Brighton Beach Memoirs Producers' Statement

[musicalman2]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 10:52am

Just read this.
Producers' Statement

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 11:06am

Is that a command or a statement?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 11:10am

LOL. Someone's piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissed.

[musicalman2]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 11:18am

I meant that I had just read it. Wasn't ordering you. haha

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 11:34am

This is very disapointing.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 12:08pm

I wonder if Neil will be there.

I do not think he will be a happy camper & may have some unkind things to say shortly.

I feel sorry for the cast.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 12:24pm

"A lot of nice people on stage and off will be out of work and a lot of good partners and investors will have lost a great deal of money. They all deserve better. It makes us sad."

I don't think he sounds pissed. I think he sounds understandably disappointed.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 12:37pm

Wow, that's really awful. It's a great production and I wish everyone the best of luck.

[Q]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 1:56pm

According to Playbill.com, the statement is 'provisional' and a final decision won't be made until Monday, November 2.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 5:17pm

A colleague of mine moved with her husband from Chicago to New York because he was given the understudy position for Stanley in both productions. Now after all that, this happens. It is so horribly depressing, and says so much about the state of Broadway theatre right now.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 5:31pm

I enjoyed this revival very much, but does this closing really say much about "the state of Broadway?" After all, there are a number of plays and musicals doing fine business (albeit, the plays do feature major stars). Broadway seems very healthy right now in terms of grosses and is showing no sign of letting up. I do not believe this closing is a reflection upon Broadway. Simply put, the general public (New Yorkers and tourists alike) do not have a taste for *this play* at *this time*. Perhaps Simon is past his expiration date?

That said, it would have been such a loss not to have seen this wonderful revival. What a cast and such an exquisite production.

[insertclevernamehere]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 5:35pm

I'm not terribly atuned to the buisness side of Broadway but can we really only blame the audience for a show closing after a week? Most plays don't do good buisness right after opening but producers keep them open until word-of-mouth (hopefully)spreads. Why did producers give up hope on this play so fast?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 5:42pm

It was clear even after the good reviews and very large ads that audiences were not coming. The quick closing enables the producers to return a significant portion of the reserve to the investors, which was the responsible business decision to make, in spite of how much it is devastating to the cast and creative team of the production.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 5:47pm

Of course it says something about the state of Broadway! It's a straight play with no stars. It's nearly impossible for such a play to survive right now. The only exception is The 39 Steps, which is in a tiny theater, dirt cheap to produce, and has only four actors.

[PastorErnst]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 6:28pm

What a real shame this news is. Being from Toronto, I was hoping to catch both Neil Simon plays the next time I was in NYC. Even more of a shame is that Broadway needs the help of so many film/television stars for its shows to have a lengthy shelf life and to turn a profit.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 8:05pm

"Of course it says something about the state of Broadway!"

Please...expound (and with a tad more support this time!). When you do, consider the success of August, Boeing Boeing, Norman Conquests in recent seasons (too many others to list here...)and the relative (potential) failure of Oleanna (with stars).


Updated On: 11/1/09 at 08:05 PM

[Basely Tearful]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 8:51pm

Anyone else thoroughly shocked that Roxy didn't blame high ticket prices for the play closing?

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 9:00pm

The night is young.

Posted: 10/31/09 at 9:17pm

Further proof that there is no such thing as a sure thing.

[Brick]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 10:57pm

And 39 STEPS was part of a Subscription series, which enabled it to build word of mouth.

While I agree the producers seem to ride on Neil Simon's name alone, with a dull and unexciting title for the pairing, I'm still so shocked. Simon's name not being what it once was is not as shocking as it apparently worth nothing! A first-rate production of some of Simon's greatest work not only closing early, but flopping hugely.

It certainly does say something about theatre today, and quite loudly.

I especially feel bad for Laurie Metcalf. I'm quite a fan, and I was happy to see her get a great part on B'way.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 10:59pm

Everybody keeps saying that, or things to that effect, but what, exactly do people think it says about theatre today?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 12:34am

I blame Manny Azenberg.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 1:07pm

This really is a shame. But I think the producers are partly to blame...the marketing for this show was lazy beyond words. Where were the subway posters? Where were the bus-side posters? Where were the photos from the show on the front of the theater?

It's as if they felt they could just sit back and let the "Neil Simon" name carry ticket sales forgetting that Simon has not had a hit in nearly fifteen years, leaving an entire generation not knowing who he is and my own generation writing him off as a sentimental jokester.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 1:10pm

And look at Page 3 in today's Arts and Leisure. Crazy!