ALW's Bad Cinderella on Broadway - News & Discussion Thread

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 10:34am

https://nypost.com/2021/09/27/broadway-folks-say-they-forged-covid-tests-to-go-to-tonys-parties/

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose “Cats” played the Winter Garden for 18 years, told The Post he was giddy to be back from across the pond for the first Tony Awards since the pandemic shuttered theaters last year.

“We got open in London six weeks ago, — finally finally — with our shows, and you know to be back here is of course extraordinary,” he said. “It’s so difficult to put into words,  really, because it’s so moving for everybody involved in theater to be back doing what they love. And that’s the bottom line of it all. We’re back doing what we’ve been put on the planet to do.”

Lloyd Webber also revealed that his acclaimed West End musical “Cinderella,” with a book by “Promising Young Woman” winner Emerald Fennell, will likely open on Broadway next season. “I would think we’ll be open by late summer next year,” he said.

Updated On: 10/10/22 at 10:34 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 10:43am

Late summer would seem right for this. Give “Music Man” time to wrap up (I’m assuming he wants the Winter Garden) and Carrie time to finish her UK run and then make plans to spend half the year in America. I hope this happens so people here can get to see how amazing she is.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 10:47am

I would love to see this happen, the reviews look promising and the score definitely has some great songs, and I hope Carrie Hope Fletcher would get to transfer with it

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 11:08am

I know it’s not near competition, but this seems like a nice show to reopen the Palace. A splashy new Lloyd Weber musical.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 11:41am

Summer/ fall of 2022 seems like a pretty realistic timeline for this. I would love to see this on Broadway, so this is thrilling news to me! I love the cast album.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 12:10pm

Assuming this plays a Shubert house, the Shubert Theatre or the Broadway could be possibilities. I don't think they'll be able to finagle the Winter Garden.

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 12:25pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Assuming this plays a Shubert house, the Shubert Theatre or the Broadway could be possibilities. I don't think they'll be able to finagle the Winter Garden."

I hope Fall 2022. I feel like it would do wonderful by then. Do we have any idea of a theatre yet or too soon?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 12:33pm

They'll probably have to scrap the revolving seats no matter where it plays. Fall sounds more reasonable for this one than late summer. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 12:45pm

I would think they'd try and keep Music Man going, no?

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 12:46pm

Lunalaaaaaaaa said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Assuming this plays a Shubert house, the Shubert Theatre or the Broadway could be possibilities. I don't think they'll be able to finagle the Winter Garden."

I hope Fall 2022. I feel like it would do wonderful by then. Do we have any idea of a theatre yet or too soon?"

I was also thinking of the Broadway Theatre. Will the Shubert still be booked with Mockingbird? I was wondering about the Golden also but I heard Almost Famous would land there.

[binau]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 12:50pm

I think it would be a mistake putting this in a large barn - the best moments are intimate ones and it's in a relatively intimate (by Broadway standards at least) West End Theatre. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 12:59pm

Lunalaaaaaaaa said: "Lunalaaaaaaaa said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Assuming this plays a Shubert house, the Shubert Theatre or the Broadway could be possibilities. I don't think they'll be able to finagle the Winter Garden."

I hope Fall 2022. I feel like it would do wonderful by then. Do we have any idea of a theatre yet or too soon?"

I was also thinking of the Broadway Theatre. Will the Shubert still be booked with Mockingbird? I was wondering about the Golden also but I heard Almost Famous would land there."

There's no way this production would play the Golden. Do you understand how this works? 

 

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 1:02pm

Lunalaaaaaaaa said: "Lunalaaaaaaaa said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Assuming this plays a Shubert house, the Shubert Theatre or the Broadway could be possibilities. I don't think they'll be able to finagle the Winter Garden."

I hope Fall 2022. I feel like it would do wonderful by then. Do we have any idea of a theatre yet or too soon?"

I was also thinking of the Broadway Theatre. Will the Shubert still be booked with Mockingbird? I was wondering about the Golden also but I heard Almost Famous would land there."

NYTix is saying Cinderella will play the Shubert so maybe true? What will be the fate of Mockingbird then?

[saxpower]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 1:04pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "I know it’s not near competition, but this seems like a nice show to reopen the Palace. A splashy new Lloyd Weber musical."

