Book of Mormon & West Side Story

[unclevictor]

Posted: 6/13/21 at 11:02am

Both havent announced their reopening dates. Anyone think theyre not going to reopen because of the Scott Rudin uproar? (Rightfully so).
I hope thats not the case but if I were to guess I bet Mormon closes partially because of the Scott Rudin mess and partially because its a little dated with all thats going on in the world now. People might not be as receptive to its humor anymore? I dont know?

[ElphabaGoodman]

Posted: 6/13/21 at 11:25am

heard Mormon is opening late August and West Side Story in November

[unclevictor]

Posted: 6/13/21 at 1:38pm

I stand corrected!

[edmundog2]

Posted: 6/13/21 at 6:51pm

West Side Story was in the Fallon thing, so I assumed they were returning.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 7:23am

Until there is an official notice, there can be no "corrections".   Why would you think Elphaba's rumors mean anything.  (I'm not saying they aren't true/possible.....but that's all it is - a rumor.)

I doubt very much that we should take something that happened in a Fallon skit as proof of anything.  Someone sat there and made a list of shows an figured out how to squeeze a bunch of them in.  Heck they even mentioned A Chorus Line, didn't they?

(I HOPE WSS returns, and in time for the weekend I'm in NYC, but I am losing hope!)

[joevitus]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 10:59am

Are either shows really identified with Rudin the way Hello, Dolly! was? The seem like odd shows to feel the wrath of "Rudin cancellation." Book of Mormon was mostly looked at as a South Park musical, and West Side Story as van Hove's thing.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 11:08am

I don't think its about perception - he's among the lead producers for both those titles - and until/if they can find the balance to someone else stepping in, they won't fly.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 12:04pm

This is still more hearsay than fact, but the Book of Mormon creators have mentioned sitting down and doing rewrites, so if they go through with that then it's possible it won't reopen til after the new year (of course, it'll be open and running in the West End already, so not sure if they'd wait that long).

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 1:01pm

^Yes, I think many know that - it's come up in other threads.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 1:37pm

Broadway world has an article of shows that have yet to announce a reopening. The only two on the list are Harry Potter and Book of Mormon. For Book of Mormon, Ann Garefino, the executive producer of South Park is taking Ruden’s producer spot.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 2:02pm

Islander_fan said: "Broadway world has an article of shows that have yet to announce a reopening. The only two on the list are Harry Potter and Book of Mormon. For Book of Mormon, Ann Garefino, the executive producer of South Park is taking Ruden’s producer spot."

Are you talking about this article?  If so, you re missing 5 or 6 shows...there's also WEST SIDE STORY, PLAZA SUITE, SING STREET, THE MINUTES and 1 or 2 others.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Which-Broadway-Shows-Have-NOT-Announced-Return-Dates-20210608?utm_source=newsletterweekly&fbclid=IwAR2EiLX8xwH0dkQDsnHqLmu0UGN4e8gXpRPVYfOERPjOKLSLoDuz5rJCZzY

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 2:43pm

Out of all the shows on that list, there’s only 3 that have Broadway performances. Book of Mormon, Harry Potter and West Side Story. The rest are shows that had planned to open/start previews. However, they never got the chance for that due to the pandemic. Shows that may, for all we know, had producers who could’ve pulled the plug on their respective shows yet have to release a statement.

So aside from the ones I mentioned the list is full speculation. Nothing more.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 2:46pm

Islander_fan said: "Out of all the shows on that list, there’s only 3 that have Broadway performances. Book of Mormon, Harry Potter and West Side Story. The rest are shows that had planned to open/start previews. However, they never got the chance for that due to the pandemic. Shows that may, for all we know, had producers who could’ve pulled the plug on their respective shows yet have to release a statement.

So aside from the ones I mentioned the list is full speculation. Nothing more."

Speculation?  THE MINUTES was already in previews, PLAZA SUITE was about to start their final dress rehearsal the night of the shutdown...but sure, whatever you say.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 3:41pm

JSquared2 said: "Islander_fan said: "Out of all the shows on that list, there’s only 3 that have Broadway performances. Book of Mormon, Harry Potter and West Side Story. The rest are shows that had planned to open/start previews. However, they never got the chance for that due to the pandemic. Shows that may, for all we know, had producers who could’ve pulled the plug on their respective shows yet have to release a statement.

So aside from the ones I mentioned the list is full speculation. Nothing more."

Speculation? THE MINUTES was already in previews, PLAZA SUITE was about to start their final dress rehearsal the night of the shutdown...but sure, whatever you say."


The Minutes wasn’t even on the list. Not to mention that there’s extensive renovations being done to The Cort that isn’t scheduled to be completed till next year.

And, for Plaza Suite, there’s a difference between about having or about to have your final dress and starting previews. Furthermore, there’s a chance that they could have pulled the plug between then and now. But, with no official statement we know nothing of that being a thing or not. 

[DonnyJacksonLD]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 3:52pm

All I can contribute is that WSS's lead actor moved back to NY last week, and didn't discourage people who told him they would be there opening night. I hope that's a good sign. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 3:58pm

I read somewhere that PLAZA SUITE has been pushed back as AMERICAN UTOPIA is set to return to the Hudson in September. Their website says the 17th. I went looking for tickets but it says "The ticketing system for David Byrne’s American Utopia is currently under renovation to prepare for some exciting updates coming soon. We apologize for the inconvenience!"

