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
Grammy HeightsLast evening, 2008's Tony Award-winning Best Musical,
In the Heights earned another top entertain-ment honor -- its second of the big four. Its
original cast recording won a
Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.
Kurt Deutsch,
Alex Lacamoire, Andrés Levin,
Lin-Manuel Miranda (also composer of the score), Joel Moss and
Bill Sherman were honored as producers of the recording.
In The Heights beat out
Gypsy,
South Pacific,
The Little Mermaid and
Young Frankenstein. As much as I preferred
Gypsy and
South Pacific on stage, I have to admit that
In The Heights really does sound much better on CD.
Congratulations to Lin-Manuel Miranda for another huge win. Although given the thousands of Grammy categories, I'm sure even he can appreciate how dubious these awards truly are.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Grammy Awards, Gypsy, In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda, South Pacific, The Little Mermaid, Young Frankenstein
Going, Going, Going, Going, Going, Going, Going, Going, Going...Gone!Charles Isherwood's downright
nostalgic piece in this morning's edition of
The New York Times serves as an excellent reminder that today's your last chance to see nine of the thirteen Broadway shows slated to close during January 2009.
Boeing-Boeing. Going. But a
45-week national tour is planned for take-off sometime this year.
Dividing The Estate. Going. But subtracting
Elizabeth Ashley from the cast, the ensemble will transfer to the
Hartford Stage in Connecticut come May.
Grease. Going. But the ongoing
North American tour with
Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel is about to play Chicago's Auditorium Theatre.
Hairspray. Going. But the Award-winning
London staging is going strong. Oh, and there's the sticky
non-Equity tour that's about to play such markets as Terre Haute (IN), Kalamazoo (MI) and Wabash (IN) for one nights only, but it does not share the Broadway credits (including direction, choreography or elaborate set designs) or talent.
Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Going. But producer
Kevin McCollum "
would love to bring the show back to Broadway" in the future, and the show will continue to live on during future holiday seasons throughout North America.
Liza's At The Palace...! Going. What?! You expected
more?! After two extensions??
Slava's Snowshow. Going.
13. Going. But there's "much interest in a
national and international tour," according to lead producer
Bob Boyett.
Young Frankenstein. Going. But
a tour is planned for this fall.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: 13, Boeing-Boeing, Broadway, Closings, Dividing The Estate, Grease, Hairspray, Liza's At The Palace, Slava's Snowshow, White Christmas, Young Frankenstein
Another One Bites The DustDespite never knowing for certain just how shaky
Mel Brooks'
Young Frankenstein has been faring at the box office (although with the deep discounts it's been offering, the writing's been on the wall), it's been an open secret that the show was in need of a major jolt to keep it going.
Alas, this evening, it was announced that the tuner adapted by Brooks from his cult film comedy classic would close on January 4, 2009, after 484 regular performances.
And you know what? As much as
I actually enjoyed myself the first time I saw the show during its Seattle tryouts, I have to say good riddance.
Punch drunk from the enormous success of
The Producers, which won more Tony Awards than any other Broadway show in history, Brooks & Co. did everything conceivable in their power to alienate virtually everyone against
Young Frankenstein, starting when they circled the
Hilton Theatre and its
previous occupant like vultures, followed by his
infamous snub of
Cloris Leachman, followed by
their greedy announcement that they'd have the audacity to charge a record-breaking $450 for premium seats, followed by the decision
not to follow Broadway precedent by releasing weekly grosses.
By the time the show finally opened,
most critics had their knives out. Never mind that it actually was kind of entertaining. Now, the jig is up, and I dare say no one is crying over the loss of this one.
If ever there was a textbook example of how not to open a show or engender goodwill on the Great White Way, this is the one they'll be studying for years. Let's just hope they've learned a valuable lesson that won't soon be repeated.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Box Office, Broadway, Cloris Leachman, Closing Notices, Mel Brooks, Musical, Young Frankenstein
Last Dance To Last Laugh?Sure, she may no longer be a "
Dancing With The Stars" contestant -- and the oldest one ever at that -- but her Herculean antics on the
ABC series may have earned
Cloris Leachman a second look by
Mel Brooks for his
Young Frankenstein Broadway musical.
Passed over initially because Brooks didn't want her to "
die on stage," Leachman challenged him via her representative Steve Rohr "to three rounds in the ring, and we'll see who's left standing."
