Chicago, Mamma Mia, and Matilda Play Musical Chairs? What the...

[bmwpjager]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 4:48pm

Okay, last rumor I'd heard, the Shuberts were going to pull perhaps the most crazy convoluted game of Musical Theatre Chairs we've seen in a while: Once "Other Desert Cities" either relocates or closes, "Chicago" would take the Booth, "Mamma Mia" would relocate to the Ambassador, leaving "Matilda" free to play the Winter Garden. I know it's not horribly uncommon for one show to move to another theatre, but TWO? Specifically two of Broadway's currently longest running musicals? Granted this rumor was one I'd heard quite a while back, but with "Matilda" looking to announce their transfer next month, I was wondering if any of these plans had changed. If they do follow out, it'll be quite an interesting 2012, don't you think?

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 4:53pm

Matilda looks cool, but the Winter Garden? They might as well just do an open run at Madison Square Garden.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 5:44pm

Matilda isn't that big a show, the theatre it's playing in London is midsized at 1200 seats. How big is the Winter Garden, bit of a risky move considering Mamma Mia! is doing good business.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 6:02pm

It's over 1500 seats.

[ChenoKahn]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 6:07pm

According to the website 1526.

[Hank]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 6:19pm

I was hoping Mamma Mia would break the house record for the longest run at the Winter Garden.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 6:31pm

Given it would need to run another 7 years just to match Cats' run, it's unlikely to happen. It's amazing it hasn't moved theatres yet, most long runner with a few exceptions have moved theatres during their course of the runs.

Updated On: 1/17/12 at 06:31 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 6:47pm

Cat's is a bar in Brooklyn, love.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 7:22pm

Two shows moving simultaneously happened just last year when ROCK OF AGES went to the Hayes and RAIN went into the Atkinson to make room for CATCH ME at the Neil Simon.

[showchoirguy]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 8:29pm

Isn't Matilda performed in a theatre in the round? If Godspell closes would that be possibility?

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 12:14am

^ its not go look at their video its on a proscenium stage.....

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 12:30am

Matilda just opened in London at the Cambridge, where Chicago played for years. So moving into a mid-size theatre seems feasible... but to me a Chicago move from the Ambassador to the Booth might make more sense, and might allow a nice chunk of time for the Ambassador to get a desperately needed re-furb before Matila moves in.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 12:44am

This would be great for Mamma Mia! and Chicago. Both shows would benefit from playing smaller houses.

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 12:54am

Saw Matilda last month in London. It's not in the round.

It also, in my opinion, needs a great deal of work before they bring it to New York. I didn't care for it at all, but I'm pulling for David Greenspan to be cast as the Miss Trunchbull character.

Updated On: 1/18/12 at 12:54 AM

[bmwpjager]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 1:04am

^Trunchbull? My guess is they'll try to bring over the actor currently playing her in the West End.

What also excites me about this is RSC's control over the American transfer. So often musicals get toned down when traveling across the pond and we end up with "Mary Poppins", a shell of the incredible show it was in London. There's such a Dahl quality to the show, from the cast recording and what else I've seen/ heard from it, it looks spectacular.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 1:08am

Chicago at the BOOTH?? That Theatre is way to small. The Music Box could possibly house it, but the Booth would be ridiculously tight. Mamma Mia could move into a theatre the size of the Ambassador or Schoenfeld easily. The set was adapted for shallower stages on tour YEAR ago by using forced perspective and eliminating the large void of space upstage of the taverna walls. This was before the awful redesign CURRENTLY being carted around the continent.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 1:57am

Please, they can find a way to make Chicago work in a smaller house than the Booth.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 2:01am

^ agreed. I think it would already work just fine. The jury box that houses the orchestra should fit just fine...

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 7:27am

Chicago has been squeezed into the Garrick Theatre in London now, youd be surprised how small a venue the show can be slotted in

[Justin D]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 7:53am

Atleast those 2 shows are relatively light on scenery, but I would think for Mamma Mia, they would atleast have to build a whole new deck. My only issue with the Winter Garden is how wide and low the proscenium is. From pics I;ve seen, Matilda has a rather large and complex prosceniium design, they will have to tweak it heavily.

In any event, Chicago and MM have been running so long now that I guess they can afford to move around.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 8:46am

Keep in mind that if Chicago does move. It's new theatre,whatever it may be, will end up being the show's fourth home (having played the Richard Rodgers,Shubert and now the Ambassador.)

But considering how wide the porsenium of The Winter Garden is, and how the large Mamma Mia set fits there, would they be able to move the show with the current set? Or would they maybe need to use one of the old and smaller tour sets a la Beauty and the Beast in order to move.

[Justin D]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 3:25pm

I actually prefer Mamma Mia with a smaller set, You can;t get much smaller than when it was in Toronto, and it looked great. I believe the Broadway version is probably the only version where the buildings can move completely off stage.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 3:31pm

The Winter Garden stage is definitely a different type if shape than most stages. I know the original production of Follies adjusted the proscenium slightly... Maybe Matilda could do the same.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 7:38pm

Does The Winter Garden have a centre aisle? The reason that Chicago was moved to the Garrick in London was because Matilda needed a centre aisle and The Cambridge is one of the few theatres to have one.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 7:40pm

Nope.