Do preview comments help move the needle? — Page 2

Kad said: "Given that the musical development cycle now includes rounds of readings, followed by workshops and labs, then focus groups and other testing, a process spanning years before an actual production is even mounted,the fact that shows regularlystill arrive on Broadway with glaring, potentially fatalflaws makes one question the entire time consuming and expensiveprocess."

Such a good and chewy question, Kad. I'm given to wonder about the talent pool. I suppose it's nothing new that the tension between financial concerns (the Producer realm) and the creators (the Artistic realm) is subject to a constant push and pull. 'Putting It Together' has always been a dance - but is the current talent pool on the Artistic side all it could be? Who gets championed and supported - and why? As with so many other things in the world right now, is 'the money' getting too much sway? It's important of course - this is a business. If it's the primary concern, how does that translate into which works get resourced? Can Producers with edge and vision - and the personalities such as person tends to have - survive our current cultural sensitivities? These things are on my mind a lot these days and I'd be interested to hear thoughtful responses.

I'm curious if the person who gave out their email at the first preview of Mincemeat (was it the director?) received any comments that they took into consideration for previews.