Andrew Lloyd Webber has never had a successful revival of one of his shows.- Page 2

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 10/4/14 at 6:41pm

It folks want to analyze success, let's do it. First, it makes no sense to say a revival hasn't recouped when tours are still operating, as the mother company usually continues to recoup based on touring profits.

Second, an anonymous opinion on a chat board hardly defines success -- any show will have its admirers and detractors. But when a revival by a celebrated director wins Oliviers, makes it into the consistent $1 Million weekly Broadway gross club, and has a national tour getting consistent critical acclaim, obviously it is a success.

As the late Senator Moynihan said, people are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.

[TazTarney]

Posted: 10/4/14 at 6:53pm

Okay Elena..

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/4/14 at 7:10pm

Love Never Dies was not a revival. I thought his revival of Sunset Boulevard in London was a hit, but not completely sure.

First, it makes no sense to say a revival hasn't recouped when tours are still operating, as the mother company usually continues to recoup based on touring profits.

Well...I guess it depends on whether you're talking about whether the Broadway revival was a success or if the tour of the Broadway revival was a success. If a Broadway production closes at a loss, the Broadway production is considered a flop, whether the tour "recoups" or not, because the tour is not included in the Broadway production budget (and tours may not have the same pool of investors).

But when a revival by a celebrated director wins Oliviers, makes it into the consistent $1 Million weekly Broadway gross club, and has a national tour getting consistent critical acclaim, obviously it is a success.

It could be considered a "success", but if the original Broadway production does not recoup, then that production is not a "hit". The original Broadway production Follies is highly regarded as one of the greatest Broadway musicals and has been designated as a milestone musical by academics and historians. But technically, it was a "flop".

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 10/4/14 at 8:32pm

I like Elena, and she seems like a really nice person. I just wish she wasn't as screatchy as somebody else said, and i couldn't always understand what she was saying. I do LOVE Evita though!!!

[evic]

Posted: 10/4/14 at 9:03pm

Touring shows usually do well. They have huge subscription bases and most cities only get 4 maybe 5 shows a year. Evita is playing one weekers. Hits like Wicked and Mormon play 2-4 weeks sometimes more depending on the size of the city. The producers cut this version down. I believe they only have a cast of 24. The Casa Rosada scene must look pretty sparse but they are making sure that they make up their loses on Broadway. And as if the role wasn't difficult enough, they had poor Elena run up and down stairs a lot. Maybe when Last Ship closes, ALW will have the Nederlanders hold the Neil Simon for 9 months before he brings that ****fest in like he did a few years ago. I loved the last JCS revival- I think I was the only one..

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/4/14 at 9:20pm

It was still better than that Gale Edwards piece of **** so suck it!

Hey, hold on a damn minute. I'm not saying I liked her production. I'm just saying it's really not hard to improve on what she did, and I don't think the 2012 revival measured up.

I found myself agreeing with what Tim Rice said in his Theater Talk interview at the time:

"The funny thing is, I went up to Stratford and I saw it, and it was fantastic. And the crowd were with it all the way, right from the moment when an unseen voice said, 'If you've got a mobile phone, don't worry about switching it off, because you won't hear it.' And that kind of put everybody in a good mood. And it's a serious, heavy story, but there's things to enjoy in it as well, and it just went like the clappers. And at the end of it, I thought, 'Wow, that was great!' And then when I began to think, 'Now, why was it great?' I wasn't sure. I mean, I couldn't see... it was obviously good [...] I was sat there thinking, 'I'm enjoying this, I'm not really quite sure why'..."

Link.

Updated On: 10/4/14 at 09:20 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/4/14 at 9:21pm

I'll concede that if they'd come up with some better casting to reflect the realities of a show succeeding on Broadway, it might have lasted longer. My objection lies not with the production, which was good, but the fact that it was not particularly unique enough to meet the demand.

For that matter, it ignored the sad state of Broadway: the list of producers is longer than the cast/crew list. A novel length list of people (and their money) plus big names are required to get a show up and running. Among other celebrities rumored to be attached to various versions of the show around that time, Adam Lambert (who was actively campaigning to be Judas in any big-ticket remake, like a film) and Nicole Scherzinger (originally reported as Mary for the arena tour and replaced by Mel C) might have spurred some real ticket sales. (Honestly, I don't think you even need a "star" star for Jesus as long as you cast the other roles well enough to sell tickets. Paul Nolan would have fit in well with them.)

Hell, never mind Lambert... anybody would've been better than Josh Young. Terrific actor, sure, but vocally, that role was not his.

Updated On: 10/4/14 at 09:21 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:51am

Anyone who thinks we should pay Broadway prices for a regional show is cray cray.

The recent JCS revival was a colossal failure. From the staging to the casting to the advertising. There was no reason this show should exist. Young was miscast as was the entire production. The choreography was embarrassingly bad and the design was trying too hard to be modern.

[philly03]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 9:02am

I think a part of ALW's problem with revivals is that its pretty easy to see EVITA, Joseph, JCS and Cats anywhere with how many regional productions there are. If not for Ricky Martin, I can't imagine the EVITA revival running that long.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:50pm

Hal Prince didn't direct Sunset...

I like Gale Edwards. I thought her take on JCS in London was, mostly, good. And I loved her Whistle Down the Wind a show Prince did not get.

I like a lot of ALW. I think he has a keen theatrical sensibility. He's had a LOT of misfires (artistic and commercial,) but I think he has proved himself. Even if he might just become Victor Herbert in 50 years from now with orchestras just playing medleys of melodies audiences half remember.