Brooks Confirms 'Frankenstein' for Hilton, Casting- Page 5

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 5:19pm

We are talking about Mel Brooks here

He was never known for good taste which is why people love him. He obviously cannot even fake it for opportunities such as this

Seeing as how this will be thought of as The Producers 2, he will probably usher in the $ 130 (or more) orchestra seat

Good luck Mel. He will probably get it from those in the in crowd who will have to be able to brag they saw it.

Updated On: 5/25/07 at 05:19 PM

[dented146]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 5:19pm

If YF is good, much of this will be forgotten. If it sucks, there may be a few extra smiles. It's business and there could even be some kind of PQ/YF agreement. Who knows?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 5:20pm

No matter how good, I doubt the critics will give him a set of Producers reviews

[queenbee2]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 5:22pm

James-

At least you are one of the rare people who prefaced your comments by saying they are simply speculation. Unfortunately, speculation is how rumours run rampant in this town.

Your speculation as to weekly running costs is off by HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars. PQ is obviously having a rough couple of weeks here, but if they can get back up into the strong 70%'s as far as attendance goes, then their producers can still get a run out of this show I bet. Hopefully they aren't just going to give up because Mel Brooks says so. If anything, I would hope that his comments make the Irish more determined than ever to fight on as long as they can.

We'll see.

-QB

[dented146]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 5:27pm

Roxy, I doubt the critics will judge YF on Mel's boorish behavior.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 5:35pm

I was not talking about his behavior. I was simply talking about the merits of the show

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 5:37pm

How can you talk about the merits of the shows if it has not even started its out-of-town try out? Were you at the readings?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 5:40pm

No I am saying I just doubt that no matter how good it will be. I simply do not see the lovefest that occured with the Producers i do not think will happen here. I doubt those in the fourth estate will be that magnanamous this time around.They do not have it in them

They will like it but will not gush over it. It will get respectable reviews but not those that the producers got.

Time will tell

[WordedGrace]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 6:23pm

Man, I was lost in a sea of endless bickering.. I thought I was dragge back to the Pirate Queen! I think the article was fine. Mel Brooks didn't mention anyone nor point out the PQ as a craptastic musical, he's waiting for his own to make an appearance. We all knew the PQ wouldn't last forever especially after the horrible reviews, Tony snubs, and declining audience. Why does everyone get so ticked off? It's the nature of any business, you gotta make money to keep all parties involved happy.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 6:31pm

Please, orangeskittles- enlighten us with your knowledge. Exactly what does it cost to run the Pirate Queen every week, and what is their original investement. Then please tell me where you got this information.

-QB (whose favorite thing about this board is watching people speculate what running cost/weekly nuts are with ZERO knowlege of the facts)

I'm sleeping with a producer.


For god's sake, it doesn't take some sort of intimate knowledge to realize it's losing money. Look up the information that's readily available and do the math yourself instead of pretending the facts don't exist. The show is flopping. Give it up.


PQ is obviously having a rough couple of weeks here, but if they can get back up into the strong 70%'s as far as attendance goes, then their producers can still get a run out of this show I bet.
Now who's speculating? The show has been open less than 3 months and it's playing at 65%. Unless they do some massive stuntcast, like replacing Stephanie with Kiera Knightly, there's no way it's going to bounce back dramatically enough to save the show at this point, and I seriously doubt that a show that size can keep open even in the "strong 70s" when the average ticket sold is $65. Maybe if Pirate Queen had been open for 8 years and made back its investment already, this business would be good enough to keep it open. But a show this young and $16 million in the hole doesn't have that excuse.

-OS (whose favorite thing about this board is watching people rabidly argue against all logic, reason and reality just because they love the show)

Updated On: 5/25/07 at 06:31 PM

[leefowler]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 6:32pm

First of all, regarding the "fact" that Stroman interupted a Pirate Queen rehearsal to look at the Hilton:

Here's what actually happened: Stroman came to look at the theatre at a time when she was told there was no one there. When she walked in there was one (ONE!) chorus person, a new swing, warming up on stage. The swing saw Stroman, assumed the obvious, and told everyone in the cast that she was sizing up the theatre. Thanks to Riedel, now everyone thinks she stormed into a full scale rehearsal in progress.

And I don't think Mel Brooks was out to disrespect the Pirate Queen. It's just that when talks, he gets excited, and a lot of things come out of his mouth that....shouldn't.

And as far as hating Mel for putting the Pirate Queen cast out of work: It's people like Mel who come up with shows that employ MANY actors, musicians and stagehands. If Young Frankenstein is a success, it will employ very many people all over the world, like The Producers did.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 6:40pm

Well, we'll see. I for one don't think the show is going to work in a theatre that large. It is just too damn big for any kind of intimacy at all.

