And then there's Maury Yeston's ''Phantom'' vs. Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''Phantom of the Opera.''
Speaking of Yeston, I've always been curious about ''The Queen of Basin Street,'' his version of ''La Cage aux Folles,'' set in New Orleans. It was once announced that Mike Nichols would direct and Tommy Tune would choreograph. Jay Presson Allen would do the book. There's even a demo with some songs. (Anyone heard them?) Reportedly, it fell apart after Allan Carr couldn't put together the financing and it was postponed. Then, Carr found executive producers in Fritz Holt and Barry Brown, who fired Carr's creative team, except for Yeston, who later withdrew.
Of course, Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman came aboard ''La Cage,'' and for them, it turned out to be the best of times. ... |
