Phantom (Broadway) and Les Miz (London) - how many more years?- Page 2

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 8:19pm

"take that back "Phantom", "Jersey Boys", "Wicked", "Les Mis", "Aladdin", and "Lion King" aren't going anywhere.

If you read the entire posting, you will see that I proposed that all but jersey Boys could very well be running in a decade (may be too early to tell re Aladdin, but the rest seem to be entrenched.  I think Jersey Boys is running out of steam

"

 

[krmbdwy]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 8:37pm

That's not true, "Jersey Boys" is doing well.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 10:45pm

It seems like Phantom shows no signs of slowing down like some of the other long-runners (Les Mis, Cats, Miss Saigon) did as the years went on. It still does extremely well during tourist times and I agree, it's the show that non theater-goers would probably choose to see (especially with cheaper ticket prices than something like The Lion King or Wicked). I agree that it's always in top form, but I think some of the effects are a bit dated. That being said, it's become such a quintessential NYC experience for people all over the world, it's hard to imagine Broadway without it.

 

I wouldn't include Jersey Boys in the list of shows that "aren't going anywhere" - it seems like it's slowing down and I think we'll see it close in the (fairly) near future.

 

As for Hamilton, it strikes me as more of a Producers than a Wicked/Lion King though I think it'll run longer than that because Producers relied a lot on star power. It's a mammoth hit right now and I think it will run for many years, but I'm not sure it'll enter into the "forever" type of run that Phantom, Lion King, and Wicked seem to have.

Updated On: 8/13/15 at 10:45 PM

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 11:18pm

I honestly think that when it comes to talking about what shows will be around within the next decade, I feel that it is way to soon to even consider putting Hamilton on that list. I say this because the show literally just opened. And, while ticket sales are booming and it's become a "must see show," the big question is that once the dust settles from all this, how much longer can it go on? I am not saying it's a good show or bad or not even worthy of the hype, I haven't seen it yet so I can't tell. But, I just am saying that it is way too early to tell with regards to the show having a lengthy run. 

 

As for Phantom, I do enjoy going back to that show every so often. And, I do think that it's an amazing thing that Hal Prince is still very hands on over the years and makes frequent trips to the show to keep it in top form. That's not, I feel, something that a lot of directors do with long runners, specially one that's been running close to thirty years. As much as I love Phantom, I still jokingly call it a living tourist trap. People who are visiting are more likely going to spend their money on a show that they have heard of. And, Phantom, for many visiting is that show. I have always felt that the ongoing pattern for it is that it does pretty good business during the high tourist season of the summer and holiday time, to help it sustain itself during the quieter times of the year. 

I also don't know if I could compare Hamilton to The Producers. The Producers biggest downfall was that rather than having replacements put their own spin on the roles, Stroman and co wanted them to essentially copy Lane and Brodrick. I think that if they didn't require whoever was playing Leo and Max to do that, it would have been better perhaps for longer. 

[Drewski Vanderbilt]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 3:17pm

The only thing I have to say is that back when I saw Phantom in October 2014, All the Ensemble looked as if they didn't care and didn't want to be there, maybe I just went on a bad night but with that kind of attitude from the actors, it makes me want to not see this show..