B&TB business move?

[winston89]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 12:32am

I was just wondering. I just read the NY times article talking bout how Beauty was closing ( I KNOW there are other threads bout this so just keep that in mind before the bashing starts) and that they kpet tarzan over it. I was wondering something, at the end of rthe article they talk bout how he was joking round about how you never know how long it will be until a show comes back to broadway. They said he was talking bout the Les Miz revival which came back after only being closed for 3 years.

Now, my question is this. I know that at the end of the year there will be no houses on broadway sutiable for housing beauty. i was wondering something. Might he close it only to wait till another house that it can fit in frees up so he can use it?

[brad3]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 12:41am

My guess is that the lease was up at the theatre and since they have been talking about The Little Mermaid, they just decided to close instead of move. Just a guess though.


Later.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 1:20am

Beauty's been around for a while and so why not go out on top? I think the exes didn't want too many Disney shows running on Broadway because there would certainly be some sort of backlash.

[dancinfan]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 1:58am

The current Disney bosses have never had any respect for Beauty and the Beast despite the income it has brought them. Lion King and Aida are their babies, and Beauty has always been treated as the leftover from the previous regime, albeit a profitable leftover. It was only a matter of time before they had to close it in order to have space for a new project, and it makes total sense that Beauty would close before Tarzan because the Lunt is big enough for Mermaid, whereas the Richard Rodgers is not. As for a revival of BATB in the near future, DON'T count on it. There are plenty of Disney properties that will get Disney's attention before Beauty is done again. If it ever is seen again on Broadway, it will most likely be completely rethought and redesigned so as not to look like the original production.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 4:01am

As shocked as I am that this is closing, it is the most logical choice to close (yeah, I did say in a previous post that was a mistake, but that's based on my feelings that it is a wonderful family show).

There was no way Disney would close Lion King or Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins is doing exceptionally well at the box office, and it just opened. So far, it doesn't look like a flop.

Lion King, although it has been running for about 10 years, continues to perform to near sell-out crowds and is one of the highest grossing shows on Broadway each week. Why close a show that is grossing 900,000+ each week? In addition, the Lion King just moved theaters last summer and did major renovations at the Minskoff.

Now you're down to Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan. Tarzan has been grossing a bit more than BatB. Although the capacities for each show vary each week, Tarzan's theater is a bit smaller than the Lunt-Fontanne. Also, Tarzan is a fairly new show. So the Disney producers probably felt that because Tarzan was grossing more, and because it was newer, they'd give Tarzan it's time to run on Broadway. BatB has been running many years, not only on Broadway, but in tours, regional productions, and high school productions; the show had its time. So, BatB, although it won't be on Broadway anymore, will continue to enchant many in regional and local productions.

The reason why BatB is closing down is also a combo of what brad3 and RentBoy86 said. The lease on the theater was probably up, and instead of moving theaters for the third time or renewing a lease, since they were going to have quite a few shows running on Broadway, the people decided to just shut it (again since it will be able to play in regional/local productions unlike the other Disney shows at this time).

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 4:14am

Lion King and Aida are their babies, and Beauty has always been treated as the leftover from the previous regime, albeit a profitable leftover.
If this were remotely true, then why did they close Aida after only 5 years but keep Beauty open for 13?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 7:14am

Here's the idea.

Beauty and the Beast is closing after 13 years. Anyone who has seen the show of late can tell you that the show is overtired. It costs more money than anyone would expect to move the show. They've already done it once. A 13 year run is nothing to sneeze over.

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 9:42am

Can someone explain the Lease idea to me? Many say the lease of the theatre was up so they decided to close BATB and open Mermaid, but what does closing one show and opening another have to do with a lease when you're using the same theatre? I don't understand.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 9:47am

Obviously a lease has nothing to do with it if they're using the same theater.

[madbrian]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 9:51am

Please don't shoot me, but I'm glad to see B&tB close. Don't get me wrong, I've seen the show twice and enjoyed it both times. However, it isn't a great Broadway show and doesn't belong in the same category as A Chorus Line and Les Miserables.

From a business perspective, I would imagine the Disney folks want Tarzan to run long enough to return its investment (it hasn't yet, right) so that all their shows have been 'hits'.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 10:22am

Leasing a Broadway Theatre is NOT the same as leasing an apartment or a storefront.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 10:26am

TARZAN will NEVER recoup.
It is playing barely at cost right now.
and POPPINS is a "joint" production, It is a very odd decision.

[Piercemn]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 10:38am

Keep in mind, too, that the show has been licensed for amateur production and that even high schools are performing it now. It had a six month run at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater last year, too. B&TB will still make a LOT of money for Disney, so they don't need to keep it on Broadway.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 5:31pm

"However, it isn't a great Broadway show and doesn't belong in the same category as A Chorus Line and Les Miserables."

Comparing Les Mis/A Chorus Line and BatB is like comparing apples and oranges. While the story line may not be as deep or moving as the plots of ACL or Les Mis, I think it is a great Broadway show. Even after the move, I still find the costumes, sets, and effects to be really beautiful and colorful. It is a fun family show. I'm sure you can say there are lots of shows that don't belong in the "same category" as other shows, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't run on Broadway. What is the correct category to play on Broadway? Broadway is about variety.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 6:24pm

If this were remotely true, then why did they close Aida after only 5 years but keep Beauty open for 13?

The week prior to Disney announcing Aida's closing, they made $480,232...I highly doubt that was breaking even for a show that size. Beauty and the Beast maxe roughly $100,000 more than that. Mind you, the Palace is far larger, and Aida was larger than Beauty and the Beast 2.0.

Two weeks prior, Aida made this much: $327,236. Beauty made $743,131. The week before Aida's announcement was a bad week for Beauty, but Aida was not pulling them in overall at that time, while Beauty was varying week to week, generally doing good business.

Broadway grosses for most of that year:
http://www.playbill.com/news/search/?list_skip=100&keyword=&feat_loc=&Writer=§ion=7

Closing Article:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/88189.html

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 6:27pm

my favorite disney show! next to mary poppins. maybe a return engagement?

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 7:29pm

I'm aware of the logistics, ThankstoPhantom. My point was that if Disney favored Aida to the extent dancinfan claims, they would have done everything in their power to help it break even. If I wanted to keep Aida open and would willing sacrifice the redheaded stepchild BatB to do so, I would have switched Aida to the Lunt-Fontanne and put BatB back in the Palace.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 7:33pm

I would have liked the little mermaid to go to the minskoff
lion king go to the palace
beauty stay for another year!
Tarzan close!

But unfortuantly that is not true, i still wish it would happen. just a dream