[pjsings]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 6:56pm

i'm about 90% sure that sutton is in it because when i meet and talked to her she mentioned how she was going to be in seatle this summer :) so i hope things didn't change!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 7:05pm

"Well, we'll see. I for one don't think the show is going to work in a theatre that large. It is just too damn big for any kind of intimacy at all."

You need a theatre that big for a show with Frankenstein's lab and castle battlements, etc and a huge audience on the main floor so that the prime seats can pay for sets and costumes like that and the high cost of an all star cast and the dressers, better dressing rooms, etc they will require and probably a bigger backstage crew and a fuller orchestra.

Mel Brooks is a very big rock star in the Broadway world and supporting him requires mucho $$$$$$.

BTW, Roscoe, I love the Well, we'll see." Really not yet ready to concede and inch are you?

[NDR]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 7:21pm

Oh please people, $598k is not that bad. Let's take the grosses from some other shows for the same week as the $598k low for PQ (May 14-20). Company was at ~$297k, Chicago was at $546k, Chorus Line $614k, Grey Gardens $387k, Hairspray $621k, etc. So "fairly good" is just that "fairly good".

I don't care if you hate the show or love it - it 's most certainly paying the weekly bills. Recouping the initial investment is a whole other question. With most shows on Broadway costing more and with shorter runs, recouping initial investments is uncommon.

Not that it isn't possible or that it doesn't happen, but the fact of the matter is that a show running at lower capacity and still paying the weekly bills is still better than a closed show with no revenues at all. Especially since the cast recording is yet to come and the merchandise is still trickling into online stores.

If we are talking money here, PQ is not doing well but certainly not sinking as many suggest. The following are the published rates for Actors Equity Association contracts in this category of theatre:

"Performance Salary
Effective Dates:
6/26/06 6/25/07
Actor $1,465 $1,509
SM (Musical)$2,408 $2,480
SM (Dramatic) $2,070 $2,132
1st ASM (Musical) $1,904 $1,961
1st ASM (Dramatic) $1,691 $1,742
2nd ASM (Musical) $1,590 $1,638"

If we take an average of approximately $2000/performer or crew member/week with approximately 90 people (cast, crew and musicians), that is only $180k per week. Add in running costs (props, cast meals, supplies, theatre commissions, etc.) of approximately, $200k, that is still only $380k.

Granted, my figures are just speculation but so are all of yours.

Let's be realistic people, money is money and as long as the show is within the contractual amount for grosses (not capacity) and above weekly expenses, PQ can stay at the Hilton (not that it will or that it won't transfer or close or whatever).

[Smaxie]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 7:27pm

You've left out such other costs as theatre lease, plus general management, press agent, advertising agency, marketing agency, weekly cost of advertising on TV, radio, internet and newspapers, billboards, merchandising.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 7:39pm

Plus, all those musicals you listed (Grey Gardens, Company, etc.) are very cheap tp run.

[dented146]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 7:47pm

I can't imagine that the folks at Jujamcyn are too happy. Neddy mentioned in an earlier post that The Wiz had wanted the St. James. I wonder if any productions were turned away before Brooks changed his mind

[Smaxie]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 7:53pm

The Wiz is not ready to come in yet. They wanted to do further work on it after La Jolla, so it wasn't thwarted from coming in because Young Frankenstein was initially mentioned for the St. James. So, The Grinch will play its limited run, and I've heard the St. James has a spring tenant after that. So, all's well.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 7:56pm

No late summer/fall tenant, Smaxie?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 8:14pm

Haven't heard that there is anything going into the St. James before The Grinch.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 9:10pm

but the fact of the matter is that a show running at lower capacity and still paying the weekly bills is still better than a closed show with no revenues at all.
Easy to say when it's not your money on the line. The producers aren't going to keep pouring their money into it if they can see that the downward trend won't change; they're going to pull out before all of that $16 million is gone. Does it have to be playing at 52% before people will believe it will close? Let's wait a week to find out.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 9:43pm

I think I'm going to boycott everything YF. Just because of Mel's behavior.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 9:51pm

"Does it have to be playing at 52% before people will believe it will close?"

Like any other business venture, The Pirate Queen will close when those running it are either forced to close it or decide it isn't viable. What Mel Brooks says or wants has nothing to do with it.

Sure, I'll admit that Pirate Queen might close soon. Will you admit that Mel Brooks might have screwed up and talked himself out of a theater for Young Frankenstein?

[D2]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:58pm

"I think I'm going to boycott everything YF. Just because of Mel's behavior."

I just spoke to Mel. He's very upset.