What a difference a slice of reality television can make. Leachman is asked about a second crack at
Young Frankenstein in a
Q&A with Newsweek:
Is it true Mel Brooks wants you to reprise your part in Young Frankenstein on Broadway?
Yeah. We're negotiating.
He once said you were so old, he worried you'd die onstage.
He's not worried anymore. Corky [Ballas, her dance partner on the show] threw me around today on "The View," and I thought I was dead when I stood up. I can't tell you—I really thought I died! I thought I was in heaven.
If Brooks manages to bring the 82 year old actress back to the Broadway boards for her first time in nearly 50 years, far from being a neigh-sayer, I'll be happy to plunk down a little spare cash to cheer her on and hear those horses whinny but good.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Cloris Leachman, Dancing With The Stars, Mel Brooks, Musical, Reality Television, Young Frankenstein
Early Tony Handi-cappingTwo of Steve On Broadway's favorite "Must Read" blogs --
Full Force Theatre Musings and
ModernFabulousity -- have already begun handicapping the 2008 Tony Awards.
FFTM's CaraJoy, of course, first posted her mid-season musings
in 2007 and
last mentioned her early betting in January.
Last week, ModFab's Gabriel began
his discussion on plays and revivals of plays and
continues it today with the betting on musicals, new and otherwise.
ModFab picked up on
a comment I made last week in posting the news (
now confirmed) that
Glory Days would be heading to Broadway from the DC Area's
Signature Theatre (not to be confused with the Off-Broadway
Signature on West 42nd Street). I said that given the Main Stem's "disappointing big musicals" (
read: critical drubbing of both
Young Frankenstein and
The Little Mermaid), "this is quickly becoming the year of the little musical with oversized hearts." ModFab was quick -- and right -- to point out that two "big" tuners,
Cry-Baby and
A Catered Affair, have yet to open.
While I would never want to count either one out, let's just say that how ever fair or unfair, the initial buzz I've been hearing on
Cry-Baby is not terribly favorable, and
A Catered Affair is further challenged both by the
stinging tryout review by
The Los Angeles Times 's Charles McNulty and the subsequent
kerfuffle, as well as the initial capitalization necessary for the Broadway incarnation.
Personally, I have high hopes for both.
As a big fan of
John Waters, I'm champing at the bit to see if
Cry-Baby can replicate some modicum of
Hairspray's universal success. I'm also rooting for
Harvey Fierstein and know that
he's pouring every last ounce of energy into making
A Catered Affair a complete delight. I hope both succeed.
While I agree wholeheartedly with ModFab that inevitably, the Tony focus turns to what shows can sell tickets on tour, if either of these shows is torpedoed by bad reviews, the Tony race just may become one big Cinderella story for this year's little shows. But I'm prepared to withhold my glass slipper fitting until
Cry-Baby and
A Catered Affair have had the opportunity to open.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Glory Days Yet To Come This Broadway Season? (March 19, 2008)
Heights Opens: Did Critics Offer High Marks? (March 10, 2008)
Did Critics Provide Passing Grades To Passing Strange? (February 29, 2008)
Did Little Mermaid Find Its Legs Among Critics? (January 11, 2008)
Did Critics Think Young Frankenstein Was Putzin' On The Shtick? (November 8, 2007)
Did Critics Offer Xana-Dos Or Don'ts? (July 11, 2007)
Labels: A Catered Affair, Blogs, Broadway, Cry-Baby, Full Force Theatre Musings, Glory Days, Modern Fabulousity, Musical, The Little Mermaid, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations, Young Frankenstein
As I Was Saying....Can it really be that two long weeks have gone by and
nobody picked up on
my story that Broadway's
Young Frankenstein quietly discontinued its
obscene premium ticket pricing until
now?
I mean, it's not as if
respected newspaper writers avoid reading blogs!
The very capable Campbell Robertson
finally reports in yesterday's issue of
The New York Times what I wrote about two weeks ago today!
Frankly, this is why it's important to
never discount the ability of the dedicated portion of the immense blogosphere to scoop mainstream media.
But two weeks? Wow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:There Will Be Violins: Frank Talk (March 11, 2008)
Young Frankenstein Discontinues Premium Ticket Prices (March 2, 2008)
Labels: Blogs, Broadway, Campbell Robertson, Ticket Prices, Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein Discontinues Premium Ticket PricesWill wonders never cease?
