ASSASSINS CLOSING EARLY — Page 2

I LOVE IT... ckeaton saying it MAY... and broadway.com being unreliable HA!!!...playbill.com broke the story!!! and its true they had hard time selling the summer...the buzz died down and its audience already saw it. If you went to 54 you would have seen they had tons of tickets for the summer. It is just a hard show to sell. And like they said if business boosts then they will extend closing night. oh yeah and playbill always had it as july 18th jsut their headline was wrong!!

Updated On: 6/28/04 at 05:04 PM

huh?

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I've no idea what's going on but...

Mediocore score, boring book and a college level production of a joyless show. I know some think it's "brilliant," and you're entitled. For me there was nothing of interest.

If the closing notice is true and there is a lack of future ticket sales, I'm not surprised at its fate.

A show hoisted by its own petard.

Updated On: 6/28/04 at 10:59 PM

How does it feel to be in the tiny minority Jose?
Go waste your money on some other tourist crap.

I didn't realize that you were the know it all little kid at the parade Jose.
Enlighten us with who is wearing the golden robe for real?

For someone who in other posts seems to know a lot and earn respect as a voice (even from me), this doesn't seem like an educated plea.

I hate to see any show close as this hurts Bway. Jobs, both on and off stage, are lost when a show closes. I do see a pattern with Sondheim shows- some groups keep reviving them and almost always, they run less than a year. I know many consider SS a genius but give it a rest. His shows start off with NY Times raves, then attract the devout theatre fans and soon post closing notices. Right or wrong, genius or not, Sondheim shows simply do not sell tickets on a long term basis as do those of Webber (Phantom, Cats) and Disney (Beauty, Lion, Aida).

Sondheim revivals are just that REVIVALS, so I wouldn't necessarily expect them to run for a year or two as they have already been in NY and other towns.

Even in their original form, the idea you put forth that Webber, Disney shows and shows like Mamma Mia will run longer is the sad trend on Broadway but that does not mean they are BETTER show. It simply means that the theater audiences are now looking for the same kind of mindless drivel they see on TV and in the movies. Good, meaningful shows that make you think are in short supply and it's not only Sondheim shows that have short runs. Risky, experimental projects are being killed in short runs everywhere.

Sondheim is still a genius...unfortunately he is crying out in the wildnerness right now and I, for one, am sick of seeing the trend continue. It's very sad to watch good theater suffer this way. I hope it will be revived

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BroadwayPer4mer03 - That is because you are thinking like a theatre person and not like a tourist. After a couple of months, the hardcore theatre buffs and Sondheim fans have seen the show and all that is left are the tourists. They are not going for something heady or intellectual. They want fluff. They want happiness or melodrama. They do not want the history of American Presidential terrorism.

Just in case, Jarico and I got tickets in the front row of the rear Mezz for the "final performance" (unless they decide to extend again). If they DO extend again, I will be really pissed after all this publicity and we get understudies because it is a Sunday evening show. With Dracula and now this, scheduling our trip is becoming increasingly difficult.

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Note to self: Eminem spelled with two m's, not three.

With the Roundabout subcription sales depleted, an advance now of under $100,000 (a major drop-off) and slow daily sales of between $40,000-50,000 per day, there just isn't enough momentum to keep the show open an additional six weeeks into September unless there is a sudden rush at the box office. Plus, it gives them extra time to build the new bathrooms they need before Pacific Overtures comes in.

Actually, the well-deserved Tony as Best Revival for "Assassins" probably would have done a better box office deed if it had gone to the floundering "Wonderful Town" instead. Now it looks like both shows may not survive into September.

Pity.

The announcement about Pacific Overtures has been around a while. I believe it begins previews in October.

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I love this show, have seen it multiple times, wish it would keep running, but it was intended as a limited run anyway. So, obviously it was a nice suprise to the Roundabout that more people wanted to see it & extend it past its original closing date.
It's not your typical plot & it is a tough draw unless you actually know what it's about to begin with. I'm just glad I got to see it.

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It's commendable to want more than that. To expect more than that is merely folly.

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