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| re: Producers should possibly take note ... | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 03:43 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
| In reply to: Love Never Dies Announces North American Tour Dates for 2018-19 Season and Casting - Official_Press_Release 05:46 pm EDT 06/19/18 | |
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| ... this may be the better Mousetrap. LND will never be a very good piece, but it is obviously doing well on the road. Other than ego, there is no reason to come to Broadway. There is equal argument to be made that projects like SPONGEBOB SQUARE PANTS and MARGARITAVILLE should have gone the same route. They don't really ever have to play Broadway. The shows could have been created out of town for the road only - likely at not more than 70% of the money they spent getting it up on Broadway. And mint money weekly on shows with strong titles for the road. You can't say 'direct from Broadway' - but I dont believe that teh family audience (or the Jimmy Buffet audience) give a flying fig about that! | |
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| re: Producers should possibly take note ... | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 07:06 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Producers should possibly take note ... - NewtonUK 03:43 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| And they HAVE taken note, or more like the producers of LND have take note of what's come before it. Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, The Bodyguard, to name three :-) | |
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| re: Producers should possibly take note ... | |
| Posted by: ryhog 08:52 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Producers should possibly take note ... - EvFoDr 07:06 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| All 4 of these shows had a significant international provenance before touring America. Does that distinguish them from shows that had only pre-Broadway tryouts in the US? Not clear to me. I do think, however, that circumnavigating Broadway (note that most of these latter shows had intended otherwise when announced) as a strategy cannot necessarily support the weight assigned to it. It remains the case that there are no rules (see, e.g., Summer), and also that each show is different. Yes there are cases where a producer would be well served by not treating Broadway as the sine qua non of succeeding, Skipping Broadway will not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Finally, it is naive to think that some shows would skip Broadway for one reason or another, and the two mentioned (SBSP and Margaritaville) fall in this category, for different reasons. | |
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| re: Producers should possibly take note ... | |
| Last Edit: EvFoDr 10:52 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 10:48 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Producers should possibly take note ... - ryhog 08:52 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| I agree, I am highly suspect of the idea that a show would intentionally, from the start, have a plan to skip Broadway. Each show is a living thing with plenty of context. In the case of Love Never Dies, it seems very smart after terrible reviews in London, and a cancelled Broadway engagement, and a revamped international production that was better received than what came before it, to just skip NYC and head for the road. Nothing is ever 100%, but pretty darn close to 100% that this show would be eviscerated by New York critics, both on its own merits/flaws and the general whipping boy status of Andrew Lloyd Webber. I think Flashdance and Dirty Dancing followed a similar trajectory. These were not shows that were going to be heralded artistically, NY critics were bound to be snooty with them, but they were doing business on the road so they just kept them out there. These three shows also come with VERY recognizable branding. Phantom is...Phantom. And the other two have source material that features singing and dancing and seem an obvious leap for theatrical treatment. I think shows like Margaritaville and SBSP needed to go after the Broadway and press/awards machine to establish themselves. I doubt they would have sold well as tour only properties. | |
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| re: Producers should possibly take note ... | |
| Posted by: ryhog 11:11 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Producers should possibly take note ... - EvFoDr 10:48 am EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| to add: these last two are mega brands, and in both cases what they were buying was exposure in the largest media market in the world. Neither of these shows was about recouping per se and, although it didn't work out that way, Buffett wanting to bask in that, something that he was not going to do in the tour stops for Love Never Dies. | |
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