I Think I Skip 2018
I Think I Skip 2018
#1I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/10/18 at 7:31pm
What an awful year for new shows, by which I mean.
Eacape to Margaritaville.
Frozen
Mean Girls
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Getting The Band Together
Pretty Woman
The Cher Show
Head Over Heals
unless you’re a fan girl wanting Mean Girls and Elsa or olde looking for bit of nostalgia with those jukebox hits, then this year is totally missable. If Bright Star or/and Groundhog Day opened this year, they would’ve lasted a lot longer.
#2I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/10/18 at 8:41pm
You know there is other theatre besides Broadway, right?
#3I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/10/18 at 8:43pm^ or musicals lol.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
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blaxx
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/05
#4I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/10/18 at 9:20pm
Bet the OP thinks there is only ruins and zombies past 42nd street.
Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE
#5I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/10/18 at 9:39pm
blaxx said: "Bet the OP thinks there is only ruins and zombies past 42nd street."
Of course not! There is also the Nederlander theatre on 41st!
Maztuski
Swing Joined: 12/21/17
#6I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/10/18 at 10:35pm
Yes but I think Frozen has potential. I wish Bob was designing the sets . And someone else was directing. And I wish someone like Christopher Wheeldon. I also wish the the whole musical; looked better.
At least Pretty Women is made with Jerry Mitchell at the helm
ps. Any news on any changes
UncleCharlie
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/26/16
#7I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/10/18 at 10:44pmThanks for sharing. We'll let Broadway know. They're not going to be happy about this.
Maztuski
Swing Joined: 12/21/17
#8I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/10/18 at 10:47pm
New Musicals like Hamilton are rare but seriously unless Disney is going to do major changes for Frozen or unless Mean Girls is revolutionary are we not dumbing down Broadway?
Updated On: 1/10/18 at 10:47 PM
Tom5
Broadway Star Joined: 9/23/11
#10I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 12:15am
Maztuski said: "New Musicals like Hamilton are rare but seriously unless Disney is going to do major changes for Frozen or unless Mean Girls is revolutionary are we not dumbing down Broadway?"
There have been plenty of “dumb” musicals on Broadway since the beginning. It’s nothing new. Broadway may be more brand-related than ever before, but Broadway still seems to find a way to produce original works (DEH, Come From Away, Hamilton, The Band’s Visit - yes I know that last one is based on a movie but it’s hardly based on a brand or “dumb&rdquo
. I will say I don’t really want to see any of the shows the OP listed. But who knows? Maybe some good reviews and word-of-mouth could change my mind. I mean I’m now considering seeing Spongebob when I’m in NYC for two nights next month. I never woulda thunk it. Lol
#11I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 1:47am
I always prefer straight plays to musicals because after seeing a certain number of shows I would choose to be intellectually/emotionally satisfied/challenged/provoked over exposing myself to visual hyperactivity. Great musicals like Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen (barely), and The Great Comet can do both, but more often than not the creative team decides to go safe than "creative" and it shows. 2018 is a big year for plays, although mostly revivals. As for musicals, I am concerned about the easy trend of more and more shows relying on a certain formula to target certain demographics. And we all see how long these shows last.
#12I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 4:33am
I also feel there aren't many new musicals that interest me this year, including revivals. I also have the same feeling for West End.
Of course it's just personal taste.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#13I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 5:43am
I'm not planning too see too many of the still to come NEW musicals ..just not interested. I haven't given too much thought to those coming in next season.
Add Spongebob to that list.
The Band's Visit might be the only new musical I see! Revivals are another story, however.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
kaykordeath
Stand-by Joined: 4/14/17
#14I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 6:35am
Yeah, I get it. I totally hate having fun as well.
Guess it's your loss.
Jarethan
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
#16I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 10:49am
I have to admit that I agree with the OP. I don't remember the last time I had so little interest ion seeing most of the musicals scheduled to open as well as most of the plays. I just don't care about seeing a Jimmy Buffet musical, a GoGo Firls musical, a Donna Summer musical. The Cher one could be fun if it is well-done, but that is a long way off.
