parallel universe with television's "Sesame Street." I vividly recall a fun time was had by all.
I was less enamored with the current touring production when I caught it several years later, perhaps in part because of its unprecedented, all-out campaign effort to win the Tony back in 2003, coupled with the producers subsequent sell-out to Steve Wynn and Vegas instead of touring. But I give the show and its creators enormous credit for having lasted so long and inspiring new audiences to enjoy live theatre.
Those die-hard Avenue Q fans can take heart. The show still continues to tour nationally, with stops scheduled through at least one year forward. Then there's the successful West End production that opened to mixed reviews three years ago last Sunday.
Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles Limited run extended through May 31, 2011 (Show will go on hiatus starting January 15 and reopen at Brooks Atkinson Theatre on February 8)
Rock Of Ages - Open-ended run (Show will go on hiatus starting January 9 and reopen at Helen Hayes Theatre in March)
As someone who has been involved in both politics and public relations, it's no wonder I love watching theatre. Good or bad, it's the raw energy of seeing a live performance that gets my adrenaline pumping. From the moment I saw my very first Broadway show ("Annie" in London in 1979), I was hooked. Now I see as many as 70 shows each year ranging from soaring musicals to two-hander plays. And these eyes just may be in an audience near you!
Hair
Sondheim On Sondheim
Everyday Rapture
Fences
Lend Me A Tenor
Race
South Pacific
