A Chorus Line Recoups Next Week

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 12:29pm

Overlooked in all the discussion about Lane and Broderick and the upcoming Dreamgirls revival in Riedel's columns to day is that apparently ACL will recoup its $8 million investment next week after just 19 weeks -- which is INCREDIBLY fast considering the size of that theater.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01262007/entertainment/theater/bway_dreamgirls_theater_michael_riedel.htm

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 12:30pm

That's great for them.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 12:31pm

Oh my God. I had no idea it was selling like that.

That is REALLY something!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 12:39pm

I recall that SPELLING BEE and AVENUE Q recouped in less than 6 months, but both of them cost less than half of what ACL did to capitalize. Same with plays like HISTORY BOYS, FAITH HEALER and DOUBT (which only cost $2-3 million a piece). I can't remember hearing of another $8 million musical taking less than 6 months to recoup (though I imagine THE PRODUCERS probably did as well).

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 5:19pm

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was actually thinking that it might recoup in a month or so. Kudos!!!! Maybe they'll bring the price of tickets down in some of the mezz. sections.

[D2]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 5:24pm

yeah that'll happen.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 5:35pm

D2, I really wish there was a way of typing out the sound it makes when you laugh quietly to yourself by blowing a little air up the back of your throat. If there was, I'd type it now.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 6:09pm

that quick?!

[jv92]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 6:16pm

Well, I'm sure Dreamgirls has done wonders for it too. There's been a whole Michael Bennett crazy because of that film and this revival similarly to the Bob Fosse craze that happened because of Chicago's film version.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 6:19pm

i thought drowsy was fast!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 6:41pm

Good for them. I can't stop listening to the revival recording. It's a great show even if this revival is uninspired.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 6:43pm

Well, ACL was selling out for months before the Dreamgirls film ever opened -- it already had an advance over $5 million this summer. Remember ACL is one of the most popular and beloved shows in Broadway history, not only running 15 years on Broadway, but spawning dozens of national and intl tours that went around the world for a generation.

Other than hardcore Broadway fans, not many people even associate the two shows together or even remember who Michael Bennett was (he's totally unknown outside of theatre circles, never having done any significant work in film or television, unlike Robbins or Fosse).

I really think ACL sold itself.

Updated On: 1/26/07 at 06:43 PM

[gumbo2]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 6:46pm

Ourtime, I think the sound you're looking for is "cch", with the Hebrew gutteral pronunciation, of course.

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 6:51pm

I'm so happy! This is great for them.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 7:09pm

I don't understand how mirrors could cost $8 million.

Regardless, congratulations to A CHORUS LINE!

[jv92]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 7:10pm

Margo, it is quite sad that people other than people like you and I and others on the board don't know Bennett's work, but I believe Dreamgirls getting this much press and getting this much business will give him some exposure and the fame he deserves. I watched one of those "behind the scenes" programs on VH1 and there was quite a bit about Bennett and his work with the show.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 7:38pm

It really is a shame Bennett isn't a household name and probably never could be at this point. He's is that small group of visionaries for the stage -- along with Robbins, Fosse, Prince, Champion, and a couple of others -- and while millions have seen his work live all around the world, little of it was preserved for future generations on film. When his two main masterpieces -- ACL and Dreamgirls -- were adapted for film, both threw out his staging and choreography (and replaced it with inferior substitutes) and with the exception of a few numbers from those shows and COCO and the "It's Turkey Lurky Time" from Promises, Promises that were done on the Tonys, very few of his showstoppers are readily available (it's criminal that "Tick Tock" and "Who's That Woman" and so many other numbers from FOLLIES, SEE SAW, BALLROOM etc aren't preserved).

At least Fosse has the films of Sweet Charity, Damn Yankees, Pajama Game, Cabaret and All That Jazz (and the videos of the shows "Pippin" and "Fosse" as well as Liza with a Z), de Mille has Oklahoma and Carousel and Robbins has West Side Story, Gypsy, King & I, Peter Pan and Fiddler (as well as many tapes of his ballets with City Ballet and -- though it's not commercially available -- his Tony winning career restrospective "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" was filmed in total). It'd be nice if American Masters would put together an hour long program with some of the clips that I know are out there in private collections of Bennett's stage work or if Breglio and the Bennett estate would simply commission a documentary on their own. His legacy deserves to be preserved and celebrated by many generations to come.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 7:44pm

I second the question from CapnHook, how does it cost that much?

Did they spend that much of the "star-gazed" part of the background?

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 7:53pm

Maybe it was on the stuff that makes them spin.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 1/26/07 at 7:56pm

It had to be manpower. It's a huge cast of dancers, half of whom ar only used in the first number.