Broadway Rewind 11/27/2009
Rest off your food coma while you catch up on all of this week’s Broadway news (and there’s a lot of it)!
And if you didn't get to see the Broadway performances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday, it looks like there is video footage on BroadwayWorld.com...though you didn't miss much.
OK here we go…
Welcome to Broadway! This week Broadway welcomed Irving Berlin's White Christmas (which opened on Sunday), Fela! (which opened on Monday), and A Little Night Music (which began previews on Tuesday)! Click on the name of the show to check out the official show site. I know remarkably little about Fela! (which perhaps makes some sense because it is the only show out of these three that is not a revival), but Ben Brantley raves in the New York Times, “There should be dancing in the streets. When you leave the Eugene O’Neil Theater after a performance of ‘Fela!,’ it comes as a shock that the people on the sidewalks are merely walking. Why aren’t they gyrating, swaying, vibrating, in thrall to the force field that you have been living in so ecstatically for the past couple of hours?” Continuing on to say “there has never been anything on Broadway like this production,” I think Brantley is making it clear that we all need to go check out this show and experience the excitement of its afrobeat music, venturesome choreography, and diverse cultural elements! To read the full NYT article, click HERE.
Superior Donuts announces closing. It was announced this week that Broadway will say goodbye to Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts on January 3, 2010 (a booking period through March 28 had previously been announced). Click HERE to visit the show site and check it out before it closes!
Attendance. Most Broadway shows took a dip in their grosses last week (week ending 11/20), but that’s to be expected for pre-Thanksgiving performances. A Steady Rain and Jersey Boys still sold out, but other shows saw considerable drops in numbers. Most notable, God of Carnage saw a 39.7% drop in sales, filling only 62.5% of seats after selling out the week before. This week marked the first week of performances for an entirely new cast featuring Christine Lahti, Annie Potts, Jimmy Smits, and Ken Scott (who replaced an all-star lineup led by James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden). With this transition, the show’s weekly gross dropped from $1,107,302 to $497,779, making it appear to be the single greatest factor in the overall decline in Broadway’s week-to-week grosses last week. A spokesman for the production, Chris Boneau, said on Monday afternoon that the producers had expected the fall-off and noted that the new cast had higher grosses last week than the original “Carnage” cast had in its first full week of previews ($396,470) in March. He continued to say that the producers had a healthy advance in ticket sales (into the 7-digit figures) and were “more than pleased.” Other shows that saw big decreases were Ragtime (down 27.7%...I’ll talk a little more about Ragtime in a minute), Oleanna (down 21.6%), and The Royal Family (down 23.8%). Burn the Floor was on the opposite end of the spectrum, seeing a small increase in ticket sales and announcing an extension of its run! The Broadway dance extravaganza will run through February 4, 2010, with several new cast members (Mary Murphy of “So You Think You Can Dance” and Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo of “Dancing with the Stars”) joining January 12! Definitely worth checking out before it closes!
Marc Shaiman takes on Academy Awards. It was announced this week that the Tony Award-winning Hairspray composer-lyricist will be the music director for the 82nd Academy Awards! In addition to his work on Broadway, Shaiman has earned 3 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score for his work on “The American President” (1995), “The First Wives Club” (1996), and “Patch Adams” (1998) and 2 nominations in the Original Song category for “A Wink and a Smile” from “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993) and “Blame Canada” from “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” (1999). He has also been nominated for four Emmys, winning in 1992 for co-writing Billy Crystal’s “Oscar Medley.” I also had no idea until this announcement that Shaiman was behind the Jack Black/Will Ferrell comedy numbers seen during the Oscars over the last couple of years (seriously, I still watch these on YouTube sometimes because they are HILARIOUS). Check them out HERE and HERE. The New York Times did an interview with Shaiman on his thoughts on this upcoming gig and his plans on being “the Adam Lambert of the Academy Awards.” Check out the interview HERE!
An Off-Broadway plug: NEWSical the Musical! Ok, so I don’t usually delve into the Off-Broadway world in this column, but a friend of mine is in this show so I want to give it a shout out! NEWSical, which played Off-Broadway in 2004, returned to NYC on Tuesday and opens on December 9th! Drama Desk nominee and Forbidden Broadway star Christine Pedi performs in a cast that also includes Christine Bianco, Michael West, Rory O’Malley, Amy Griffin, and Tommy Walker. According to TDF, the show is a “topical musical comedy is an ever-evolving mockery of all the news that is fit to spoof.” The Associated Press calls it "The Daily Show set to music." Check out this show which combines current events and something we all love, musical comedy. Tickets are $70 and can be purchased through TicketCentral.com or by calling 212 279-4200. For more info, check out the website at www.NewsicalTheMusical.net.
Julie Andrews to return to London stage! I don’t know if you’re as huge a Julie Andrews fan as I am, but I’m so upset I won’t be able to make it all the way across the Atlantic for this one night performance. It was announced Wednesday that Julie Andrews will grace the London stage for the first time in 30 years for a special performance the night of May 8th, 2010 at the 02 Arena. She will accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Ian Fraser and joined by 5 West End and Broadway performers. The show will take the audience on a nostalgic journey through her life and career, including music from some of her greatest performances as well as a reading of “Simeon’s Gift,” a bestselling children’s book written by her and her daughter (who knew?). Tickets go on sale Sunday at 9am (UK time), and are available at the box office at 0844 856 0202 or by visiting www.the02.co.uk.
