A Load of Musical Revivals for the Coming Season- Page 2

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:27pm

Doug Hodge WILL win best actor. His is the Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone, Geoffrey Rush performance.

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:31pm

Does anyone know if James Lapine is attached to iSondheim in anyway? I know he was scheduled to direct the Merrily revival.

I'm excited that we already have 5 planned revivals for this season, following two seasons with only 4 each. I'm especially excited for Ragtime and A Little Night Music.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:32pm

>I bet LA CAGE will take the Tony for Revival. And if it does, it will have won AGAIN just five years after the last revival won and it will also be the first show to win two Best Revival Tonys.<

Death of a Salesman won the award in 1984 for the Dustin Hoffman production and in 1999 for the Brian Dennehy production.

[1183]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:34pm

LA CAGE Won??????

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:34pm

Yes, James Lapine is attached to direct iSondheim.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:35pm

Sorry, I meant Best MUSICAL Revival.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:36pm

Merrily fell through? When? I heard like three weeks ago on pretty decent authority that it was still happening at some point soon.

Updated On: 6/18/09 at 05:36 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:38pm

That must not be with Roundabout then. Because iSondheim is almost definite as Roundabout's Spring musical.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:39pm

Oh, yeah, this was just that it's coming back -- not necessarily in Roundabout's hands.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 5:41pm

Oh!! More Sondheim the better.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 6:18pm

RE: Cheyenne in Finian's Rainbow. I have it on VERY good authority (someone whose relationship with Cheyenne couldn't be any closer) recently advised that nothing has been finalized and that Cheyenne is up for some other interesting properties. Doesn't mean that Cheyenne/Finian won't happen, but it's definitely nowhere near any sort of closure.

[hotjohn]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 6:24pm

Douglas Hodge, in La Cage, is sensational (even though he's channeling Shirley Bassey, and she isn't even dead!)
Updated On: 6/18/09 at 06:24 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 6:33pm

Doug Hodge WILL win best actor. His is the Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone, Geoffrey Rush performance.

Tell that to Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell. This is what everyone said the moment Sunday in the Park with George was announced as a transfer. The Actor and Actress in a musical Tonys were a done deal for Evans and Russell at that point. We saw how well that worked out.
Updated On: 6/18/09 at 06:33 PM

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 6:34pm

I agree with Hot John, as I have seen the London production also, you guys are in for a treat with Derek Hodges.

Thought it is rumoured that Sunset Boulevard is coming over, if it is not, it should, it was sensational in London.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 6:37pm

It's not always wise to count in shows that haven't been "officially" announced (or had official start dates announced): BRIGADOON was supposed to come in last season, and FOR COLORED GIRLS... too, and they didn't. Even GODSPELL (which did have an opening date set) was supposed to have opened last season, and it didn't (stupid Demon Economy...)

BYE BYE BIRDIE: Roundabout doesn't have a great track record, and BIRDIE is running in the fall. I don't think it'll go anywhere big - maybe a token nomination for one of the supporting cast.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC: When the show first opened in the 1970s, a common comment was its "elegant and amusing" quality. The show is a bit tame, a bit safe, but any Sondheim is better than most of the stuff out there. The show, being about love and sexual relations, does need to have a certain HEAT, and Trevor Nunn isn't exactly the "warmest" director out there.

Who knows? The show hasn't been revived in forever, and I only hope it doesn't go the way of the 2004 PACIFIC OVERTURES, or the 2001 FOLLIES.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 6:39pm

Finian's Rainbow did better then OK at the Irish Rep. It was playing to sold out houses and was extended twice, I believe. The score is absolutely wonderful and even the concert style version Charlotte Moore directed left many with a tear in their eye a couple times during the show.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 6:41pm

Adamgreer hit the nail on the head.

[hotjohn]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 6:45pm

Phantom, bite your tongue! Who the hell is Derek Hodges?

[esparza 333]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 7:09pm

"Oh, good God! Are "die hard theater fans" only 12 years old nowadays? FINIAN'S RAINBOW has a rich score and a wonderful reputation. There were excellent productions of it at City Center, Jones Beach and the Music Fair circuit. Just because it doesn't star Gavin Creel or the "amazing" Sutton Foster doesn't mean it'll have box office problems."

Dolly, all I was saying that it is not as well known as Birdie, ALNM, and others. I also said I was familiar with the show and I do believe it has a sensational score. Also I am just repeating other BWW members when I say that many people on the board have not heard of it. It is a wonderful show and I hope it does very very well but I just feel it might struggle with all of the big shows coming in this year.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 7:10pm

I'll be shocked if Finian's Rainbow actually opens on Broadway. I bet it never actually happens.

And if it does, I give it about 3 weeks.

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 7:47pm

Just a point to consider concerning Finian's Rainbow and the Irish Rep. It's a lot easier to sell out and extend a show in a 99 seat theatre than it will be in the 1600 seat St. James. I don't remember how long it ran at the Irish Rep, but let's say 10 weeks. So that gives 80 performances, assuming there were 8 shows a week. Even with every performance completely sold out that is only 60% capacity for one week at the St. James. So to me using the "it sold-out at the Irish Rep so it will therefore do great on Broadway" theory does not really translate into truly usable numbers (not to mention other successful Off-Broadway transfers that sank once arriving on the Great White Way).

And don't forget that pre-Broadway tour of the show back in the late 90's that folded on the road and never made it. I'm not saying the show doesn't have potential, but it's definitely going to be a very hard sell.

[Oldschool]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:46am

As for Ragtime, its likely in the category of Finian's in terms of whether it comes together, although the fact that they're offering tickets to Finian's is a good indicator that its a go. I don't know that suggesting Ragtime was ignored is even close to accurate. It had a reasonable run of two years -- better than some, not as good as others, and it had a HUGE cast, huge production costs, all of which made the numbers harder than other shows not to mention it was in the Ford(Hilton). Perhaps a slimmed down version both in cast and in content would be both refreshing and tighter dramatically. Then of course there is the timing of it that bodes well in Ragtime's favor, vis a` vis Obama. I'll believe it when and if it opens....

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 12:12pm

In addition to the huge operating costs of the original production, as previously stated, it also fell victim to the fact that Livent was corrupt and cooking the books. As others have said, to say audiences ignored the original production is far from the truth.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 1:28pm

>I'll believe it when and if it opens....<

Well, it's being announced this week with dates and a theatre.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 2:00pm

Re. BYE BYE BIRDIE being just for young people: I disagree. I saw the OBC at the Martin Beck back in 1961 when I was in college. Director-Choreographer Gower Champion took a fairly simple idea and made a hugely successful production of it. Its book is extremely funny--I think it holds up well, having seen the Tommy Tune production in the early 1990's and still laughing my way through it. The scenes with Harry MacAfee and Mae Peterson are particularly funny. And the dance numbers add a lot. It DOES need a good director-choreographer. I guess given Roundabout's track record with musicals, the success remains to be seen. But BIRDIE is not just for young people.