Posted in Broadway, Reviews, Seasons, Subscribers, tagged Book of mormon, broadway series, broadway tour, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, musical theatre, national tour, Presenters, reviews, Robin Rothstein on September 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »
The 12-13 season is underway! THE BOOK OF MORMON kicked off its First National Tour in Denver. Based on how fast tickets sold, and the response of critics and bloggers, this first engagement certainly looks like a good omen for a show that presenters love, but who are also probably a bit nervous, at least in some markets, about how the material will be received by their subscribers.
Posted in Reviews, Seasons, tagged american idiot, Beauty and the Beats, billy elliot, broadway series, broadway tour, La Cage Aux Folles, mamma mia, memphis, million dollar quartet, musical theatre, national tour, Robin Rothstein, shrek, The Lion King, West Side Story on July 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Happy Birthday, America! Now that the 2011-2012 is just drawing to a close, let’s see what some of your cities had to say about various theatre tours that criss-crossed you over the past six months. (Note: All of these shows below will be back out on The Road for the 2012-2013 season):
Posted in Adaptations, Broadway, Reviews, Television, tagged Boston Globe, Broadway, Business Week, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Gawker, Hartford Courant, Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, musical theatre, New York Magazine, NY1, Reuters, Robin Rothstein, smash, Theatermania, Toronto Star, Wall Street Journal, WNYC on February 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »
The highly publicized and anticipated new NBC television series, SMASH debuts on Feb 6th. If it is a success, there has been discussion that the musical within the show may actually get produced on Broadway. And if it’s a hit on Broadway, could SMASH possibly hit the Road? Crossing my fingers that SMASH is indeed a success, as this small screen to White Way adaptation route could be a new paradigm that entices more people to get interested and get hooked on live theatre.
Here are some recent features and reviews related to the series:
Posted in Articles, Reviews, Seasons, tagged american idiot, beauty and the beast, billy elliot, fiddler on the roof, les miserables, mamma mia, memphis, million dollar quartet, reviews, Robin Rothstein, rock of ages, shrek, the addams family, wicked, young frankenstein on January 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »
It may be a new year, but we’re only at about the halfway mark of the 11-12 touring season. Want to see what critics have been saying about the various 11-12 tours so far? Just check out these links below…
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET – Cleveland
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – Toronto
THE ADDAMS FAMILY – Palm Beach
Posted in Articles, Reviews, Seasonal, tagged a christmas story, grinch, groovelily, Robin Rothstein, white christmas on December 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »
If you’re looking to get even more into the holiday spirit and see one or more seasonal musicals during what remains of the holiday season, some of these tours are still on The Road through early next year. Here are a few reviews and features…
Musical of ‘A Christmas Story’ tours America
West Michigan can count on a ‘White Christmas’
Posted in Abroad, Adaptations, Articles, Broadway, Reviews, tagged china, mamma mia, Mandarin, musical theatre, Robin Rothstein on October 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
This past summer a Mandarin version of MAMMA MIA opened in Beijing. More and more over the past several years theatre producers have been looking to China as a place to present musicals. In this particular case, this was the first time a Western-style musical was translated into Mandarin, as opposed to being performed in English. Clearly, the actual language would be understood by the locals, but did the story and style translate to this vastly different culture?
Here is an article from TIME that discusses the MAMMA MIA Beijing engagement. I also talked a bit about the challenges of American and Western-style musicals in general translating in other countries, both literally and culturally, in my post entitled “Lost In Translation” back on May 28, 2009.
Here is a news clip that covers the Mandarin version of MAMMA MIA. And here is a review of the show.
Posted in Equity, Non-Equity, Reviews, tagged AEA, Equity, Non-Equity, Robin Rothstein on September 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The 2011-2012 touring season is just about to begin, and may have even officially begun in certain markets. For 11-12 The Road will include shows that opened on Broadway during the 09-10 season such as MEMPHIS, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, THE ADDAMS FAMILY and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. In addition to these new shows, there will also be the usual blockbusters that have been on The Road for years such as WICKED, JERSEY BOYS and MAMMA MIA.
In between the old standby blockbusters and the new productions, you will also have your titles that come back after having gone out last season, and possibly even the season before that, and maybe even a season or so further back. Most of these traditional shows have at this point been restructured to be less expensive, and so are now either at a lower AEA contract, or may have been rebuilt altogether as Non-Equity tours.
The thing about Non-Equity tours is that, just like the bigger, more expensive AEA shows, these productions also need to book a minimum number of weeks to build a viable tour, or else they simply can’t afford to go out. Many of the smaller markets are typically on the route of Non-Equity tours and so the folks in these areas will likely be accustomed to the scaled down, less seasoned feel of this level of production. But ultimately, these tours do need to potentially hit more major markets, simply for routing purposes as they move from one place to another. This isn’t always the best of circumstances for a Non-Equity show since larger cities are used to a certain level of quality.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is one example of a tour that has been out for several years now and, while it was indeed on Broadway at one point, it is now a Non-Equity tour. While reviewers are not necessarily on the same wavelength as ticket buyers, and this show continues to draw audiences around North America, here is a review of the show that takes issue with the show being Non-Equity and playing a large theatre market like Chicago:
“Belle and Mr. Beast save an otherwise hairy production”
As a basis of comparison, here is what smaller market Providence had to say about the same touring production back when it first started in Feb 2010:
Posted in Articles, Broadway, Reviews, Seasons, tagged Book of mormon, Broadway, Robin Rothstein, touring, Wonderland on May 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
THE BOOK OF MORMON
Several weeks ago, WONDERLAND closed on Broadway after a brief run. In an earlier post, I predicted that this show may have some troubles on the Great White Way. That said, many smart, seasoned people were involved with the production of WONDERLAND on both the business and creative sides, and so a lot of experience and care was likely put into how they proceeded. While there is always risk in theatre, I suspect that they felt the title and familiar, accessible subject matter were less risky than most and would have a mainstream appeal in New York, and eventually on The Road. With the Broadway production ending so abruptly, though, a life on The Road for WONDERLAND is uncertain, especially given all the competition from other shows jockeying for position in the 2012-2013 touring season. I did not ever get to see WONDERLAND, but, clearly, something did not come together here.