New Spider-Man producer reaches out for more $$. Michael Cohl, the new lead producer for Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, has apparently approached Broadway mega-producers Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller (producers of Tony-winning hits such as West Side Story, In the Heights, Avenue Q, La Boheme, and Rent) about investing in the show, according to several Broadway insiders with knowledge of the conversation. The show, which has had work stoppages recently due to cash flow problems that preceded Mr. Cohl, has been conceived as an unparalleled Broadway event, replete with flying cast members and an abundance of special effects. Unfortunately, along with such grandiosity comes an unprecedented budget: the show is expected to cost upwards of $50 million (i.e. WAY more than any current Broadway musicals cost). None of the three men have commented about the producing plans. McCollum and Seller are not yet on board, given that they have other work in development (including the possible revival of Carrie), but it is interesting to see that there are still some big decisions being made in the show’s production process. Earlier this month, the production team announced that Spider-Man would open sometime in 2010, and while the musical is still listed as starting previews on February 25, new dates for previews and an opening are expected soon.
Kelsey Grammer to star in La Cage revival. Joining the group of television/film stars headlining Broadway shows will be Kelsey Grammer, who is set to star in La Cage aux Folles in 2010. An Emmy award winner for his work on the long-running sitcoms Cheers and Frasier, Grammer will portray Georges, a nightclub proprietor, opposite Douglas Hodge as Albin, his high-strung drag performing lover. La Cage is set to open on Broadway April 18 at the Longacre Theater. The original Broadway production played the Palace Theater, where it ran 1,761 performances (and won 6 Tonys in 1984). It was revived as recently as 2004-2005 (and won a Tony then for Best Revival), but the producers have said that the staging of their production is so new and unique that they think another Broadway life is warranted.
***
Alright that's it for now! I know I said above that I would talk more about Ragtime, but I'm being slowed down by the obnoxiously large amount of food I just ate (it's Thanksgiving night as I'm writing this). So I'll put up a shoutout to the show sometime soon, as I really just want to sing its praises because it's one of the most incredible shows I've seen. Until then, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Be sure to check out TheatreStory's features for Broadway Speaks Out week, and also to get tickets to Monday's "A Very MARY Holiday" concert while they're still available!
And if you didn't get to see the Broadway performances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday, it looks like there is video footage on BroadwayWorld.com...though you didn't miss much.
OK here we go…
Welcome to Broadway! This week Broadway welcomed Irving Berlin's White Christmas (which opened on Sunday), Fela! (which opened on Monday), and A Little Night Music (which began previews on Tuesday)! Click on the name of the show to check out the official show site. I know remarkably little about Fela! (which perhaps makes some sense because it is the only show out of these three that is not a revival), but Ben Brantley raves in the New York Times, “There should be dancing in the streets. When you leave the Eugene O’Neil Theater after a performance of ‘Fela!,’ it comes as a shock that the people on the sidewalks are merely walking. Why aren’t they gyrating, swaying, vibrating, in thrall to the force field that you have been living in so ecstatically for the past couple of hours?” Continuing on to say “there has never been anything on Broadway like this production,” I think Brantley is making it clear that we all need to go check out this show and experience the excitement of its afrobeat music, venturesome choreography, and diverse cultural elements! To read the full NYT article, click HERE.
Superior Donuts announces closing. It was announced this week that Broadway will say goodbye to Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts on January 3, 2010 (a booking period through March 28 had previously been announced). Click HERE to visit the show site and check it out before it closes!
Attendance. Most Broadway shows took a dip in their grosses last week (week ending 11/20), but that’s to be expected for pre-Thanksgiving performances. A Steady Rain and Jersey Boys still sold out, but other shows saw considerable drops in numbers. Most notable, God of Carnage saw a 39.7% drop in sales, filling only 62.5% of seats after selling out the week before. This week marked the first week of performances for an entirely new cast featuring Christine Lahti, Annie Potts, Jimmy Smits, and Ken Scott (who replaced an all-star lineup led by James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden). With this transition, the show’s weekly gross dropped from $1,107,302 to $497,779, making it appear to be the single greatest factor in the overall decline in Broadway’s week-to-week grosses last week. A spokesman for the production, Chris Boneau, said on Monday afternoon that the producers had expected the fall-off and noted that the new cast had higher grosses last week than the original “Carnage” cast had in its first full week of previews ($396,470) in March. He continued to say that the producers had a healthy advance in ticket sales (into the 7-digit figures) and were “more than pleased.” Other shows that saw big decreases were Ragtime (down 27.7%...I’ll talk a little more about Ragtime in a minute), Oleanna (down 21.6%), and The Royal Family (down 23.8%). Burn the Floor was on the opposite end of the spectrum, seeing a small increase in ticket sales and announcing an extension of its run! The Broadway dance extravaganza will run through February 4, 2010, with several new cast members (Mary Murphy of “So You Think You Can Dance” and Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo of “Dancing with the Stars”) joining January 12! Definitely worth checking out before it closes!
