These days, it seems like its becomeing a growing trend that even if your show dosen't do well on Broadway (or even play on Broadway), the show will go on to enter the "canon" (using the term losely) through local productions. Seussical only ran for 200 performances and is now MTI's most liscensed show. Little Women looks like its headed for a similar future, banking on its name. Lippa's A Little Princess is getting a recording and being liscensed by MTI, hoping this will work for them.
I have nothing against these shows (they're all at least decent) or the method of popularity (although I do wish that other not "name" shows could get a chance) But my question is, has this ever happened before in Broadway's history? Where mass local productions of a show have elevated said show from obscurity to a place in the "canon"?
I have several names, one is Julian2. I am also The Opps Girl. But cross me, and I become Bitch Dooku!
Neither of those were on Broadway. I'm not sure LITTLE WOMEN is going to have community and high school success a la THE SUESSICAL. That flop of TOM SAWYER hasn't exactly lit the regional circuit on fire since it became available...
INTO THE WOODS and GYPSY have certainly made a lot more money in regional and community theatre/high school production than they ever made on Broadway. Ditto WEST SIDE STORY.
That's funny! I did Seussical last year and a group I regularly perform with is doing Thoroughly Modern Millie this year.
"In theater, the process of it is the experience. Everyone goes through the process, and everyone has the experience together. It doesn't last - only in people's memories and in their hearts. That's the beauty and sadness of it. But that's life - beauty and the sadness. And that is why theater is life." - Sherie Rene Scott
Suessical Millie and Little Women all have inherent appeal to school and community groups-- and remember that all of them are adapted from well-known properties.
I'm not sure I'd rank Mattress as "obscure"-- it made money, was revived, launched the career of Carol Burnett and was turned into two Television specials.
Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you.
--Cartman: South Park
ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."
The rain we knew is a thing of the past -
deep-delving, dark, deliberate you would say
browsing on spire and bogland; but today
our sky-blue slates are steaming in the sun,
our yachts tinkling and dancing in the bay
like racehorses. We contemplate at last
shining windows, a future forbidden to no one.
Derek Mahon
"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets."
I know when I saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway, The Playbill had a little thing basically saying MTI already had their sights set on the show.
how funny is it that The community theatre I'm on the Board of is doing Little Women this summer, we did Once Upon a Mattress last summer, summer before that we did Seussical! And I have my sights set on Into the Woods or Thoroughly Modern Millie for NEXT summer (I usually direct their musical) HA! (before that was Radio Gals...BLECK!) well, actually, sort of, maybe, kind of cute...in a way