#1
Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:25am
This makes me sad. I was really hoping to see this run a long time...
Chicago URINETOWN to close May 7
#2
Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:27am
AW, are you serious? I was hoping to see it in December.
#3
Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:29am
Where's the article?
"Chicago is it's own incredible theater town right there smack down in the middle of the heartland. What a great city! I can see why Oprah likes to live there!" - Dee Hoty :-D
#4
Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:30am
I agree, what are you basing this on. Where can we get this confirmed.
I was hoping to see it over the summer.
I was hoping to see it over the summer.
"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
#5
Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:35am
I was told this tonight at rehearsal by a (reliable) fellow member of the Chicago theater community. Although an official announcement has not been made, this has been confirmed on the show listing on the Jeff Awards website (link below). I'm told the reason is poor audience attendance.
http://www.jeffawards.org/index.php?action=details&url_production_id=1514
http://www.jeffawards.org/index.php?action=details&url_production_id=1514
#6
Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:38am
Yeah, I think I read somewhere that it wasn't doing to well money wise. If only it had opened when Urinetown was still a big "name" in the theater world. Like when it was up for Tony's and stuff. Oh well. I guess I'll still never get to see a production of this show.
#7
Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:55am
Oh that's really sad. I was hoping to get down there to see show in a few weeks, but I don't think I'll get a chance to see the show before it closes. 
#8
Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:56am
Well crap. That's a real shame.
Maybe I'll try to get tix to the new Martin Short musical instead.
Maybe I'll try to get tix to the new Martin Short musical instead.
"I seem to have wandered into the BRAIN load-out thread... "
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
-best12bars
"Sorry I am a Theatre major not a English Major"
-skibumb5290
#9
Posted: 4/27/06 at 1:03am
It's not a very good production... but there really is no reason it shouldn't run longer. It's a good fit for the theater and even though most of the cast doesn't really deliver... it's still pretty enjoyable. It's sad that Chicago can't sustain more long running productions... I hope Spelling Bee can pull the long haul.
kmc
kmc
Jesus saves. I spend.
#10
Posted: 4/27/06 at 5:49am
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
that's CRAP
I can't even see it when I come back!! I come back from London the 11th.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr anger
that's CRAP
I can't even see it when I come back!! I come back from London the 11th.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr anger
and all that I could do because of you was talk of love...
#11
Posted: 4/27/06 at 9:24am
Darn. We were planning a trip in October and had this on the schedule.
#12
Posted: 4/27/06 at 10:38am
Oddly enough I was wondering about this....I looked for tickets for this weekend and came up with second row, which made me worry. It's a shame. I've heard nothing but good about it. I think that name makes it a hard sell beyond the theatre insiders.
#13
Posted: 4/27/06 at 10:42am
SH*T. My fav show and I can't even see it in the fall.
How about another TOUR?
How about another TOUR?
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
--Aristotle
#14
Posted: 4/27/06 at 10:44am
How sad. I was hoping to take Jarico to the show in July. Well, at least he got to see the new Mack and Mabel in London last night, which he loved.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#15
Posted: 4/27/06 at 11:53am
I thought there was no way for this open run to last. Far too expensive to produce, and to rent the theater in the Wrigleyville neighborhood, and THEN to ask off-Loop theatergoers to pay way more than they normally do for tickets? Plus, foot traffic consists mostly of drunken Cubs fans who have no interest in musical theater.
It just wasn't going to happen.
It just wasn't going to happen.
#16
Posted: 4/27/06 at 1:41pm
Yeah. It's a good show (I saw it shortly after it opened, and, um...actually recently auditioned to be a replacement), but tickets are/were vastly overpriced, and the location of the theater is terrible. It's a shame, but in many ways, not surprising.
#17
Posted: 4/27/06 at 2:33pm
I thought it was only a limited run anyway. What kind of reviews did it receive? How was Michael Buchanan as Bobby Strong?
Updated On: 4/27/06 at 02:33 PM
#18
Posted: 4/27/06 at 2:39pm
i thought tickets were like $40? That's not that much.
#19
Posted: 4/27/06 at 3:41pm
Any answers to my previous question?
