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I think ....

Posted by: jdm 10:20 am EDT 03/31/14
In reply to: re: BROADWAY REVIEW ROUND-UP: 17 links and excerpts for “IF/THEN” - Bwayguy 09:38 am EDT 03/31/14

that once Idina Menzel leaves, it will tank, based on these kinds of reviews. I would love to be a fly on the wall when the producers start to negotiate a new salary when her current contract is up! :-)

Jim


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Sounds like another SONG AND DANCE....

Posted by: Delvino 11:35 am EDT 03/31/14
In reply to: I think .... - jdm 10:20 am EDT 03/31/14

No, not in content. (Though it's not as far removed as one might imagine...) But when the Lloyd webber show opened, it was basically must-see because of Bernadette Peters, the show that marked her "arrival" and won her a Tony. No one really thought it was very good. It went on with Betty Buckley, but not as a hit, and then Melissa Manchester toured.

My guess is, only a hunch: a search for a new star will commence almost immediately. Any 40ish top 40 singer with a big voice will be wooed. It's a vehicle for a pop, rangy voiced singer, and that might give it legs, if big enough stars can be found, wooed and promoted.

Just a thought. SONG AND DANCE isn't done much, is it? Other than in the UK. It did have one big hit, "Unexpected Song," and several pleasant ALW melodies.


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(And yes, I know Peters was a star before...)

Posted by: Delvino 12:17 pm EDT 03/31/14
In reply to: Sounds like another SONG AND DANCE.... - Delvino 11:35 am EDT 03/31/14

Bernadette Peters was a Broadway star, but had appeared in shows that survived her absence before. SONG AND DANCE came along as the show that might finally give her a Tony and that name-above-the-title status. It did that for her, though yes, she was already reason to see many shows prior.

It does seem somewhat similar to Menzel's position now. If it's not a perfect parallel, it's in the ballpark.


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re: (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...)

Posted by: tpdc 03:56 pm EDT 03/31/14
In reply to: (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) - Delvino 12:17 pm EDT 03/31/14

Peters was above the title in Mack & Mabel and Sunday in the Park.

Tell Me on a Sunday is still performed. I saw two productions of it after Peters, including a production at the Kennedy Center starring Alice Ripley. And didn't Marti Webb just do it again in London?


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re: (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...)

Posted by: Delvino 08:43 pm EDT 03/31/14
In reply to: re: (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) - tpdc 03:56 pm EDT 03/31/14

Uh, her billing was not my point (she hardly kept MACK AND MABEL going, and SUNDAY went on long after she left, since we're quiblling). I was well aware of her placement over the title(s), and saw both of those shows. The issue here is star power, entirely independent of vehicle. I would argue that Peters first demonstrated that quality -- to sell tickets despite the reception afforded the material -- in SONG AND DANCE, a show critics were indifferent to (like IF/THEN). That's why the comparison sprang to mine. I believe the ages of the leading ladies/stars even match up. Peters would've been Menzel's age, approximately, when she triumphed in S&d and won her first Tony.


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I know what you mean...

Posted by: garyd 12:39 pm EDT 03/31/14
In reply to: (And yes, I know Peters was a star before...) - Delvino 12:17 pm EDT 03/31/14

I had Pandora (or one of those online music things) on last night and Peters came on singing 'Unexpected Song" and I had similar thoughts to those you posted. It is certainly in the ballpark. The reviews are even similar. As a matter of fact the whole "search for love an meaning in life" theme runs through both pieces. I guess it will be interesting to see if Ms. Menzel can sell close to 500 performances.


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re: I think ....

Posted by: hitbycab 10:29 am EDT 03/31/14
In reply to: I think .... - jdm 10:20 am EDT 03/31/14

What does John Travolta think?


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re: I think ....

Posted by: Ann 10:24 am EDT 03/31/14
In reply to: I think .... - jdm 10:20 am EDT 03/31/14

She may not leave for a very long time. However, since it will probably not spawn thousands upon thousands of new Idina fans as Wicked did (this is no slight to her), I wonder how far out her fandom will carry the show. The will go, but will they go over and over?


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