CURSED CHILD to alter BW production- Page 2

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/8/21 at 6:10pm

DrewJoseph said: "IF cursed child would be closing. What do you guys recon would happen to the lyric, design wise? I absolutely love the new look and auditorium and would think they would want to keep it this way? Then again, so much of Harry Potter lore has been integrated in the wallpaper and floors and such that it kinda feels weird to do that?
Id hate to see it returned to how it used to be before this show."

I don’t know what was in an Ambassador Theatre Group in the West End, but even as cavernous as the theatre would be for any show other than Cursed Child, I think a transfer of the West End revival City of Angels that closed early could work well in the space. Or would the Lyric be better suited as a house for a big blockbuster type of musical?

[BizBuzz]

Posted: 5/8/21 at 7:49pm

London is remaining 2 shows. There is talk NY will be the first production the show comes back as 1 show, over 3.5 hours. The show was struggling on Broadway to attract audiences to give up all day or two nights. This new production could then be replicated to other cities around the world and for tour, far easier than the 2 show model to tour. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/8/21 at 7:58pm

I would think it's in their contract to restore the theater to its original design/intent. But, I haven't been in there so I can't speak to how drastic it is, but the theater owners might enjoy having a smaller space. Who knows. It is funny they took two theaters and put them together and now they went to back to one smaller theater. 

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 5/8/21 at 8:45pm

BizBuzz said: "London is remaining 2 shows. There is talk NY will be the first production the show comes back as 1 show, over 3.5hours. The show was struggling on Broadway to attract audiences to give up all day or two nights. This new production could then be replicated to other cities around the worldand for tour, far easier than the 2 show model to tour."

Thanks for this info. Sounds like you have a source? 

[Jonwo]

Posted: 5/9/21 at 11:52am

In regards to the Lyric, I imagine ATG would remove or change some or all of the elements that are related to Harry Potter when the show eventually closes but I suspect that they'll keep the auditorium mostly intact. 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 5/9/21 at 12:13pm

I can’t find a link, but there was an article a few years ago about another Broadway show whose budget/capitalization had to include $XX to restore the theater back to its original state. Maybe Great Comet?

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/9/21 at 12:47pm

VotePeron said: "I can’t find a link, but there was an article a few years ago about another Broadway show whose budget/capitalization had to include $XX to restore the theater back to its original state. Maybe Great Comet? "

That is standard, but Harry Potter was vigorously pursued by all of the landlords, who were quite willing to bare almost any cost to get the show. I would bet waiving any restoration costs was included in the offer. 

[DrewJoseph]

Posted: 5/9/21 at 2:08pm

I know Spiderman had to. And they had to fix alot!

[thedrybandit]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 3:20pm

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/28/theater/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-broadway-return.html

Looks like it's becoming official?

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 3:31pm

Hope they keep all the scenic elements but not sure how they could. Such a fun show.

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 3:34pm

That poor Broadway theater has never had a hit and it looks like this one won't be one either, unless this new trimmed version is a smash with audiences.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 3:36pm

I think a trimmed version could very well be a much bigger success than a two part version that excludes a lot of tourists who just don’t have the time to see both.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 3:38pm

Good writeup as per usual from Mr. Paulson, but it is worth noting Part One will be 2 hours 40, and Part Two will be 2 hours 35, all presented in one single performance.

I thought (and had previously heard) this condensed “Potter” wasn’t going to happen until sometime next year, so I’m so glad this is getting back on its feet sooner than expected. 

Edited: Nobody knows yet how long this single part will be, but it probably won’t be 5+ hours like the pre-COVID production. Sorry about the above mention. 

Updated On: 6/28/21 at 03:38 PM

[DrewJoseph]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 3:39pm

Is there any way in the world they’ll have shows before the 16th? Like try-outs? I’ll be leaving NYC on the 13th and can’t believe I’ll miss this by 3 days?!

