Brighton Beach Memoirs to Close Sunday — Page 2

Sucks to be Neil Simon tonight.

Neil Simon used to = commercial success.

Now Neil Simon = no one cares.

End of an era.

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It is an end to an era - when well reviewed plays close and poorly reviewed musicals thrive.

I wish I had the time to rush up to see this. I really wanted to see Ms. Metcalf do Broadway Bound.

I don't even think we'll get a bootleg out of this one.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/134257-Provisional_Closing_Notice_Posted_for_The_Neil_Simon_Plays

So, what exactly does that mean? I haven't gotten to see this yet, and I'm DYING to. I loved Cromer's OUR TOWN more than I can say.

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"End of an era."

Actually, this era ended a long time ago. Reviving this play now just brought this truth painfully out in the open.

I guess I didn't realize just to what extent this was true until I saw the first grosses. Shockingly low. I was surprised, as I'm sure was the producer. No one was going. No one was interested. Neil Simon's audience had vanished.

Even with some very favorable reviews, no one cared.

I feel bad for the actors, who did good work. I didn't really care for the director's approach. The original production was better, but this was still good. The problem, to me, was that the play seemed as antiquated as the period it depicted. In fect, it felt mustier than plays that were far older, such as "Awake and Sing," or "Desire Under the Elms." That, to me, was the biggest shock of all.

I still think "Barefoot in the Park" would work in a good production. "Come Blow Your Horn" too.

Really sad new....good luck to cast and crew involved.

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"It never occurred to me that there wouldn't be 5, 6, 7, 10 plays on Broadway. I never thought of Broadway as a place where people came to see musicals almost exclusively, or that when you read 'Broadway this' or 'Broadway that' in 'Variety' it was mostly about musicals...The sort of dangerous change, to me, is that the audience for a serious play seems to have diminished, and my first idea is that it is because it's so expensive, but I don't think it's just that, and I'm not quite sure why. But to be honest with you, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it because I have this feeling that if you keep trying to find out why something doesn't work you begin to think about it in a different way. For me, the theater works. If the night those 1000 people, or, in the case of off-Broadway, 200 or 99 people come, if that works, then it's wonderful. If the play isn't...palatable to the audience and they don't come you have to live with that; not every book sells, not every movie makes a great, great thousands and thousands of dollars, and that's the reality of our profession." - Marian Seldes

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Man! I really wanted to see this! I guess I can try and see it tomorrow evening. What sad news. Best of luck to the cast and crew!

On a side note...is it too early to say that American Idiot would go well in the Nederlander?

>On a side note...is it too early to say that American Idiot would go well in the Nederlander?<

Another show has the Nederlander next.

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Updated On: 10/31/09 at 03:07 AM

Is it "Come fly with me?"

This is really very sad indeed. For those of you who haven't seen it - do try to see it this weekend. Its a rewarding production on so many levels.

I am very sad about this.

Smaxie, which show has Nederlander next?

It will have no effect on Cromer's career. He's directing When the Rain Stops Falling next for Lincoln Center and then restaging his acclaimed production of Picnic on Broadway next fall. He'll be fine and I think the sense is that he did good work on Brighton Beach, regardless of the show's unfortunate fate.

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It's very sad that there doesn't seem to be any interest in this wonderful Neil Simon play with such a talented cast. It truly is a sign of the times.

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