I was kind of thinking the same thing- the Nederlanders are going to want to re-open the palace with a "prestige" show (for lack of a better term) and a new ALW musical might qualify (yes, I know some on this board do not care for him, but he IS a big name).   Have we heard anything further on the status of the work?   At this point late summer/early fall is roughly a year off, so there IS time (it may not be necessary for all the work on the building to be done to re-open the theatre), 

Of course, alot of the "what theatre" question will depend upon how the "new" shows (including those that were set to open last year) and how well the existing shows survive reopening.  Its entirely possible (if not likely) that at least one theatre that now seems "spoken for" may not be by the time a theatre needs to be selected. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 1:05pm

The stage and front orchestra will need to be altered for this show, whatever theatre it takes. So if they did want to reopen The Palace then they would need to build the turning portions into this renovations now.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 1:14pm

NYTix has been posting about made up productions and claiming they have a theatre for years. It’s not reliable whatsoever.

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 1:17pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "NYTix has been posting about made up productions and claiming they have a theatre for years. It’s not reliable whatsoever. "

Yeah I think you're right. They literally have The Nanny booked to begin previews while Company is still at the Bernard B Jacobs.

[metropolis10111]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 1:26pm

Having just flown over and  seen it twice this past week I'm over the moon to think it would make it state side, but unless they are going to keep the rotating stage they will need to rethink some parts of this as its used quite heavily.. This is so exciting ! 

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 2:26pm

NYTix is a gigantic joke. And not even a funny one.

[Lot666]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 2:57pm

Yippee! Wonderful news!

[degrassifan]

Posted: 9/27/21 at 7:19pm

I was just thinking yesterday that I hope this show transfers! Most of the songs are beautiful. We haven't had a Cinderella on Broadway since 2015.  

[Owen22]

Posted: 9/28/21 at 3:51am

I just saw this and am not sure it would do terribly well on Broadway. Definitely NOT with the critics. '

This has nothing to do with the score; one of ALW's recent best.  The performances (well, the female performances) were uniformly terrific.  And even Emerald's book was okay, as she was new to the form and doing what her more experienced collaborators wanted. Fantastic designs all around!

But the story.  The pandering.  The unintelligent campiness.  Oh. My. God.  Why do these people keep using Laurence Connor. Is he just easy to control??  When there are genius Brit directors such as Jamie Lloyd,  Thom Southerland and Luke Shepard. Michael Fentimen, who directed the British Amelie, should be at the top of EVERYONE's list!  Laurence Connor. Ew.  And the director is usually in charge of the structured narrative of a musical. And he fails. 

The show never ends. I'm not kidding. You keep thinking it's ending...and it doesn't.  Big songs for people you don't care about.  Songs that seem to be important plot points that are eventually superfluous (Brits have a hard, hard time structuring the narrative for a musical).  And the worst...they establish a strong leading character--and in the end she doesn't even participate in her own happy ending!!  Again, not kidding, she is completely passive in the (bizarre) plot machinations that save her.  

ALW was a loud heroic voice in bringing British theatre back and I'm sure his show's good reviews reflected this appreciation.  But I guaranteed, New York critics will not be as kind!

 

Updated On: 9/28/21 at 03:51 AM

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 9/28/21 at 4:32pm

degrassifan said: "I was just thinking yesterday that I hope this show transfers! Most of the songs are beautiful. We haven't had a Cinderella on Broadway since 2015."

Which, if you think about it, isn't that long.

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 9/28/21 at 4:57pm

chrishuyen said: "I would love to see this happen, the reviews look promising and the score definitely has some great songs, and I hope Carrie Hope Fletcher would get to transfer with it "

I hope so too! Do transfers usually keep the original casts?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/28/21 at 5:36pm

Lunalaaaaaaaa said: "chrishuyen said: "I would love to see this happen, the reviews look promising and the score definitely has some great songs, and I hope Carrie Hope Fletcher would get to transfer with it "

I hope so too! Do transfers usually keep the original casts?"

West End transfers?  It just depends. There's not a "usual", unfortunately. Most recently...

Tina obviously had Adrienne on both sides of the pond, the revival of Cats had Leona Lewis on Broadway but Nicole Scherzinger was in the West End production, Hadestown had everybody (but that originated in the States), Angels in America had some cast changes, nearly every principal from the Miss Saigon revival were in both productions, Michael Xavier and Glenn Close did Sunset here and in the UK, The Color Purple revival brought in Cynthia, American Psycho had a completely different cast (I believe)...

I could see them bringing only Carrie... doubtful they'd bring Ivano over, too, but probably no one else from the West End cast.