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 3:51pm

Nada.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 4:22pm

blaxx said: "That poor Broadway theater has never had a hit and it looks like this one won't be one either, unless this new trimmed version is a smash with audiences."

 

The production didn't announce whether it had recouped or not, but mathematically it seems as though they might've gotten there at some point in 2019, based on their numbers. They presumably covered a ton of ground during their first year of super high grosses, then probably spent 2019 continuing to inch their way to the finish line after their grosses were cut in half. It seemed like they were still exceeding their running cost, but probably with slim margins, especially when they started pouring more money into publicity stunts like the Times Square takeover.

Unclear whether they ended up getting to the finish line, but it's always possible that they pulled a Disney and refrained from announcing their recoupment. 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 4:22pm

DrewJoseph said: "Is there any way in the world they’ll have shows before the 16th? Like try-outs? I’ll be leaving NYC on the 13th and can’t believe I’ll miss this by 3 days?! "

….They’d never do that. The show has to do casting, read throughs potential edits of the new show, tech…they wouldn’t open it until they’re satisfied with the new version. Plus they’ve already had so much time with the pandemic. So no, that wouldn’t happen. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 8:46pm

How will this work contracts wise? Will this be considered a new production? I wonder if they might try to be eligible for the 2022 tony awards… also, hope they don’t cut down on the cast. Would hate to see people lose jobs…

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 9:25pm

Call_me_jorge said: "How will this work contracts wise? Will this be considered a new production? I wonder if they might try to be eligible for the 2022 tony awards… also, hope they don’t cut down on the cast. Would hate to see people lose jobs…"

Yeah - an old schoolmate of mine was in rehearsals as a replacement when the shutdown happened. It was to be their Broadway debut. I know “that’s show biz” and all but it would be almost cruel to dispense with some of the actors.

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 9:29pm

Could be nothing, but there’s no mention of Ticketmaster on the new FAQs page, and it lists Visa, MasterCard, and Amex as accepted forms of payment, and I know that TM takes Discover and Diners. Could they be switching to the ATG ticketing platform? Could mean nothing, but something I noticed.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 9:38pm

Jordan Catalano said: "I think a trimmed version could very well be a much bigger success than a two part version that excludes a lot of tourists who just don’t have the time to see both. "

It's anecdotal, but I know quite a few people who were only in the city for a day or two and wanted to see Harry Potter, but the 2-part nature of the show prevented that. 

Updated On: 6/28/21 at 09:38 PM

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 10:20pm

So happy I got to see the show in its entirety

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 10:34pm

The fact they are keeping the 2 part version for the UK, Australian, and German productions makes me ponder; are Americans dumb? Do we just not have the attention span for a two part play? It’s also interesting Toronto will be opening as just the one part.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 10:41pm

Call_me_jorge said: "The fact they are keeping the 2 part version for the UK, Australian, and German productions makes me ponder; are Americans dumb? Do we just not have the attention span for a two part play? It’s also interesting Toronto will be opening as just the one part. "

Americans are dumb but theatre is much more expensive to run and attend in America.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/28/21 at 10:43pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I wonder if they might try to be eligible for the 2022 tony awards”


There is no way on earth. That would be some utter bs.

I imagine it would be treated like any other show that makes changes to the material during the run. Lion King made some big cuts in 2010, but you didn’t see them vying for best revival. Granted, these changes are much more drastic, to a degree that I’m guessing is unprecedented. But on principal it’s essentially the same thing. 

(If this post sounds aggressive, I don’t mean to direct it at you, Jorge. It’s just that I’m appalled even imagining a scenario in which something like this would be allowed at the Tonys, even though it hasn’t, and almost certainly won’t happen in real life) 
 

EDIT, regarding the other productions remaining 2-parts: I imagine those productions are also not as reliant on international tourists, whose time constraints are generally the most prohibitive. 

Updated On: 6/28/21 at 10:43 PM