Today, I learned that the $450 ultra deluxe platinum double diamond elite priority supreme premium maximum ticket prices for
Mel Brooks'
Young Frankenstein are history!
After viewing the less than inspiring
new television commercial for the current occupant of Broadway's
Hilton Theatre that touts, "All tickets are $50 to $120," I decided to test whether this come-on was just that, or if there was actually truth in advertising. What I discovered is that on the official
Ticketmaster Web site, there are absolutely no options for any type of premium seating whatsoever. (No word yet on whether they've also discontinued the
$25 daily ticket lottery.)
While it's better late than never -- although the
handwriting had been on the wall for quite some time -- it's not likely to ever reap much goodwill from the community it had largely thumbed its nose at over the past year.
Still, the
show is more enjoyable than
most critics give it credit for. So score one for the audience in their ongoing battle to avoid ever-increasing ticket prices.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Young Frankenstein (The SOB Review) (February, 15, 2008)
Who Knew? (February 3, 2008)
"Mel Fought Me Tooth And Nail" (February 2, 2008)
Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Live By The $450 Ticket, Die By The $450 Ticket? (January 4, 2008)
SOB's Singular Sensations Of '07 - Honorable Mentions (December 31, 2007)
Did Critics Think Young Frankenstein Was Putzin' On The Shtick? (November 8, 2007)
It's Alive! Young Frankenstein Opens On Broadway (November 8, 2007)
Bart's Back: Bad Omen? (October 24, 2007)
The Broadway Theatres Not Impacted By Labor Dispute (October 17, 2007)
Shubert Alley Schadenfreude, Or Mel's Funk (October 11, 2007)
Once Again, I Have To Ask.... (September 20, 2007)
Young Frankenstein's Gross Out Factor (September 7, 2007)
Seattle Times: Young Frankenstein's Shtick Gets Old (August 24, 2007)
Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Mel Brooks, Musical, Ticket Prices, Ticketmaster, Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Review) – Hilton Theatre, New York, NY
**1/2 (out of ****)With all due apologies to
Jacqueline Susann, could it be that once
is enough?
Regular readers will recall that I took in one of
the very first previews of
Mel Brooks’
Young Frankenstein last summer, during its world premiere engagement in Seattle. And boy,
was I engaged. Even though I realized what I was seeing would be fine tuned and shortened, I laughed myself silly.
And boy, oh boy, was I ever surprised when the unusually harsh backlash against the show intensified all the more with some truly devastating
critical reviews. After having been so taken by the show in Seattle, I couldn’t help but believe that most critics allowed the much publicized foibles to seep into their largely venomous views of the show itself.
So I finally took in the final product at Broadway’s
Hilton Theatre. This time, I even managed to snag one of those front-row seats in the
daily lottery. But boy, did I ever walk away feeling not quite as engaged.
What happened?
As
noted in a previous post, the last few months have not exactly been a picnic for me, so you’d think that this all-out candy show would have served as the perfect confection to allow me to forget about life for a while. But it wasn’t.
As expected, the show was winnowed down, although not as much as it should have been. The most noticeable cut was of one superfluous song that really didn’t fit in the Seattle tryout – a tune for
Megan Mullally called “Alone.”
What made me enjoy
Young Frankenstein so immensely last summer was my personal affection for the film version. I realize now that like so many other fans of the
original movie, my eager anticipation for seeing every element -- right down to the “nice knockers” -- and hearing every last funny line delivered anew, live on stage, was what made seeing it for the first time so much fun.
But as with any second viewing, you tend to notice things that you overlooked the first time or chose to ignore.
In my overlooked department was its relatively simplistic score. Mel Brooks' efforts results in a curious cross between predictable thirties-style vaudeville shtick (“Together Again For The First Time” and “Transylvania Mania”) and
klezmer band music (“Join The Family Business” and “He Vas My Boyfriend”).
Also overlooked was how this
Young Frankenstein is about excess. It’s a surprise that the kitchen sink never actually materializes because Brooks throws just about everything else into it. Virtually every joke, sight gag and song is beaten into the ground, just in case we missed it the first time. At least it remains visually stunning.
Among the elements I ignored earlier was Mel and
Thomas Meehan’s propensity toward bathroom humor, along with Brooks' apparent and ultimately annoying phallic fixation. One can’t help wonder if the little feller has some issues of his own.
But Steve, you ask, do you still think the show is any good? Well, yes. It is
much better than most critics will ever give it credit for, and if you
are a fan of the movie, you’ll certainly get a thrill out of seeing this show and its Monster literally come to life.