My tri-annual trip to NYC has 8 slots and I have only filled four of them, with MFL, 3 Tall Women, The Band's Visit and Frozen (have to admit that I decided to buy the tickets only because I figured it was going to be a blockbuster, and that we might as well see it). I cannot get excited about anything else. (Note: I didn't make the cut for Harry Potter tickets; and, although this will clearly be a blockbuster and is highly acclaimed in London, I can't say that I have any strong desire to see it, although I would have gotten tix if I could).
I would be more excited about Angels if I hadn't seen the recent Off-Broadway revival. As much as I love Millenium, Perestroika is tough to get through for me, i.e., I admit to getting pretty bored in it; have no interest in Iceman (that is a play that I like to read much more than see, per another topic on the board). Will wait for reviews on Mean Girls, based on reviews of the score from DC. Thought Children of the Lesser God was pretty uninteresting the first time...not sure that it warrants a revival. I am on the fence re Carousel,although I imagine I will breakdown soon on that. (I think Carousel is 2/3 a great musical and 1/3 filler, and am underwhelmed that Jack O'Brian is at the helm, although that could be a big mistake).
Will probably end up seeing Dolly. Unlike Dollypop, who has seen it 83 times, I have probably seen it 15 - 18 times and really want to see BP; my wife, who has probably only seen it 6 - 8 times is 'all-Dollied ou't and indicated, after seeing Bette (who she loved in the role much more than I did), that I should not get tickets for any time in the foreseeable future, since she is 'all-Dollied out'. I usually wait until the last minute to purchase for performances where we split up.
So, that still leaves 3 slots; I know I will get excited with some late announcements, but I am guessing that the last three could very well be repeats...unless I am forgetting something. The thing at the Broadway may turn out to be fun, but it is not theatre; it happens to be playing in a theater. Probably end up seeing Boys in the Band, again not excited...it was entertaining 40 plus years ago, because it was groundbreaking, not because it was a verity good play; but the cast is good.
Guess I am in a curmudgeon-ish mood; but I just don't think it is very exciting when the show that I am most excited about is a revival of MFL, which I have seen in a total of 4 times in 2 different productions in the last 4 years (and loved all three).
#17I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 11:15am
@Jarethan: I can't help but notice that even after all the comments poking fun at the OP for only focusing on Broadway, you still wrote that entire post as if Broadway were the only form of theatre that exists in NYC. I understand it can be hard for out-of-towners to begin wading into the world of Off-Broadway, but it's not fair to complain about having trouble filling your 8 slots when you are limiting yourself so drastically. You don't have to start by seeing experimental underground theatre in a dingy basement deep in Brooklyn right off the bat. You can go to The Public, Second Stage, Classic Stage, St. Ann's Warehouse, Signature, Playwright's Horizons, BAM, Theatre For a New Audience, MCC, MTC, Vineyard, Atlantic, NYTW, to name just some. These are reputable theatre companies who put on exciting new works and revivals by major playwrights, often with actors and directors you might also see on Broadway.
#18I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 1:11pm
I can check off MEAN GIRLS on my list since I caught the final performance at the National in DC. Of course they can work on it by the time it opens in NY but I doubt I'd want to see it again. The music and choreography were repetitive and the story line thin for a 2 hour plus show. Had it had a better score, I might 've enjoyed it a lot more.
Like the OP, this is one season I have little interest in. Revivals of old classics like MY FAIR LADY and CAROUSEL just don't appeal to me but I imagine there's a whole new generation out there who've never seen these shows. And since I'm not a fan of juke box musicals, there's two more upcoming shows that I won't be seeing. Well, there's always 2019!
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#19I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 1:19pm
kaykordeath said: "Yeah, I get it. I totally hate having fun as well.
Guess it's your loss."
Well, if those are your idea of fun.....
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
EDR1971
Swing Joined: 11/8/17
#20I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 8:39pm
So instead of producing shows that many non traditional theater goers might have interest in and possibly introduce new people to the medium we should let the theaters stay dark, let the actors, ushers, musicians, stage hands be unemployed?
in addition, why can’t a show like Margaritaville be enjoyable? Why can’t Head over Heels succeed with the the work Riedel spoke about in his article?
And lastly, I saw Jerry Springer in London and at Carnegie Hall and who knows it could maybe transfer. There is your new show.
