Coast of Utopia on Live From Lincoln Center?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 7:48am

What are the chances of this happening?

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 7:52am

I'd say it's pretty unlikely, unfortunately.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 8:18am

Why is that?

[mabel]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 9:08am

While I'd love to see it happen, I'd have to say the odds would be slim to none. It seems like it would be a massive undertaking.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 9:52am

Why? Would it be too expensive?

[Roscoe]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 10:04am

Too expensive to undertake, and PBS isn't exactly in the market for programming of this nature anymore. Now if it was Yanni Live At Lincoln Center, it'd probably have a really good shot.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 10:40am

It's nine hours long and would have too small a market for the expense. There are a whole list of productions that should be captured on video, but UTOPIA is unfortunately too unweildy to get high on the priority.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 10:47am

Well, there are only two ways that they could do it:

1. Broadcast a marathon and monopolize PBS programming for an entire day

or

2. Broadcast all three plays separately on three consecutive nights.

Both would be incredibly expensive and I don't think there's a wide audience for it.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 12:23pm

They could arrange a telethon around a marathon day utilizing the two extended breaks and the intermission breaks, but it would probably be too expensive overall. I'd love to see it happen though. I've seen Voyage and Shipwreck the past two Fridays and will see Salvage on this coming Friday and would love the chance to see all of it again.

[D2]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 12:39pm

It would be wonderful if they did, though. Like 25 years ago, when they broadcast the RSC's production of NICHOLAS NICKLEBY over two nights. That was brilliant. I wish they would just suck it up and do it no matter what it costs, if only for the prestige and the chance to preserve such an extraordinary experience.

[jennite]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 12:56pm

I emailed the Live from Lincoln Centre people last August about broadcasting Utopia and the response was a pretty categorical "no". Alas! However, the trilogy will be recorded for NYPL's Theatre on Film and Tape Archive.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 1:05pm

As they say in England:

Oh, bugger.

Oh well.

[D2]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 1:07pm

But if (and this is a big, wishful thinking if) THE COAST OF UTOPIA wins big this year and corporate funding came through, Lincoln Center's categorical "NO" might change to a resounding yes. Not likely, but anything is possible.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 1:12pm

I would absolutely love for this to be filmed for PBS broadcast. It sounds like a truly amazing theatrical event.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 1:21pm

If it hasn't happened, it won't happen.

UTOPIA is closing less than 1 months from now. It closes before the Tony awards, so even if they "win big," it won't help persuade PBS. Now, there's just not enough time to organze something. If there was an interest in doing this, it would have been stated long ago.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 1:36pm

Anything's possible, but sadly PBS simply doesn't have the money for such a large undertaking anymore. COAST OF UTOPIA is certainly the odds-on favorite to win the Best Play Tony this year (along with a few other awards), but national affiliates would balk at airing a 9 hour rumination on the trials and tribulations of a bunch of 19th century intellectuals that 99% of the American public has ever heard of, starring a cast (other than perhaps Crudup and Hawke) that few people have heard of.

And it's a damn shame, especially looking back at the kinds of telecasts PBS used to regularly do in the 70s and 80s. When I was growing up, some of my favorite television memories came from watching filmed plays on PBS' "Theatre In America" "Great Performances" and "American Playhouse" series that broadcast dozens and dozens of extraordinary productions from Broadway and regional theaters around the country, starring a who's who of great actors. These broadcasts took place several times a year (as did "Live from the Met" and "Dance in America" telecasts) bringing great art to the masses. Now, we're lucky to get even one play a year. There SHOULD be broadcasts of things like COAST OF UTOPIA and last summer's MOTHER COURAGE in the Park w/ Streep and Kline (Joe Papp had dozens of his productions in the Park and at the Public filmed and broadcast, including a couple with Streep back in the 70s and early 80s), or that wonderful HENRY IV from Lincoln Center a couple of seasons ago with Kline -- productions by major not-for-profits that weren't going to tour and give audiences around the country the opportunity to see first rate professional theater that they may not have ready access to in their own communities. But apparently there's no money for such things anymore which is why PBS is filled with Yanni and Doo-Wop and adult contemporary music concerts that get ratings, but to my mind don't fulfill PBS's original mission to bring the arts -- theatre, dance, opera, classical music -- to the masses.

Updated On: 4/15/07 at 01:36 PM

[jennite]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 2:12pm

Well, if anyone has a mind to attempt People Power, the associate producer I emailed at the LCT was csametATlincolncenter.org .

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 9:00pm

Margo, you are so right. Whatever happened to those old days?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 9:06pm

Margo--spot on. My grandma recently commented how lately our local PBS (the past year at least) seems to have endless pledge drives when it used to be they'd have them twice a year or something. They also used to have several theatre related programs (live from lincoln center, great performance, dance in america, American Playhouse) now all those are lumped under the general Great Performances tag it seems (Live from Lincoln Center might be different as it exists under different rules--which sadly is why those productions aren't available to buy--I still cannot believe I was out of the country and missed seeing COntact).

Of course part of the reason for this is now we have so many specialty channels apparantly devoted to such programs--except that few seem to show anything of interest...

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/15/07 at 9:26pm

I have Contact on VHS and I wish I could get it on DVD. I did get Crazy for You put on DVD, but I missed Play On! and some others. I'd like to cet a copy of Play On! on DVD... I just wish they would just stop complaining and draw up all the paper work and get those shows released on DVD. Some of those performances really are great and it's a shame they can't/wont be seen by future generations.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 4/18/07 at 7:14am

What happened to those old days when PBS actually was able to broadcast programs of quality and culture?

Well, you see, it is very simple. A certain group of politicians largely from a specific political party decided that PBS needed to be destroyed, so they ruthlessly cut its budget every year so that it was basically turned into a pathetic shadow of its former self.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/18/07 at 7:37am

^Would you be referring to the crapheads known as the Republicans?