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 4:14pm

First of all, I feel like Sing Street and The Minutes shouldn't really be in the conversation yet, but not for the reason Islander_Fan said.

Yes, the producers could pull the plug on them, but you could say that about shows that have already opened too. Whether they were in previews, in rehearsals, or already opened, doesn't strike me as the driving factor behind these show's announcements, or lack thereof, as can be demonstrated by the assortment of shows on the list. Yes, it's a bigger deal to pull the plug on an opened show, but it's already been done a couple times, and could happen again. 

For Sing Street and The Minutes, the more relevant factor here, I think, is the fact that they're planning 2022, not 2021 returns. So I think it's too early to expect a firm announcement from them. They already stated their intention to return in 2022, so the producers probably don't feel the need to make an additional announcement saying the same thing, especially since they have yet to find new theatres. @Islander_fan, it's also worth noting that The Minutes has already stated that they plan to open at a new theatre, so they don't have to schedule anything around the Cort renovations. 

As for the rest of the shows unopened shows, Like Plaza Suite and American Buffalo, it's true that they could get the plug pulled, but I think they belong on the list in that they're shows that had all the pieces in place to begin performances until the shutdown, so they're likely to be committed ENOUGH to keep tabs on whether they've announced a return. Practically speaking, in terms of the logistics of a return, I'm not sure that there's such a big difference between final dress and previews 

Updated On: 6/14/21 at 04:14 PM

[ElphabaGoodman]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 4:17pm

AMERICAN BUFFALO is currently on track for spring of 2022 at Circle in the Square, where it was scheduled to play originally 

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 4:48pm

JBroadway said: "First of all, I feel like Sing Street and The Minutes shouldn't really be in the conversation yet, but not for the reason Islander_Fan said.

For Sing Street and The Minutes, the more relevant factor here, I think, is the fact that they're planning 2022, not 2021 returns. So I think it's too early to expect a firm announcement from them. They already stated their intention to return in 2022, so the producers probably don't feel the need to make an additional announcement saying the same thing, especially since they have yet to find new theatres.@Islander_fan, it's also worth noting that The Minutes has already stated that they plan to open at a new theatre, so they don't have to schedule anything around the Cort renovations."

Just to play devil's advocate, the Sing Street website states that the show will open on Broadway between winter 2021 and early 2022. This puts them on a similar schedule as MJ and Company, both of which have announced dates and theaters, so I don't think it's entirely outlandish to suspect there could be an announcement from them in the near future. Do I think there will be? I have no idea. But I'm not sure I'd agree that Sing Street shouldn't be in the conversation. Heck, we even got an announcement from Paradise Square about a March 2022 opening - and that show wasn't even really on the radar pre-pandemic!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 5:14pm

^
That’s a fair point. So in that case, I would just apply what I said above to the other shows I mentioned, minus Sing Street. And if ElphabaGoodman is correct about American Buffalo being on track for a spring opening, that would just reinforce what I said about not holding our breath for an announcement.

And if we look down the full list again, will see that every single show mentioned has at least SOME potential explanation, either through rumors, or educated speculation, as to why they haven’t announced:

The Minutes: theatre change + new casting for the lead role + it’s still early

Plaza Suite: cast schedules, plus theatre booked with Utopia

American Buffalo: tricky cast schedules with 3 huge, in demand stars + it’s still early

Sing Street: if not too early, then the theatre change + potentially having to recast the younger actors

West Side Story: logistics around replacing Scott Rudin, OR, it some rumors are true, potentially pulling the plug.

Harry Potter: rumored changes to the show

Book of Mormon: rumored changes to the show + delay from the process of replacing Scott Rudin.

Did I miss anything?

As for Paradise Square, I guess that doesn’t surprise me as much, because they are effectively starting with a clean slate, rather than having to shuffle things around and re-evaluate an existing plan of attack. But maybe I should be more surprised because it’s starting from scratch. I don’t know - these things are always case-by-case, depending on how well positioned they are with funding, timing, and theatre negotiations.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 6:07pm

I guess the overall point I am trying to make is that there’s a TON of moving parts. Not to mention even before the shutdown, in the “before times” there were shows that announced that announced a run on Broadway but it doesn’t always come to fruition.

And, regarding the future of Mormon. Yes, they are making changes however, the person who stepped in to fill his spot is the woman who’s been the executive producer of South Park rift years.

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 6:35pm

To Kill a Mockingbird was/is a Rudin show and it’s reopening with no apparent backlash. So I wouldn’t think his (past?) attachment would prevent any of his other shows from reopening.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 6:53pm

^Not sure if that was directed at me, but if so: I wasn't suggesting that this would stop the shows from opening, just that the replacement process might explain why announcements are coming after most other shows. 

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 6/14/21 at 10:32pm

JBroadway said: "^Not sure if that was directed at me, but if so: I wasn't suggesting that this would stop the shows from opening, just that the replacement process might explain whyannouncements are coming after most other shows."

It wasn’t directed at you, J. It was in response to the OP.