A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
jacobsnchz14
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
#1A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:10pm
“A Strange Loop,” the winner of this year’s Tony Award for best musical, will close on Broadway on Jan. 15, after a short run that reflects the industry’s ongoing pandemic-related struggles and the challenges of marketing an unconventional musical that wrestles with complex themes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/theater/strange-loop-broadway-closing.html
ElephantLoveMedley
Broadway Star Joined: 10/14/21
#2A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:13pm
314 performances is brutally short for a Best Musical winner, but unless it closes earlier than the announced date, it won’t quite take the crown for shortest-running Best Musical winner from Passion, which ran for 280 performances.
#3A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:15pm
I’m in tears right now
#4A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:16pm
Not surprising. Niche subject matter for a niche audience. That this show made it to Broadway in the first place is a miracle.
Congrats to all on an incredible run.
Alex Kulak2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/11/16
#5A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:17pm
Dear lord, tell me we're getting a tour.
Something tells me Broadway won't be without an MJR show for long.
BdwyFan
Featured Actor Joined: 3/1/10
#7A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:22pm
BdwyFan said: "What a disaster! Wow."
Disagree. It won the Pulitzer and Best Musical.
I predict one day this show will get the credit for paving the way for many new, original, and daring musicals. Way ahead of its time. Those who saw it live will have bragging rights for decades to come.
Sutton Ross
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
#8A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:24pm
What an absolutely brilliant, special show. Congratulations to all involved. 
#9A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:27pm
Glad I plan on seeing it during my trip the first week of January.
#10A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:29pm
I really don’t think it’s that niche or have a super niche audience. I was just thinking this morning (while getting tickets for 10/27 with the Bob the Drag Queen talkback) that they hadn’t nailed down their marketing and it would be their biggest downfall. Sad to see it close.
I think a tour in select cities would do great financially and for the exposure and longevity of the show.
hearthemsing22
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/14/20
#11A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:29pm
Alex Kulak2 said: "Dear lord, tell me we're getting a tour.
Something tells me Broadway won't be without an MJR show for long."
I don't know....about the tour....do you think it will have an audience across America?
#12A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:29pm
I wish I could say that I'm surprised, but I've been expecting this announcement for some time now. Such a shame that it couldn't capture a larger audience. My congratulations to the entire cast and crew for doing what they've done, and I hope to see the show in November.
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
#13A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:31pm
TotallyEffed said: "BdwyFan said: "What a disaster! Wow."
Disagree. It won the Pulitzer and Best Musical.
I predict one day this show will get the credit for paving the way for many new, original, and daring musicals. Way ahead of its time. Those who saw it live will have bragging rights for decades to come."
Not only do I hope this project inspires theater makers to take more risks with original work, I hope A Strange Loop has taught us that there is also room for more intimate, autobiographical pieces on Broadway.
#14A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:33pm
ElephantLoveMedley said: "314 performances is brutally short for a Best Musical winner, but unless it closes earlier than the announced date, it won’t quite take the crown for shortest-running Best Musical winner from Passion, which ran for 280 performances."
When I saw the announcement I also immediately looked up Passion to see if this would be the new shortest run by a Best Musical Tony winner. Glad it's not...it's also still ahead of Hallelujah Baby! which ran 293.
I know a lot of people are surely very upset about it's closing, but I feel it's better to focus on being grateful it played on Broadway at all. I don't think the pandemic is to blame, since there are other shows selling out and bringing in over $1M a week. A Strange Loop is just...really strange. And although I am no prude, it is really sexually graphic. I mean, I can't imagine heterosexual acts being sung about in a Broadway musical in such a way either. There was no way this was ever going to appeal to a broad audience and not end up in the red. I imagine the producers knew that and brought it to Broadway anyway, which is admirable.
bear88
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/26/16
#15A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:34pm
hearthemsing22 said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "Dear lord, tell me we're getting a tour.
Something tells me Broadway won't be without an MJR show for long."
I don't know....about the tour....do you think it will have an audience across America?"
Across America? Probably not. But it should do fine in select cities.
MadsonMelo
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/24/14
#16A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:40pm
That's very sad, it's a brillant musical.
Is this the second shortest run of a winner for Best Musical besides ''Passion''?
#17A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:55pm
Are they closing at a loss? I can’t think of a way this tours at least not in the traditional sense, so I hope they are able to film it or something.
jacobsnchz14
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
#18A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:02pm
Alex Kulak2 said: "Dear lord, tell me we're getting a tour.
Something tells me Broadway won't be without an MJR show for long."
I have a feeling "White Girl In Danger" could transfer after its off-Broadway run in the spring.
Broadway61004
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/11
#19A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:03pm
bear88 said: "hearthemsing22 said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "Dear lord, tell me we're getting a tour.
Something tells me Broadway won't be without an MJR show for long."
I don't know....about the tour....do you think it will have an audience across America?"
Across America? Probably not. But it should do fine in select cities."
Tours usually need close to a year at least in order to make any money though. So while it may do fine with a standard 2-week run in a few select cities, there's no way that would sustain a long enough run to make it anywhere near profitable. I mean, NY is one of the most progressive cities and pretty much the perfect location audience-wise for a show like this and it couldn't last a year here. So I can't see any way this could be successful touring the country.
#20A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:03pm
I could see this doing a mini tour of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago, but beyond that I don’t think there’s much of a market for it outside of NYC.
#21A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:08pm
I watched the NPR Tiny Desk performance and really enjoyed it, but was a little thrown off by some mixed reviews and reports of sound issues. I might have to go see this instead of KPOP on my December trip since I think that one will still be around until at least next spring.
#22A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:08pm
If length of run and recouping were the sole factors in determining whether a show had merit, then we wouldn't be talking about or producing a lot of shows that are now beloved. Strange Loop may not be a financial success- and it was always a gamble- but it is a large artistic one, and, more importantly, a triumph for widening the scope of what kind of stories are told in Broadway musicals and who tells them.
#23A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:17pm
This just didn't have any appeal to the average theatergoers. Tourists didn't want to see it, families didn't want to see it, and unfortunately this has a "woke" tag by conservatives. In terms of a tour, it should just hit the west coast(LA, San Francisco, Seattle) and probably Chicago and Toronto. Maybe throw in Boston, DC and Philadelphia to stretch it for a full year.
#24A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:24pm
In the same vein as what others have said:
I hope that the investors who lost money on this show still feel - on a deeper, more abstract, more human level - that their money was still well-spent.
Maybe a silly thing to say about investors in a capitalist, commercial enterprise. But given that the show was already a financial risk, and had the markings of a passion project, maybe these particular investors have that healthy perspective, and will inspire others to follow suit.
#25A STRANGE LOOP to close January 15
Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:40pm
Also, when has a Best New Musical Tony winner never gone out on tour? I can't seem to ever recall one. Even winners like The Band's Visit, Fun Home & Contact all toured at least a year.
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