Dont Forget Chitty

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Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 6:25pm

Mark Riedel's column in the Fri. NY Post mentioned the 2 big musicals of the season being Dirty Rotten Scound. and Spamalot. I think Mark forgot the really big one...Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which has a larger advance sale than both shows mentioned ---and the box office hasnt even opened yet. As an avid theatergoer, I can handle Mark's reviews but expect a thoroughly researched column on the upcoming musicals.

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 6:30pm

It's MICHAEL Riedel.

And Chitty doesn't open for a couple of months (DRS and Spamalot open next month) and its reviews in London were mixed which is probably why he didn't include it into this last column. The buzz on Spamalot, in particular, has been fantastic and it's already looking like a juggernaut at Tony time. Word (and reviews) from London on Chitty haven't been NEARLY as positive.

"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

Updated On: 1/15/05 at 06:30 PM

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 6:54pm

I do expect Chitty will be Tony-nominated alongside Spamalot, Scoundrels and Piazza. (The Tony Awards never neglect to nominate a show with a huge advance, even if they don't intend on giving it anything). I don't expect Chitty to be a major rival to Scoundrels and Spamalot for the big prize, but I think it will chug along very nicely without major Tony wins, a la Mamma Mia or Beauty and the Beast.

"Gif me the cobra jool!"

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 6:56pm

And do remember...it's the shows that have mixed reviews (or horrible ones, at that) that go on to be the biggest stars on broadway. West Side Story, for example, came out within a week of another high ranking show (I forget which) and was walked OUT on. And look at the success it is...

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 7:03pm

Great special effects and very character driven show. Camp fun really, just don't go expecting a serious show at all.

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 7:30pm

I agree. I saw it in London and its basically a fun spectacle. Don't expect too much and enjoy!

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 7:37pm

"And do remember...it's the shows that have mixed reviews (or horrible ones, at that) that go on to be the biggest stars on broadway. West Side Story, for example, came out within a week of another high ranking show (I forget which) and was walked OUT on. And look at the success it is... "

I believe that was West Side Story.

I want to write music. I want to sit down right now at my piano and write a song that people will listen to and remember and do the same thing every morning...for the rest of my life. - Jonathan Larson. Tick, Tick...BOOM!

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 7:39pm

That's what I mean...West Side Story was shot down without even getting a fair show. And look at where it is today

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 8:11pm

West Side Story was based on Shakespeare, and its creative team included four of the greatest luminaries of Broadway- Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins, and Arthur Laurents. Admittedly, Sondheim was at the beginning of his career then, but can Chitty Chitty Bang Bang say the same?

#10

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 10:23pm

All I have to say is expect the unexpected...I personally don't think it's going to be all that good, and from what I've heard it's not that great of a show to begin with, but as I like to say "don't knock it til ya try it" I'm going up to see it after it opens with a group. I think the only reason it did so well in pre-sales and all that junk is because its a "socially acceptable" show that attracts all ages meaning its great for school trips and such. Whatever.

#11

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:02pm

For the record, Chitty opened to mostly great reviews with a few mixed and has been running nearly sold out for about 2 1/2 years. My point, which some here missed, was Riedel should have included Chitty as he was discussing advance sales and potential hits. He not I wrote the column. Friends who book shows have confirmed that Chitty has close to 15 mil. in tickets sold and the BO hasnt even opened!!! This was done on the internet and through theatre booking groups. That is quite impressive and maybe record breaking. I am not with the show but was thrilled to hear that such interest in a family show has been generated. This means JOBS!!!! Long term JOBS! I was only asking for factual, quality reporting not a review of each show.

#12

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:05pm

Well, if you're asking for balanced reporting from Michael Riedel, you can keep asking until your face turns blue and it won't do you any good. And that has nothing to do with the quality of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

#13

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:07pm

Is Michael Riedel the chap who bullies Bernadette? Chump.

#14

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:09pm

Michael has good and bad moments as do many theater reviews and columnists. I was just adding a key fact to the main point of his article--nothing more, nothing less. Let's not take it as a comparison of reviews.

#15

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:13pm

Is there any news about Meat Loaf playing the Child Catcher? Still a go or did that fall through?

D

#16

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:20pm

Is there an opening date for Chitty?

#17

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:21pm

Previews start March 27th!

A work of art is an invitation to love.

#18

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:27pm

Personally I don't think Chitty is going to be big competition for Scoundrels of Spamalot. Let's just say, I wouldn't be suprised of Scoundrels and Spamalot swept the Tony's this year. I won't at all be suprised if the Best Actor award goes to Lithgow or Butz from Scoundrels (considering the reviews they got).

#19

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:29pm

I think Chitty wants to be the next LION KING.

http://www.BrooklynTheMusical.info

#20

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:30pm

Spamalot has a far bigger advance than Chitty, received out of town and will receive in NYC far better reviews, and will last years longer than Chitty. I don't know where you're coming up with this nonsense. Chitty is currently a mess in London with the show being constantly rewritten to try new things for Broadway audiences. It can't hold a candle to Spamalot or even Dirty Rotten Scoundrels for that matter having seen all three. Raul is only going to be able to do so much.

#21

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:31pm

Don't forget Raúl. Hmph.

"The stage is where I live and come alive and act out all the things that go on in my life. It's not just what I do for a living, it's my shrink and my love affair. No one in my life has ever or ever will kiss me on the mouth like this lover called my relationship with my performance."

#22

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/16/05 at 3:59am

I saw CHITTY with the original cast in London - and had a fun time.

I am seeing it again when it transfers to Broadway and I expect to enjoy it all over again

Like CHITTY, my tickets for Spamalot and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels are also well on hand.

Updated On: 1/16/05 at 03:59 AM

#23

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/16/05 at 7:29am

Chitty in the westend was absolute ****!
lets just hope its better over there....

i hated it here! set was great, but it was just so...blah

#24

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/16/05 at 6:02pm

Chitty is really mediocre. If it's anything like the London production with Michael Ball, it will most certainly LOOK cool and awesome and what-not, but you'll probably want to kill yourself after the third time they sing the title song.

#25

re: Dont Forget Chitty

Posted: 1/16/05 at 6:35pm

I'm reserving judgment on this one.

That said, the following thoughts occur to me: CHITTY, although moderately successful in London, didn't get the best reviews, and audiences don't seem to care for it much. MARY POPPINS didn't get across-the-board raves either, but it was better received than CHITTY, and sounds like a better show.

The bigger question is this: Can Broadway really sustain another children's show at this particular point in time? With THE LION KING still a sellout, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST being a more marketable quantity for kids (meaning that they are more familiar with the property), can a huge house like the Ford Center sell enough $100 children's tickets to sustain CHITTY?

I don't know the answer to this, obviously, I'm just wondering.

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