#21I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 8:53pm
If I was a New Yorker I would be in all those venues, as I do in London. Rarely I see something off Broadway, as I say the cream always rises to the top. But the cost of staying in New York is so expensive, so makes it prohibitive to see experimental theatre.
When I come over in the Spring I plan to see Angels in America, 3 Tall Women, The Iceman Cometh, Carousel, My Fair Lady and Children of a Lessor God.
HGR2
Swing Joined: 7/13/16
#22I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 8:54pm
I'm in the same situation. Normally we do an annual visit in the spring with the family and take in 3-4 shows (I admit - we like musicals) but this year we just haven't had the one or two that we are aching to see - probably tops on my list is Spongebob but enthusiasm seems to be waning. We are probably going to take a break this year and see what next year holds.
ArtMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/10/08
#23I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 9:32pm
I agree with the OP also. The upcoming season does not interest me. As an out of towner, the cost of the hotel/airfare outweigh a couple of shows I have an interest to see. I normally visit for a Wednesday through Sunday trip, with a show at every slot. If I lived in NYC, I would consider Off Broadway. However, the costs involved for the trip and with my preference to Broadway, Off Broadway just doesn't tweak my interest. Also since I have made so many visits to NYC, the last couple of trips have become so familiar. I kind of do the same things over and over. So as of this writing I do not plan on a visit in 2018. I am going on a 11 day cruise instead.
#24I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 9:40pm
Phantom of London said: "I say the cream always rises to the top."
That is a highly reductive and limited point of view. Many brilliant Off-Broadway shows - with excellent ticket sales, reviews, word of mouth, awards buzz, or some combination thereof - do not transfer to Broadway for a wide variety of reasons, one the largest being that not every brilliant show is marketable enough to pick up producers interested in a transfer. And by YOUR OWN logic, the shows that ARE coming Broadway do not look like they will be of high quality. So how can you argue that the cream is rising to the top in this season?
"But the cost of staying in New York is so expensive, so makes it prohibitive to see experimental theatre."
First of all, experimental theatre is usually much cheaper than Broadway and Off-Broadway venues, so there's that.
Second of all, not everything that is Off-Broadway is experimental. In fact, the kind of theatre that appears in most of the venues I mentioned is not experimental at all. My comment about experimental theatre above related more to the underground, off-off-Broadway scene, where that sort of theatre is more common. My point was that you DON'T have to go down that extreme road in order to see high-quality theatre in places other than Broadway.
As I said above, I can understand why you wouldn't want to venture into unknown territory when you have a limited amount of time in NY. I myself used to take theatre trips to NY before I lived here, and those trips only seldom included Off-Broadway, but that was because there were always so many Broadway shows that I was dying to see. But obviously, the same is not true for you in this case. If you're complaining that the "known territory," as it were, is not satisfactory to you - why wouldn't you take a risk and see something off-Broadway? If you're going dismiss the Broadway shows as low-brow fluff, and dismiss the Off-Broadway shows as "experimental" and not worth your time, you are only making it harder for yourself.
Jarethan
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
#25I Think I Skip 2018
Posted: 1/11/18 at 10:11pm
JBroadway said: "@Jarethan: I can't help but notice that even after all the commentspokingfun at the OP for only focusing on Broadway, you still wrote thatentire post as if Broadway were the only form of theatre that exists in NYC. I understand it can be hard for out-of-towners to begin wading into the world of Off-Broadway, but it's not fair to complain about having trouble filling your 8 slots when you are limiting yourself so drastically. You don't have to start byseeing experimental underground theatre in a dingy basement deep in Brooklyn right off the bat. You can go to The Public, Second Stage, Classic Stage, St. Ann's Warehouse, Signature, Playwright's Horizons, BAM, Theatre For a New Audience, MCC, MTC, Vineyard, Atlantic, NYTW, to name just some. These are reputable theatre companies who put on exciting new works and revivals by major playwrights, often with actors and directors you might also see on Broadway."
You raise a very good point. I have to admit that I always think of Broadway, because 98% of what I have seen in NYC has been in traditional Broadway theaters. Even though it is quite clear that there are a lot of off-Broadway productions I would like to see each year. Because so many off them are limited engagements, I am restricted to what is actually open when I am in the city. In this case, it is still a long way off, late May - early June; but I will remember that.
