BILLY ELLIOT to Close on Broadway January 8, 2012- Page 2

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 5:11pm

My favorite memory of this show is when it won Best Musical and Liza declared with joy: "BRILLY ERRRLIOTT!!!"

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 5:26pm

Figured this would happen. Breaks my pretty red heart. Mrs. Wilkinson was one of my favorite characters on Broadway.

[phantomcrazy14]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 5:36pm

Aw I'm sad. I just saw it this [ast Wed. with school for the first time and I loved it and wanted to go back. The house was pretty empty though but I really liked it. Sad to see it go...

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 5:38pm

So sad

[nealb1]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 5:41pm

Always sad when a show closes, leaving an entire company - actors, stage crew, dressers, costumers, ushers, orchestra, etc - out of work.

I saw the show right after it opened and loved it. Here's to a great rest of the run!

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 6:00pm

""FOLLIES isn't going anywhere anytime soon.""
Lets please just cross our fingers and hope so...especially after this past week's grosses. (It was the highest-grossing 8-show week ever at the Marquis! and we're in September/October which is usually a bit of a slump month. AND it has a 2-disc recording coming out in mid-November.)

Wonder how much longer Priscilla and Poppins will run? Their capacity was down in the 60s/70s this week

[massofmen]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 6:16pm

Sonheim musicals don't have the widest audience appeal.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 6:24pm

"It was the highest-grossing 8-show week ever at the Marquis!"

You know, I was actually looking into this earlier. It's actually not true...the honor of the house record belongs to WHITE CHRISTMAS.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 6:41pm

Surprised to see this go, it did $718k which is not bad considering the time of year.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 6:51pm

Wonder how much longer Priscilla and Poppins will run? Their capacity was down in the 60s/70s this week

Poppins is playing in Disney's theater, and will continue to do so until they have another big musical to put in there (Newsies isn't "big" enough for the New Amsterdam).

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 6:51pm

It's a shame that the show is closing. I still remember when they had they move August: Osage County and dig a hole to accommodate the staircase. Has it really been a few years already?

It's a brilliant show and it had it's time to shine and be the hottest show on Broadway. At least the London version is still selling out and has a life elsewhere. It's a brilliant show.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:13pm

I wonder how high the running costs must be--even as it has been "struggling," the grosses have been quite high.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:15pm

I have always loved this show. Sad to see it go, but it had a great run.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:18pm

"It was the highest-grossing 8-show week ever at the Marquis!"

You know, I was actually looking into this earlier. It's actually not true...the honor of the house record belongs to WHITE CHRISTMAS.

I also just looked it up. WHITE CHRISTMAS played 9 performances in every week it grossed over $1.1 million. The FOLLIES record clearly specifies an 8-performance week. The record stands.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:20pm

I'm trying to find the New York Times article from 2008, but I believe it said the running costs were in the $750,000-$800,00 a week range.

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:23pm

I feel bad for the actors out of work on this closing, but I never saw what audiences in London and NYC went so wild about in this show... Saw it twice (OLC/OBC). Found it boring both times.



BN

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:26pm

Billy Academy is the biggest burden the show has, but very necessary.

Must be horrible for the Billies in training and nearly there, to be told their services aren't required anymore.

[Brick]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:27pm

Wonderful show and good run. I'm happier to see it close as it was meant to be than to be watered down to stay open.

[moncruzz]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:30pm

At least it had a great run. Sad that people would be losing jobs. Maybe the current Billys in training can join the National Tour.

[justafan2]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 7:42pm

I feel very sad---I really enjoyed this show & am glad I have tix to see it again--altho' I will miss the cast members who recently left---(Greg J., Carole S., Will Chase). I've seen it many times and loved the music, story and talent.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 8:09pm

"They made it more family friendly and easier for idiot tourists who can't survive for longer than two hours without stuffing fried foods in their face to understand."

Jordan-if I didn't love you enough-this cements the deal. I am laughing so hard I am convulsing.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 8:19pm

The tour actually closed in August in San Francisco. One of my sister's best friends worked for it.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 8:28pm

but the tour is scheduled for a month-long stop in Boston next summer.

[singtopher]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 8:53pm

The tour is going back out on a different contract.


I hate to see it go. I was lucky to catch it several times myself and I love it each time. Not the best show ever, but it really struck a chord with me. This news is only a little surprising. It's an extremely expensive show to run.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 10/3/11 at 9:11pm

I absolutely loved the show when I saw it the Friday after it won the Tony. Seeing that and next to normal within 24 hours was one of the best days of my life. They had a very respectable run which was ready to wind down, so they made a smart decision to close it rather than let it run on fumes. I'll always have fond memories of seeing the OBC in an enthusiastic and completely sold-out house.