The first act is really quite a visual treat, from the initial ride to Frankenstein’s castle to the moment when The Monster comes alive. The act also offers the best performances by its cast, particularly
Christopher Fitzgerald (Igor),
Andrea Martin (Frau Blucher), and
Sutton Foster (Inga). Check out
my initial preview review to see why these folks don’t disappoint.
But aside from the spectacular -- and in the end, spectacularly excessive – “Puttin’ On The Ritz” number, the second act falls apart. It’s not aided by the admittedly popular Hermit scene, which fails to move the story along in any meaningful way, other than to give the solid
Fred Applegate a chance to shine. The act then limps along to a rather lame ending, and is not helped by its shameless come on that next up would be a musical version of “
Blazing Saddles.”
For any fan of the film version, you’ll feel like you’re together again for the first time. But if you’re like me, once was enough.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Broadway, Film, Mel Brooks, Musical, The SOB Review, Young Frankenstein
Who Knew?Speaking of Young Frankenstein,
whoddathunk that its most entertaining cast member,
Christopher Fitzgerald, would have been the very same actor in that exceedingly clever
Geico ad as its
Cabbage Patch Kid star gone wrong.
Wonder if Fitzgerald was able to save on
his car insurance? Or perhaps he doesn't need any given his New York City domicile.
Post Script: Fitzgerald's castmate and Tony-winning actor Shuler Hensley (a/k/a "The Monster) cameos in Geico's undercover piece on Jed Clampett. This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Cabbage Patch Kids, Christopher Fitzgerald, Geico, Musical, Television Commercial, Young Frankenstein
"Mel Fought Me Tooth And Nail"With all the justifiable racket caused by
$450 premium seats,
non-reported grosses, dumping the
St. James Theatre for the
Hilton Theatre and seemingly countless other indiscretions that have caused a jolting negative backlash in both critical response and popular perception,
Young Frankenstein producer
Robert F.X. Sillerman squarely accepts
all the blame for the business decisions made, claiming in
Variety:
One of the biggest mistakes I made was the pricing of these tickets, against the good advice of some very smart Broadway people... But there's no way to undo it. Those days are gone.
In other words, don't expect the higher-priced seats to go away anytime soon, and don't expect grosses to suddenly be reported on the show that reportedly has already taken in around $20 million.
Sillerman also adds on the ill-will created by the sky-high ticket prices:
I think I did that... I gave people something to focus on that had nothing to do with why they should be in the theater. The whole emphasis was not on the art, but on the commerce.... Mel fought me tooth and nail.
Now that
that's settled, let me share my experience from this past week.
As regular readers know, I have not spared my criticism for the
production's cornucopia of bad decisions in the name of commerce. But I
did enjoy the show when I saw one of its very first previews in Seattle and think that the critics have been far too harsh on the show itself.
During the course of this week, I had to be across the street for a news conference at the
Hilton Times Square, which by the way, I never knew existed for all the times I walked right by on 42nd Street. It's entry way is practically hidden in amongst
Applebees and
Buster & Dave's.
But since I knew I was going to have be at the Hilton Hotel, it dawned on me that after my business was completed, I might venture across the street to the hotelier's namesake theatre and finally see
Young Frankenstein on Broadway. So I checked online prices early that morning and found the best I could do for the $120 tickets was row M orchestra. Not bad, but nowhere near as good as what
I found surfing the net a couple weeks earlier. I even checked to see what premium seats were available and found that for $275, I could have a row B seat.
Of course, I had long since vowed never to indulge Messrs. Brooks and Sillerman (sorry, I guess now I should only have issue with Sillerman...) by paying anything more than the going regular rate at all other shows. So, I recalled the success of the
West End Whingers in scoring $25 front-row seats through the
daily lottery and decided to try my luck.
Much to my delight, the number of other "contestants" was relatively small, and although my name was one of the last to be called, my odds were exceptionally good and my name
was called. So I paid my $26 (taxes were included) and made my way to the performance, which I'll report about later.
For those wishing to follow my money-saving lead, it's this easy. Show up three hours prior to a performance and line up. You'll be invited into the theatre, three persons at a time, where you'll complete a form that includes your name, address and e-mail address, along with the number of tickets you want (choices being one or two). Make sure you take your ID with you.
