The People's Broadway Musical?The Producers' Leo Bloom famously sang, "I wanna be a producer on Broadway."
Now thanks to an announcement yesterday from producer
Ken Davenport,
you can do it for as little as $100 per unit with a "minimum investment of 10 units."
Yes, you read correctly.
For as little as $1000 -- essentially the price of a few of
The Producers' infamous premium tickets -- you'll not only receive a limited liability company interest in
The Godspell, LLC, but you can also have your name listed on the Broadway poster outside the theatre and on the show's
Web site.
Although a revival for
Stephen Schwartz's musical
Godspell was
initially planned (and then dropped) for the 2008-09 Theatrical Season,
it was announced last December that Davenport would bring that "postponed" version to Broadway sometime in the fall of 2010.
Now the impresario is saying he will take it to the streets in mounting the tuner in the spring or summer of 2011 as the "first ever community produced Broadway musical."
Director
Daniel Goldstein remains attached to the upcoming production with
Christopher Gattelli as choreographer. (Click
here for my SOB story from July 2008 with added background on the show's history.)
Neither venue nor dates have been announced for the "Crowd-Funded" production. But suffice it to say with these latest developments, I'll be watching for developments day by day.
So dear readers, are you in? Please take a moment to vote in the following poll:
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. Labels: Christopher Gattelli, Daniel Goldstein, Godspell, Ken Davenport, Musical, Producers, Revival
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.
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
Broadway Preview: GodspellDay by day, I keep waiting for additional news to surface regarding the planned Broadway revival of
Stephen Schwartz's seminal work
Godspell.
It had originally
been announced that this Great White Way revival, first mounted two years ago at New Jersey's
Paper Mill Playhouse, would begin sometime this month. Now, from checking
Telecharge's ticketing information, the tuner won't begin previews until September 29, with its opening set for October 23 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Still, it's a little unsettling that more information isn't available other than that
Gavin Creel is set to return to Broadway as the musical's Christ-like figure. Fortunately, Creel himself wrote the following on
his own blog just this past Monday:
so the news is out:
Godspell has found it’s [sic] home: the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 47th street in NYC.
previews begin: sept 29
official opening: oct 23
IT’S EXCITING! I’m really starting to gear up and so is this amazing creative team. the stuff I have heard about the show so far sounds really thrilling. I don’t want to speak to [sic] soon but...I have a feeling some pretty beautiful/powerful/fun energy is coming to Manhattan in the fall. prepare ye...
That’s the first bit of news and more scoop coming. (i.e. who else is gonna be up there playing on that stage) ...but that’s all I can report right now. soon...
Absent from the Great White Way for three years, Creel has returned from his stint as Bert in the London stage version of
Mary Poppins. I caught both of Creel's previous Broadway credits including his Tony-nominated 2002-03 turn as Jimmy Smith in the Tony-winning Best Musical
Thoroughly Modern Millie and his portrayal as the selfish son Jean-Michel in the 2004-05 Tony-winning Best Revival of a Musical
La Cage Aux Folles.
While
Godspell initially enjoyed a long Off-Broadway run from 1971-76 at the Cherry Lane Theatre,
it didn't land on a Rialto stage until 1976. Nevertheless, Schwartz earned a Tony nomination for Best Original Score. Perhaps the best-known performer in that mounting was
Paul Shaffer ("
Late Show With David Letterman") on keyboards. Once there, the show played 527 performances.
The creative team for the revival includes direction from
Daniel Goldstein, choreography by
Christopher Gattelli (
Altar Boyz), scenic design by
David Korins, costume design by
Miranda Hoffman and lighting design from
Ben Stanton.
So what are the prospects for success for this first revival of
Godspell to hit Broadway? Given the continued, immense popularity of Schwartz's current hit
Wicked, I have little doubt that
Godspell will score all for the best.
Group tickets are currently on sale via
Telecharge.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Broadway Preview: All My Sons (July 5, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Man For All Seasons (July 3, 2008)
Broadway Preview: To Be Or Not To Be (July 2, 2008)
Broadway Preview: The Seagull (July 1, 2008)
Broadway Preview: Equus (June 30, 2008)
Broadway Preview: A Tale Of Two Cities (June 28, 2008)
Broadway Preview: for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (June 25, 2008)
Broadway Preview: [title of show] (June 24, 2008)
Broadway: What's Next (June 20, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, Gavin Creel, Godspell, Musical, Revival, Stephen Schwartz, Transfer
