Profile for marcblack

Playbills re-imagined with your favorite movies, books, etc. What happens if The Nightmare Before Christmas played The Ethel Barrymore Theatre? Feel free to post your own!

TheatreDiva90016, I really doubt they put together focus groups so they can say "See?! We've put together a focus group!". The producers could likely care less about appeasing members of this board or even the press. You have to remember producers actions are based off their desire to sell more tickets, not defending their show as if they were on trial. They're doing focus groups so they can collect information and possibly tweak portions of the show. Saying "we did a focus group!" won't sell...

dramamama611, I suggest you read before declaring that my response is "not true". The original poster asked "is there any way to find the original budgets of every Broadway show?" No there is not, that is the correct answer. Occasionally shows will publish their total capitalization in the news (like Spider-Man or Hair), but that's a very select number. TOTAL CAPITALIZATION is also not the same as BUDGET. So yes it is a fairly secret club, as I've never once seen a show's BUDGET published. A ...

Unless you're involved with the show or considered investing, no.

GlindatheGood22, how is it money-grubbing? Broadway shows are in business to PROFIT. While I'm not sure how Melissa Etheridge will sell, she has a better shot at moving tickets than the understudy (who may be very talented, i've never seen him). It's box office marquee. But it's a little extreme to say the production is money-grubbing. The producers first and foremost duty is to recoup funds for their investors. Ira Pittelman and Tom Hulce are attempting to do just that.

Phantom of London, the show would tour in many more places besides London, Chicago and Los Angeles. Wicked currently has productions on several continents besides regional and international tours. Since Spider-Man's business model is based off doing subsequent performances, I'm sure they took some time to figure it out. The tech aspects may not be exactly the same as Broadway, but you can make people fly in an arena. I think it's a bit naive to think Spider-Man will only go to those three pla...

fingerlakessinger, why shouldn't Spider-Man be included on the "Broadway Grosses"? The list does not say musical grosses or play grosses... Any production that plays a Broadway theater is qualified as a Broadway show. The Broadway League determines which theaters are considered "Broadway" and Foxwoods is on that list. If a Cirque production plays the Ethel Barrymore, it's classified as "Broadway" and therefore would appear on the list of grosses. You'd have to campaign for The Broadway League...

PalJoey- Everyone is perfectly entitled to their opinions. I'm entitled to mine as well... Everyone who demands that Spider-Man closes, criticizes their change of opening dates, acts like they're an authority on the business of Spider-Man, or makes grand statements on everything but the creatives merits of the show LOOKS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. I'm simply asking why this chat board makes uneducated and delusional comments? You're certainly allowed to express yourself, but your opinions are mea...

Hedwig is apparently in the works, but I'm not positive of their target date. My guess is that Hedwig may have a challenging time raising funds. If the producers are passionate enough about their product, this show may certainly see the light of day. However it may have a slightly longer development process than the average Broadway musical.

fingerlakessinger- I'm not criticizing those who dislike the show solely because it's "Spider-Man". Everyone has different tastes and opinions. If you're not a fan of the Spider-Man character, it's perfectly logical that you wouldn't want to see the stage production. The individuals you refer to are not the people going online posting hate filled rants about the show. And so what if people think Spider-Man defines a Broadway musical? Art evolves over time and there will always be various form...

It's pretty simple how Spider-Man will recoup. Michael Cohl talks about it in a New York Time's article. "I don’t know if I’ll ever make any money — here’s hoping,” he said. “If it ends up being a big hit and it can go tour everywhere, then I’ll stand to do great. If it just ends up being a big hit in New York, then I’ll have some fun.” The business plan of Spider-Man is not based on recouping solely in New York. There's enormous front end costs in hoping they can stage subsequent productions...

I don't understand why there has been a negative response to the show BEFORE it even started previews? It's like people have had a vendetta since the beginning... Surely no one can determine a show is bad without seeing a performance. eastlasgna, that's fairly right on.

Yes, I have seen Spider-Man. My personal opinion is that the show was mediocre. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't fantastic either. A little about my background... I am a Broadway producer, who has never been involved with a show that DIDN'T profit. So I'm fairly qualified to offer opinions regarding the business of Broadway. dramamama611- Yes, most folks aren't demanding that it close. And many discuss Spider-Man based on its creative merits (which is why I prefaced my message saying that is p...

I'm really flabbergasted as to the general attitude on this board regarding Spider-Man. As patrons of the theater, we have every right to share our opinions on the music, book, actors, production elements, etc. And if you don't like Spider-Man for those reasons, I'm not going to criticize. I may even agree with many of your points. What I don't understand is why the majority has been so negative about this show since the beginning. Here's a group of risk takers, staging an extraordinarily uni...

I purchased tickets in cash from the box office for a cancelled performance of Spider-Man. They have no way of directly notifying you. I read Broadway news often, so was aware of the change of schedule. However for those not in the loop, they found out the news upon arrival at the theater for their scheduled performance. They were then given the option of a refund or exchange for a new date.

I think it's a little dramatic and accusatory to assert that Tierny was "paid off". He suffered a serious injury during Spider-Man and the production was at fault. It's ethical and moral for the production to pay his medical bills, reserve a spot upon his return and offer compensation for Tierny's suffering. Why criticize the producers for doing the right thing? As for his interview while I don't know Tierny personally, I think most actors are generally supportive of their own projects. Despi...

The Barrymore is booked for this spring. The production taking the space hasn't announced yet. Are we sure Godspell is definitely coming in Spring 2011? Did anyone invest in People of Godspell? And BroadwayBound115, I'm sure you realize that's not possible because of Wicked. However there's no way Godspell would fare well in that theater. It's too big and there won't be enough audience demand, in my opinion.

Yes, I now understand what you're saying. Wasn't entirely sure at first.

Overkill, I'm not sure I understand your point. If you don't think the movie will translate well to the stage, why can it work at Disney World but not on Broadway? It's the same concept, just a different venue. Are you trying to say the show will resonate with audience members in Orlando better than New York? Because that would have more to do with consumer demand, than the actual production itself.

opps!