Chitty's closure

I'd assume the closing has to do with the fact that they're just not making enough money to run such an expensive show. They hardly ever fill that theatre.

IMO, the cast is very, very strong, and probably saved the show in some ways; for all of the times that the material is bland, they're great. Marc Kudisch and Jan Maxwell absolutely steal the show. Opinions are going to vary on Raul; and to be perfectly honest, even though he is *capable* of doing anything, this wasn't the show for him. He can do it, but his spin isn't exactly what people would be expecting, I suppose. He's having fun, and people are not finding him funny, so the response is... well, dead. I don't think his vocals are a problem; his voice is so versatile, so he can sing "legit" musical theatre, or he can do rock -- that's not really the problem. When I first saw him, I thought he was good, but absolutely a fish out of water. He's grown into the role, but even still, he's inconsistent, which surprises me.

I'm gonna miss it.

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Well, I certainly can't say I haven't seen it enough times.

To Cincinatti!

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Yes, it's mostly money. It's expensive to keep running with the car and the large(and talented if I may say so) cast. But I also think people are beginning to get it through their head, content is 75% of a show. The cast is 15% and the staging is 10%. Chitty's score, with the exception of 4 or 5 songs, is one of the Sherman Brothers lesser efforts. And the book, like most family shows, with the exception of Mary Poppins, is rather bland.