Does Chitty Chitty Bang Bang have a future?

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 4:39pm

It seems like it really is slumping into a bad one. After hearing that auditions for A Chorus Line are being held at the Hilton, I got a little startled...it's where Chitty is playing now. But, it really doesn't mean anything yet...

Even still, it's been slumping a bit in ticket sales and attendance. What do you guys think? Will Chitty survive Broadway for a while, or will it close?

[Pinguin]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 4:43pm

Considering how expensive it must be to run...I wouldn't be surprised if the run was short. I wouldn't hope for much.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 4:49pm

Second one today.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=852953&dt=060505112647

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 4:50pm

Oopsy...

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 4:52pm

I wish we could just give it a fair chance. It's only been open a bit over a month.

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 4:54pm

Well, it seems like it's been slumping, though. I mean, 50% to 60% of the theatre filled isn't that much. But if little children and their parents keep coming to NYC, they'll see it, along with the Disney shows.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 4:55pm

It's been about 80%ish, I think. And that's a damned big theatre to fill. Plus, school is (mostly) still in session, so I think it has hope of picking up over the summer.

[Marquise]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 4:58pm

the future of broadway:

Family friendly musicals.
Up next:

Strawberry Shortcake...The Musical
Rainbow Brite...The Musical
The Little Engine That Could...The Musical
Escape To Witch Mountain...The Musical
The Love Bug...The Musical
Fun with Dick and Jane..The Musical

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:00pm

Bit of an exaggeration, no? Somebody posted a while ago that CCBB is so great for families because it's without politics. An interesting idea - a wrong one, at that - given what Marquise just said, even though I think there's some intended sarcasm there.

Yes, it's fluff. I know. But it's not all fluff. Look at the story - it's blindingly obvious. Clearly the intent wasn't one of politics and political comment, but it's there.

[Marquise]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:06pm

Emcee - - -

I was only joking.

Maybe I should start putting one of those cheesy smileys at the end of every one of my posts.


Like this:
Updated On: 6/5/05 at 05:06 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:09pm

I know you were joking, but it's not that bad, is it? *puppy dog eyes*

[tpdc]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:10pm

I can't imagine that CHITTY would close up before the end of summer. They haven't even switched the performance times for the weekend shows yet have they? I think they are sure to get tourist family audiences this summer. If BOMBAY DREAMS held on for more than six months, I think CHITTY will too. And CHITTY got better reviews and is a well known property.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:13pm

The times switch the first week in July, I think.

[TGIF]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:14pm

Before we seal Chitty's fate, can we see how the summer does?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:18pm

Not sure where the notion it's in trouble is coming from. I just looked over the box office receipts for the last month and a half and it's been posting attendance figures in the mid-70s and grossing $700K+ most weeks. That's well above the show's break-even and means it running at a profit.

As of now it's not in any danger of closing soon and my guess is that it'll be around for a couple of years.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:21pm

Because people *want* it to be in trouble.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:28pm

Hey marquise- I like Escape To Witch Mountain...

[Starburst]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:32pm

Sigh. It better last till August. I was somehow talked into getting tickets for then. Damn your hottness, Raul!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 5:35pm

[stonewall2]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 6:02pm

The summer tourist season has yet to happen and it may well give "Chitty" a boost- if you have younger kids and they've seen the Disney musicals,"Chitty" would be the top choice. I think the rough time will come when they have to start re-casting the youngsters in the cast due to growth spurts; if the production isn't doing as well as was hoped, will they even bother to break in replacements? On the other hand,there are more "open" theatres than one would like and not much new scheduled to come in until later in the fall, so perhaps that will be good for the shows that are "on the bubble".......

[AmaraCaledonia]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 2:40am

Haha, this is such a late comment, but whatever. I didn't want to make my own post. XD

Chitty is actually a great and fun show. I won't get into it, however, for fear of someone biting my head off for enjoying it. Just a quick question...odds of getting a recording? Because really, Erin, Raul, Jan, and Marc are sooooo much better than the OLC (I can never imagine Michael Ball as anyone but Marius).

[tagiunagi]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 2:50am

Because it's a show that kids are guaranteed to love & it is derived from a well-known movie, I don't suspect it would close any time soon. I don't think the Tony noms will really mean a lot to the young people who drag their parents to see it, but the phrases "flying car" "candy" and "fantasmagorical" will entice them to see the show and help it prosper.

[adamnyc]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 8:45am

I agree it should be given a chance- it is a wonderful production and anything that features Marc Kudisch should be able to last forever!

[Steve2]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 9:21am

I hope it lasts for a long time. I saw it last month and was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed it. To be honest, I had a better time at CCBB than at Spamalot.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 9:22am

I can't imagine A Chorus Line would ever play the Hilton.

So much of that show would be lost in that barn of a theatre.