At precisely two hours prior to the performance, you'll have to be present at the second level of the McDonald's directly across the street when the production pulls names out of box. If your name is called, be sure to have your ID with you. You'll need to show it at this time to ensure it matches up with the name drawn.
Once all names are drawn, all winners will proceed across the street and be placed in a line in the order the names were drawn. You'll need to present both your ID and $26 in cash for each ticket.
It's that easy to get a front row seat. Naturally, going midweek enhances your chances, particularly if the weather isn't so great. Tuesdays and Wednesdays may afford even greater chances since the process starts earlier than other days -- on Tuesdays, the evening performance begins at 7, so the lining up begins at 4 in the afternoon; on Wednesdays, the matinee performance is at 2, so the lining up begins at 11 in the morning.
Nothing like beating Mel and Robert at their own game -- sorry, beating Robert at his own game.
Oh, and those $275 seats that I found available the day of the show? An entire row of seats was empty during the performance. However, the rest of the Hilton barn appeared packed.
Post Script: On this Saturday afternoon, I just found a row A orchestra seat available for $120...
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Live By The $450 Ticket, Die By The $450 Ticket? (January 4, 2008)
SOB's Singular Sensations Of '07 - Honorable Mentions (December 31, 2007)
Did Critics Think Young Frankenstein Was Putzin' On The Shtick? (November 8, 2007)
It's Alive! Young Frankenstein Opens On Broadway (November 8, 2007)
Bart's Back: Bad Omen? (October 24, 2007)
The Broadway Theatres Not Impacted By Labor Dispute (October 17, 2007)
Shubert Alley Schadenfreude, Or Mel's Funk (October 11, 2007)
Once Again, I Have To Ask.... (September 20, 2007)
Young Frankenstein's Gross Out Factor (September 7, 2007)
Seattle Times: Young Frankenstein's Shtick Gets Old (August 24, 2007)
Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Musical, Robert F.X. Sillerman, Ticket Lottery, Ticket Prices, Tickets, Young Frankenstein
Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III)
...Wouldn't it have been more appropriate for
Matthew Warchus' upcoming Broadway transfer of the British sex farce
Boeing-Boeing to be staged at the
American Airlines Theatre over the
Longacre? After all, the
airline was the sponsor of the recently departed West End revival. I'm psyched that
Christine Baranski will be joining
Mark Rylance, and the
possibility that
Sarah Jessica Parker may be added the cast has me salivating.
...What happened to all
those people barely one year ago who were sounding the deathknell for the play? With seven new plays currently kicking around the Broadway stage, coupled with a dearth of new musicals, the 2007-08 Theatrical Season must be the year that the straight play made its official comeback. As
I said a year ago: "Personally, I believe everything is rather cyclical. And working in plays' favor is the simple cost factor, along with the wellspring of excellent playwrights out there today, as well as so many thriving, vital theatre companies where plays rule the roost. I’m confident they'll always have a place, even on Broadway."
...When all is said and done, haven't
critics been a little over the top in their criticism for
Mel Brooks'
Young Frankenstein? I mean, I totally understand the
venom directed toward Brooks' rather unorthodox practices, but when all is said and done, the show itself is actually better than OK, even if we don't have a clue what its
weekly grosses are. But here's a news flash -- remember those $450 seats? I played around on Ticketmaster and found that I could get a second row center orchestra mid-week seat for just $130.
...Was there really any doubt that both
Deanna Dunagan and
Amy Morton would each be
eligible for the Best Actress in a Play Tony for their breathtaking work in
August: Osage County? I know
some folks I respect had expressed doubt that the lesser known Dunagan could be nominated in the category, but the Tony Committee has ruled that they both are. Now the question will be, "Which one will actually win the prize?"
...Don't London's theatre offerings
sound tantalizing this year? Despite what the
West End Whingers might think, there's plenty to have those of us on this side of the pond wistfully looking at their offerings. Just ask Rocco at
What's Good/What Blows. I'm pondering an April visit myself.
...Do you wonder when stage musical adaptations of films will ever end now that
Shrek The Musical is a go for later this year?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or... (June 14, 2006)
Labels: August Osage County, Boeing-Boeing, Broadway, Is It Just Me, London, Musical, Play, Shrek The Musical, West End Whingers, What', Young Frankenstein
Live By The $450 Ticket, Die By The $450 Ticket?Although
no one really knows just how much
Mel Brooks'
Young Frankenstein is earning each week or how many seats it's filling -- that is, unless you're intimately involved with the production --
New York Post's
Michael Riedel reports that scalpers outside the barn-like
Hilton Theatre are hawking tickets that were to have gone for
$450 for a bargain basement $100.
