The last Fiasco production had no stars, in a theatre that was twice as large. Not to mention it wasn't good, and many complained that they should've just brought Maria Friedman's production in (which is what they're now doing).
There are more than enough Sondheim fanatics in NYC who will be eager to see another, better, even more high-profile production of Merrily after 3-4 years.
"Lifespan" may not have been a hot ticket, but the show recouped, which is nothing to sneeze at considering the recoupment rate on Broadway in general.
I agree that Radcliffe doesn't have the commercial draw he used to have. But the combination of the small house (which is also, notably, 100 seats smaller than the Newman, where Privacy played), PLUS the NY Sondheim cult, PLUS the event factor of Radcliffe returning to musical theatre after more than a decade, in a Sondheim show? I think this will be a seriously hot ticket.
EDIT: Just read your post below. I see what you're saying about the distinction between a "sell out" vs. a "frenzy." We'll have to see - I wish there was more of a sliding scale of terminology between those two things. I expect we'll see a regular cancellation line - more-so than for Assassins - but not one where people are camping out overnight or anything crazy like that. |
