Could SOUTH PACIFIC have run for much longer than it did?- Page 2

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 1:04am

Gotcha. Well, CONTACT saved a lot of money by not using an amazing orchestra like SOUTH PACIFIC did. :o)

Thanks for the responses.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 1:06am

frontrowcentre2 is quite right. I'd bet that even with not paying rent and not paying certain other expenses that normally come with doing a show in a regular Broadway house, they still had money-losing weeks. I don't know what the weekly nut was, but I'd bet they had some weeks below it. It would have been pointless to keep running it and lose more money, as would inevitably have happened.

Truth is that they might have been smart, financially, to have closed it a bit earlier than they did.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 4:50am

True but by announcing the closing months in advance they got some very good weeks in this summer.

The show was designed for the Beaumont's thrust stage but the tour opened in Toronto last week and it is just as effective in a proscenium house. (CONTACT on the road also did well in a proscenium theatre.)

IF LCT is going to do mainstream musicals maybe they should so them in Broadway houses and keep the Beaumont for more esoteric pieces.

Oh and I would love to see the LCT CAROUSEL brought back to life.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 11:53am

You know, frontrow, I was thinking that the other day. Oh, how I'd love to see that incredible staging of the "Carousel Waltz", where the whole theatre was turned into the carousel! What magic!

I would, however, like a stronger cast. When I saw the shoe the tow leads were quite weak.

[jv92]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 1:50pm

I think it had an excellent run. What do you want it to be? Cats?

On a side note, I'd very much like to see LCT revive Allegro. It might be a tough sell, but it is R&H after all. And I think Bart Sher would work wonders with it.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 4:12pm

Much as I hate to disagree a bit, frontrowcentre2, I do.

The announcement to close was made in February. Look at the grosses since then.

I think if they'd closed earlier, they would have had the same upturn at the end (which wasn't exactly a spectacular upturn) with fewer losing weeks (simply because there would have been fewer weeks).

But if keeping it open allowed us to get O'Hara and Szot back for the telecast, then it's good. I just think that for LCT's finances, they might have been better off closing a bit earlier.

In any case, the show had a good run.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/23/10 at 7:31pm

The show would have proven to be a box office bonanza had Loretta Swit taken over the role of Bloody Mary, as was widely speculated.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/24/10 at 4:56am

I don't know about that but Loretta Swit is doing a 2 month run of Shirley Valentine in Toronto (well, Mississauga) starting in September.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/24/10 at 12:35pm

Loretta Swit in SHIRLEY VALENTINE? A match made in heaven!