Riedel quotes one saying:
I've got rows and rows of good seats I can't get rid of.
Shubert Alley Schadenfreude, indeed.
One can't help but wonder if
Live Nation, which owns the Hilton, is
openly showing off the digs to potential new tenants...
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:SOB's Singular Sensations Of '07 - Honorable Mentions (December 31, 2007)
Did Critics Think Young Frankenstein Was Putzin' On The Shtick? (November 8, 2007)
It's Alive! Young Frankenstein Opens On Broadway (November 8, 2007)
Bart's Back: Bad Omen? (October 24, 2007)
The Broadway Theatres Not Impacted By Labor Dispute (October 17, 2007)
Shubert Alley Schadenfreude, Or Mel's Funk (October 11, 2007)
Once Again, I Have To Ask.... (September 20, 2007)
Young Frankenstein's Gross Out Factor (September 7, 2007)
Seattle Times: Young Frankenstein's Shtick Gets Old (August 24, 2007)
Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Box Office, Mel Brooks, Michael Riedel, Ticket Prices, Young Frankenstein
Did Critics Think Young Frankenstein Was Putzin' On The Shtick?So much for being anything coming close to resembling a monster hit. Instead, critics smelled blood.
Earlier this evening,
Mel Brooks' much anticipated
Young Frankenstein opened to what can only be described as largely disappointing initial reviews. Every single one invariably compared this effort with the ecstatically-acclaimed
The Producers, which took home 12 Tony Awards in 2001. The critics largely thought the songs to be unmemorable with
Roger Bart and
Megan Mullally taking their share of the hits, while
Andrea Martin,
Christopher Fitzgerald,
Sutton Foster and
Shuler Hensley earning what outright praise could be offered.
Proffering that
Young Frankenstein is "not exactly the requisite delirium the best musical comedy can provide," the review by
Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press is a mixed bag: "The musical's intentions aren't as clear since song and dance get in the way of the parody, diluting the spoofing....Frustratingly, Bart never gets to burst out with a show stopper of his own. Martin, though, provides some sassy, salacious humor, hilariously channeling the sexual repression of the housekeeper Frau Blucher....
Young Frankenstein should do wonders for the career of Christopher Fitzgerald, an athletic scamp of a guy who portrays Frankenstein's devoted, demented sidekick, Igor. Verbally and physically, the man can command the stage."
Saying that the show is funny "sometimes,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer is also mixed tending toward negative: "The expert actors are never less than enjoyable as characters created, unforgettably, by the now-iconic movie cast. And Andrea Martin's Frau Blucher and Shuler Hensley's Monster are demonically adorable....But the sweat of competence drives too much of the vintage Brooks humor this time, and the staging by ace director-choreographer
Susan Stroman seems more formula than invention."
Claiming that "lightning hasn't struck twice," when making his inevitable comparison with
The Producers,
David Rooney of
Variety still ends up offering a middling to positive critique: "[A]show that could have been a blast ends up being just good enough....But it's a far more mechanical creation, with little of the heart or liberating belly laughs of its predecessor....Standouts are the indispensable Andrea Martin as sinister haushag Frau Blucher and Christopher Fitzgerald as hunchback Igor. Fitzgerald does the impossible by claiming a role forged by
Marty Feldman as his own inexhaustibly vaudevillian comic creation."
Complaining that it left him "with a monster-size headache,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley only laughed three times: "[M]oney can’t buy you flair. It can’t even buy you laughs....And if the headline stars, Mr. Bart (in the title role) and
Megan Mullally (as his Park Avenue fiancée), don’t feel naturally wedded to their roles, the production does offer confirmation of the distinctive, very different talents of Sutton Foster, Shuler Hensley and Andrea Martin. The show takes many of the elements that made
The Producers such a delight and then saps them of their joy by overselling them."
Accusing Brooks & Co. of having " just made
Young Frankenstein its victim,"
USA Today's
Robert Bianco offers two-and-a-half stars: "What worked on film works, for the most part, on stage. It's when the show gets inventive, expansive and, well, musical that it gets into trouble....too many songs are dull, too many seem randomly inserted, and almost all either send the story wandering off in pointless new directions or extend old bits that were funnier shorter. The songwriting skill Brooks showed in
The Producers is absent here....Struggling to hold his own against the more colorful secondary characters, Bart sends his voice screeching up to a register that, when overamplified, threatens to scratch glass. Luckily, Foster, Fitzgerald and Martin compensate -- with Martin's hilariously varied response to those whinnying horses almost worth the price of admission on its own. Hensley makes 'Puttin' on the Ritz' the show-stopper it should be."