#20
Posted: 4/27/06 at 4:16pm
Tickets are about $40 or $50, which really is too much for this show. It's good, but considering that half the cast is non-Equity, and it is (appropriately) done very-low budget, it's too much. Most shows in Chicago, even Equity productions (except for, you know, Wicked and stuff at the Steppenwolf, etc.) are available for under $30.
That said, the reviews were, I would say, "mixed to positive." Chris Jones of the Tribune had some reservations, but Hedy Weiss of the Sun-Times loved it. And the "lesser" critics were generally supportive, if not particularly enthusiastic.
Personally, I thought Michael Buchanan was a mixed bag as Bobby. He sings BEAUTIFULLY but cannot act, and has no sense of comedic timing. That's just my humble opinion though. I enjoyed the show very much overall, and am sad to see it close.
That said, the reviews were, I would say, "mixed to positive." Chris Jones of the Tribune had some reservations, but Hedy Weiss of the Sun-Times loved it. And the "lesser" critics were generally supportive, if not particularly enthusiastic.
Personally, I thought Michael Buchanan was a mixed bag as Bobby. He sings BEAUTIFULLY but cannot act, and has no sense of comedic timing. That's just my humble opinion though. I enjoyed the show very much overall, and am sad to see it close.
#21
Posted: 4/27/06 at 5:05pm
I saw the show for the first time last weekend. I had mixed reviews on it myself. Overall I thought it was a good show. My boyfriend LOVED it, actually liked it alot more than he liked Wicked, but then again he isn't a big musical theater person.
I do agree that the $50 a ticket was a little over priced when you think of the shows like Wicked playing in the loop. It wasn't quite worth it. We actually got tickets for Saturday night, on Thursday night, which surprised me because we actually got 2nd row seats just two days before the show. When we got there though there wasn't an empty seat on the floor, the balcony I couldn't tell if it was full. The audience seemed to really like the show though.
Overall, the cast was ok. Michael Buchanan who played Bobby had issues. Didn't care for his vocals, and his comedic timing was all over the place, but like I said he was ok, and Saturday was actually his last show. The rest of the cast handled themselves better than he did. The ensemble I thought was quite strong, vocally and acting-wise.
It's a shame though that the show folded. It deserved to play for a while longer. I had a feeling though when they were handing out coupons for $5 off a ticket that it was on it's way out. Too bad, it might have lasted in a bigger theater, and more publicity, well at least for a little while longer...
I do agree that the $50 a ticket was a little over priced when you think of the shows like Wicked playing in the loop. It wasn't quite worth it. We actually got tickets for Saturday night, on Thursday night, which surprised me because we actually got 2nd row seats just two days before the show. When we got there though there wasn't an empty seat on the floor, the balcony I couldn't tell if it was full. The audience seemed to really like the show though.
Overall, the cast was ok. Michael Buchanan who played Bobby had issues. Didn't care for his vocals, and his comedic timing was all over the place, but like I said he was ok, and Saturday was actually his last show. The rest of the cast handled themselves better than he did. The ensemble I thought was quite strong, vocally and acting-wise.
It's a shame though that the show folded. It deserved to play for a while longer. I had a feeling though when they were handing out coupons for $5 off a ticket that it was on it's way out. Too bad, it might have lasted in a bigger theater, and more publicity, well at least for a little while longer...
#22
Posted: 4/28/06 at 11:41am
Thanks for the info. That's too bad.
#23
Posted: 4/28/06 at 1:52pm
I live just off of Southport, walking distance from the theatre and I couldn't imagine why they would think the show would be successful there. The area just isn't suited to theatre. It's all about Cubs, bars and Cubs. Also, the theatre is very close to a school, and I'm sure the name is a bit off-putting to parents. The show would have done much better elsewhere, although I applaud the effort to bring musical theatre to the area.
"I hope you're all happy, keeping Alan off the team. Couldn't you, for once, open your minds and hearts and hear something that he couldn't see? I, for one, am glad that Alan is blind, so he can't see what, I am so sad to say, you can't hear." -Jerri Blank
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