Marc Shaiman takes on Academy Awards. It was announced this week that the Tony Award-winning Hairspray composer-lyricist will be the music director for the 82nd Academy Awards! In addition to his work on Broadway, Shaiman has earned 3 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score for his work on “The American President” (1995), “The First Wives Club” (1996), and “Patch Adams” (1998) and 2 nominations in the Original Song category for “A Wink and a Smile” from “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993) and “Blame Canada” from “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” (1999). He has also been nominated for four Emmys, winning in 1992 for co-writing Billy Crystal’s “Oscar Medley.” I also had no idea until this announcement that Shaiman was behind the Jack Black/Will Ferrell comedy numbers seen during the Oscars over the last couple of years (seriously, I still watch these on YouTube sometimes because they are HILARIOUS). Check them out HERE and HERE. The New York Times did an interview with Shaiman on his thoughts on this upcoming gig and his plans on being “the Adam Lambert of the Academy Awards.” Check out the interview HERE!
An Off-Broadway plug: NEWSical the Musical! Ok, so I don’t usually delve into the Off-Broadway world in this column, but a friend of mine is in this show so I want to give it a shout out! NEWSical, which played Off-Broadway in 2004, returned to NYC on Tuesday and opens on December 9th! Drama Desk nominee and Forbidden Broadway star Christine Pedi performs in a cast that also includes Christine Bianco, Michael West, Rory O’Malley, Amy Griffin, and Tommy Walker. According to TDF, the show is a “topical musical comedy is an ever-evolving mockery of all the news that is fit to spoof.” The Associated Press calls it "The Daily Show set to music." Check out this show which combines current events and something we all love, musical comedy. Tickets are $70 and can be purchased through TicketCentral.com or by calling 212 279-4200. For more info, check out the website at www.NewsicalTheMusical.net.
Julie Andrews to return to London stage! I don’t know if you’re as huge a Julie Andrews fan as I am, but I’m so upset I won’t be able to make it all the way across the Atlantic for this one night performance. It was announced Wednesday that Julie Andrews will grace the London stage for the first time in 30 years for a special performance the night of May 8th, 2010 at the 02 Arena. She will accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Ian Fraser and joined by 5 West End and Broadway performers. The show will take the audience on a nostalgic journey through her life and career, including music from some of her greatest performances as well as a reading of “Simeon’s Gift,” a bestselling children’s book written by her and her daughter (who knew?). Tickets go on sale Sunday at 9am (UK time), and are available at the box office at 0844 856 0202 or by visiting www.the02.co.uk.
New Spider-Man producer reaches out for more $$. Michael Cohl, the new lead producer for Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, has apparently approached Broadway mega-producers Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller (producers of Tony-winning hits such as West Side Story, In the Heights, Avenue Q, La Boheme, and Rent) about investing in the show, according to several Broadway insiders with knowledge of the conversation. The show, which has had work stoppages recently due to cash flow problems that preceded Mr. Cohl, has been conceived as an unparalleled Broadway event, replete with flying cast members and an abundance of special effects. Unfortunately, along with such grandiosity comes an unprecedented budget: the show is expected to cost upwards of $50 million (i.e. WAY more than any current Broadway musicals cost). None of the three men have commented about the producing plans. McCollum and Seller are not yet on board, given that they have other work in development (including the possible revival of Carrie), but it is interesting to see that there are still some big decisions being made in the show’s production process. Earlier this month, the production team announced that Spider-Man would open sometime in 2010, and while the musical is still listed as starting previews on February 25, new dates for previews and an opening are expected soon.
Kelsey Grammer to star in La Cage revival. Joining the group of television/film stars headlining Broadway shows will be Kelsey Grammer, who is set to star in La Cage aux Folles in 2010. An Emmy award winner for his work on the long-running sitcoms Cheers and Frasier, Grammer will portray Georges, a nightclub proprietor, opposite Douglas Hodge as Albin, his high-strung drag performing lover. La Cage is set to open on Broadway April 18 at the Longacre Theater. The original Broadway production played the Palace Theater, where it ran 1,761 performances (and won 6 Tonys in 1984). It was revived as recently as 2004-2005 (and won a Tony then for Best Revival), but the producers have said that the staging of their production is so new and unique that they think another Broadway life is warranted.
***
Alright that's it for now! I know I said above that I would talk more about Ragtime, but I'm being slowed down by the obnoxiously large amount of food I just ate (it's Thanksgiving night as I'm writing this). So I'll put up a shoutout to the show sometime soon, as I really just want to sing its praises because it's one of the most incredible shows I've seen. Until then, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Be sure to check out TheatreStory's features for Broadway Speaks Out week, and also to get tickets to Monday's "A Very MARY Holiday" concert while they're still available!
Comment
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Comment by Gabriella Giocomo on November 27, 2009 at 3:34pm -
Kelsey Grammer?! That'll either be super awesome or very terrible.
Yay for Julie Andrews! And Marc Shaiman!
I was at opening of White Christmas --- AMAZING show.
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