UPDATED (November 9, 2007 - 9:37 am EST)"Although
Young Frankenstein isn't the joyous celebration one hoped for," for
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News, he still musters a marginally positive review: "Make no mistake: The show is big and entertaining. But it never matches the delirious thrills of
The Producers, whose creative team regrouped to make this monster musical based on Brooks' 1974 horror-film spoof....Many of Brooks' songs disappoint, though. They lack the snap and wit he's shown before and do nothing to move the story along....Roger Bart heads the terrific cast as the mad doctor, Frederick Frankenstein. He sings and dances with enormous ease and charisma and acts with the right neurotic edge. Christopher Fitzgerald makes a fitting and very funny Igor, his humpbacked helper."
Lamenting that "it is not the
The Producers,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes still offers a solid three-star review: "Despite music that's more ho-hum than hummable, Brooks's lyrics are bright and witty. Better yet, the book -- maintaining virtually all of those iconic quotable quotes -- does a great job, with the assistance of co-writer
Thomas Meehan, in transferring the original script to the stage. An even greater job is done by Stroman whose staging, choreography and supervising of special effects manage to suggest the Broadway musical at its dizziest, glitziest and funniest. In her entire career, Stroman has done nothing better - she even outproduces her work on
The Producers."
However, blasting this as a "shrill, misbegotten, deeply cynical enterprise,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun submits perhaps the deepest pan: "[W]ith the exception of about a dozen jokes (nearly all of which were pulled verbatim from the film) and an Act II showstopper, the final product has a shockingly lackadaisical, dashed-off quality that no amount of whiz-bang stagecraft can conceal....Sadly, however, the shrewd casting does not extend to its Doctor Frankenstein. Roger Bart (the lisping Carmen Ghia from
The Producers) has been square-pegged into the straight-man role, one for which he is particularly ill suited. Rather than attempting to rein in the surrounding madcaps until the effort occasionally reduces him to hysterics, which would have recalled Gene Wilder in the film, Mr. Bart performs nearly every scene in an exasperated shriek that brings to mind an unmodulated
Nathan Lane."
So there you have it, no rapturous (and mostly mixed at best) reviews and every single one makes comparisons with Brooks' greatest hit
The Producers. Will this matter when Brooks & Co. supposedly have over $30 million in advance ticket sales? Probably not, but it sure could bring down the top ticket pricing in a hurry....yet Mel Brooks may still be laughing all the way to the bank.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:It's Alive! Young Frankenstein Opens On Broadway (November 8, 2007)
Bart's Back: Bad Omen? (October 24, 2007)
The Broadway Theatres Not Impacted By Labor Dispute (October 17, 2007)
Shubert Alley Schadenfreude, Or Mel's Funk (October 11, 2007)
Once Again, I Have To Ask.... (September 20, 2007)
Young Frankenstein's Gross Out Factor (September 7, 2007)
Seattle Times: Young Frankenstein's Shtick Gets Old (August 24, 2007)
Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Andrea Martin, Broadway, Christopher Fitzgerald, Critics' Capsule, Film, Mel Brooks, Musical, Roger Bart, The Producers, Young Frankenstein
It's Alive! Young Frankenstein Opens On BroadwayIt all comes down to this evening.
After months and months of negative publicity for
charging $450 for the top seats,
not publicly sharing the grosses,
not paying dues for the Dramatists Guild,
dumping the beloved Cloris Leachman, and
star Roger Bart's bad back,
Mel Brooks' second film adaptation to be turned into a big splashy Broadway musical finally opens this evening.
Brooks' beloved
film Young Frankenstein gets fine tunered with the help of
Thomas Meehan and director/choreographer
Susan Stroman.
Bart takes on the title role, with
Megan Mullally, ahem, assuming the position of Elizabeth,
Andrea Martin instilling fear in horses as Frau Blucher,
Christopher Fitzgerald humping along as Igor,
Sutton Foster rolling in der hay as Inga and
Shuler Hensley puttin' on the ritz as the Monster.