At the same time, on the other end of the spectrum, there’s THE BOOK OF MORMON, a strong risk with its potential to offend, and so presenters who see it and love it are in a quandary. How will audiences mostly used to tame blockbusters and revivals respond? Is there a risk of offending and losing subscribers?
In my mind, THE BOOK OF MORMON presents a perfect opportunity to shake up, invigorate and, dare I say, “save” The Road with its potential to expand the audience base and prove that quality, original musicals that have something to say CAN work and are worth the risk.
Below are a couple of articles, one out of Kansas City and the other out of Pittsburgh that discuss THE BOOK OF MORMON and the dilemma facing local presenters.
KANSAS CITY STAR
Risky, satisfying shows make their way to Broadway
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZZETTE
Stage reviews: ‘Book of Mormon’ is best news of Broadway season
Posted in Broadway, Reviews, Seasons, tagged Book of mormon, booking, brand, marketing, Matt Stone, Presenters, Robert Lopez, Robin Rothstein, South Park, touring, Trey Parker on March 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Well, per all the links below, THE BOOK OF MORMON, the irreverent musical by South Park creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, with Robert Lopez of AVENUE Q fame, is a huge Broadway smash. Though I have not seen it yet, I know from those who have, as well as the reviews, one of which describes the show as “blasphemous, scurrilous and more foul-mouthed than David Mamet on a blue streak” that much of the content is far from squeaky clean.
Assuming the capitalization and weekly operating costs for this production are not inconceivably high, there is a decent chance that THE BOOK OF MORMON will hang in there long enough to eventually be a commercial success in New York given the reviews and positive word of mouth.
But what about on The Road?
THE BOOK OF MORMON and other shows that have opened, or will soon be opening this season, are going to be considered for the 2012-2013 touring season, and, in early May, presenters from around the country will be descending on New York for The Spring Road Conference where they will have a chance to take in THE BOOK OF MORMON and all the other new offerings. I believe the presenters who truly like THE BOOK OF MORMON will be in a difficult position. Can they safely offer it on subscription and risk possibly alienating the loyal base that they’ve cultivated? And what will be the producers’ marketing strategy be prior to going on The Road? As with other shows with less mainstream subject matter that also lacked a “brand name” title, the THE BOOK OF MORMON producers will likely need to begin building strong name recognition and enough audience support for this show on a national level pretty far ahead of a tour if they hope to be able to court enough presenters to create a viable routing scenario. A critical and artistic success in New York does not often equal financial success on The Road. The Equity tour of SPRING AWAKENING, for example, had its challenges, per this article in The St. Petersberg Times about the play at the Straz Center in Tampa Bay.
The commercial touring industry is a business after all, and yet, at the same time, The Road needs to offer fresh, edgy shows of quality, otherwise this country will one day end up permanently thinking that the theatre is made up only of blockbusters and revivals, and that outcome would certainly be ungodly.
THE BOOK OF MORMON reviews:
Posted in Articles, Broadway, Producing, Reviews, tagged Broadway, Robin Rothstein, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, Wonderland on February 6, 2011| 1 Comment »
In a previous post I talked about presenters who also produce. Perhaps the most high-profile current example of that situation involves the Broadway-bound production of WONDERLAND, which premiered at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa as the first production in the center’s Broadway Genesis Project. I first discussed WONDERLAND in a post back in September.
Well, the WONDERLAND marquis is now up at The Marquis and the show begins previews on March 21 with an opening of April 17. What will be interesting to see, for me at least, is if this production will have that certain New York-level quality that people have come to expect in this town. After having seen many, many shows in New York over the years, as well as touring shows and regional productions, I have always felt a difference between New York theatre productions and out-of-town productions and presentations. There is an unbelievably high level of excellence that we have simply come to expect from a New York production that shows produced and presented outside New York need not try to reach to still be viewed as a quality experience in their local markets. The stakes are simply much higher here in New York than elsewhere. There is a lot more exposure, more critics, and very high expectations all the way around.
I wish WONDERLAND well and look forward to seeing it, but I have to admit I have doubts that it will be a commercial success. There are Broadway musical veterans on the creative team, including composer, Frank Wildhorn of JEKYLL & HYDE and THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL fame, but neither of these shows were critical hits. I also think the reported weaknesses of the book, if not addressed well enough by opening, will ultimately weigh it down. That said, if the score finds enough of a fan base, it could turn into a word-of-mouth crowd-pleaser. WICKED was generally not embraced by the New York critics and look what happened there.
Here are some recent articles about WONDERLAND and its road to Broadway, including one mixed review of the most recent Tampa incarnation this past January…
WONDERLAND website Unveils Song Previews!
Wonderland streamlined for Straz Center, then Broadway
Frank Wildhorn talks WONDERLAND changes and more
The Road 101 