While I've been highly critical of the aforementioned offenses, I also have been able to separate those issues from my enjoyment of the show during its Seattle tryouts. As cathartic as dissing it with a stinging review might have been,
I'm the first to admit that I rather liked Young Frankenstein.
The real test with tonight's opening and tomorrow's reviews is whether the critics can do the same, or if they'll use the "this was too much like the movie" line to pile on. Find out tomorrow in my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Bart's Back: Bad Omen? (October 24, 2007)
The Broadway Theatres Not Impacted By Labor Dispute (October 17, 2007)
Shubert Alley Schadenfreude, Or Mel's Funk (October 11, 2007)
Once Again, I Have To Ask.... (September 20, 2007)
Young Frankenstein's Gross Out Factor (September 7, 2007)
Seattle Times: Young Frankenstein's Shtick Gets Old (August 24, 2007)
Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Andrea Martin, Broadway, Christopher Fitzgerald, Film, Megan Mullally, Mel Brooks, Musical, Opening Night, Roger Bart, Sutton Foster, Thomas Meehan, Young Frankenstein
Bart's Back: Bad Omen?It's never a good sign when one of the key principals in a new show is out with an injury, but that's the case with
Roger Bart in
Young Frankenstein.
Bart has been sidelined, at least temporarily, with a lower back injury. As a result, he's missed some performances since the October 13 matinee.
First I heard of it was via
Chris Caggiano of
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, who posted his scathing review of the show on Monday. Chris saw understudy
Matthew LaBanca in the role of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, whom he described as "game and energetic, and almost letter-perfect in his knowledge of the role. The audience didn't seem to care that the actor playing the title character was out." A pity about the show itself.
Over at the
New York Post, columnist
Michael Riedel uses the opportunity to joke about the show:
Roger Bart, will be out at least until the weekend due to a bad back. (And he hasn't even read his reviews yet.)
Riedel goes on to say that the dark horse in this year's Tony derby may very well be
Cry-Baby, especially since the buzz he's hearing out the
Hilton Theatre ain't that great about
Mel and his new show.
What's that line from the "
Cell Block Tango"? Something about "He had it coming!"?!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Buzz, Chris Caggiano, Cry-Baby, Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, Mel Brooks, Michael Riedel, Musical, Roger Bart, Young Frankenstein
Shubert Alley Schadenfreude, Or Mel's FunkYou've got a
brand new Broadway musical follow-up to the top Tony winner of all time -- a show that begins previews this evening in spite of the
ongoing labor strife at virtually every other Broadway theatre.
You're
charging $450 for the top seats -- an all-time record.
You're
not publicly sharing the grosses -- a time-honored tradition.
And
apparently you're not even sharing your success with your fellow writers by paying your dues for the
Dramatists Guild.
You're
Mel Brooks.
Break a leg.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Lockout Likely (October 10, 2007)
Once Again, I Have To Ask.... (September 20, 2007)
Young Frankenstein's Gross Out Factor (September 7, 2007)
Seattle Times: Young Frankenstein's Shtick Gets Old (August 24, 2007)
Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Dramatists Guild, Film, Grosses, Mel Brooks, Musical, Previews, The Producers, Ticket Prices, Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein's Gross Out FactorOne of those weekly rituals for Broadway aficionados like me comes every Monday afternoon when each show's box office totals are reported like sports scores.
There's never been any obligation on the part of a production to do so, yet since the 1930s, the heralded tradition has served as a veritable smorgasbord of information ranging from weekly grosses to the number of tickets actually sold to average ticket prices.
Apparently, those manic Mondays may be nearing extinction if the producers of
Young Frankenstein prove to be trendsetters.
According to Campbell Robertson of The New York Times, that rite is in jeopardy because the new would-be monster hit won't be forthcoming on its box office totals.
Certainly, they have every right to do so, but could it be that they're afraid that the totals will demonstrate a less than enthusiastic reception to the top tier $450 premium seating?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Seattle Times: Young Frankenstein's Shtick Gets Old (August 24, 2007)
Riedel's Deep Abby Normal?(August 17, 2007)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) (August 13, 2007)
Will These Eyes Meet? Hoping For Better Than 75% (August 10, 2007)
Is Mel Worth It? (August 4, 2007)
Thanks, Mel! (July 6, 2007)
What Motivates You To See A Broadway Show? (July 5, 2007)
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Box Office, Broadway, Musical, Ticket Prices, Young Frankenstein
