Gershwin Theatre Question

Welcome Guest. Please Login or Register.

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 12:49pm

Is the Gershwin Theatre the only Broadway house big enough to house such a big production (Wicked)?

"Brevity is the soul of wit"--Hamlet

I think so, because the sets for WICKED are so huge, with all the clock gear and such, especially the 800 lb. proscenium dragon. its just amazing these sets, and i don't quite know of any other theater that CAN house these amazing sets.

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 12:54pm

Given that other theatres have been home to larger productions (one even currently running) I'm going to have to say no, the Gershwin is not the only theatre that can host big shows.

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 12:55pm

^^ what other productions are bigger than WICKED?

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 12:57pm

The Broadway house a helicopter! Miss Saigon.

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 1:20pm

Mary Poppins, The Lion King, and Spider-Man are just as big, if not bigger, than Wicked and they manage to fit in other houses. Phantom is another show that's just as big as Wicked and the list goes on from there. So yes, Wicked could very easily have been mounted in the Broadway or the Minskoff or the Foxwods if the Gershwin was unavailable.

Of course none of those theaters have as many seats as the Gershwin (although the Foxwoods is close) which means that the producers of Wicked wouldn't make as much money.

"You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" - Betty Parris to Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Updated On: 6/15/12 at 01:20 PM

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 1:34pm

Of course none of those theaters have as many seats as the Gershwin (although the Foxwoods is close) which means that the producers of Wicked wouldn't make as much money.

I read that the producers of WICKED purposley chose a theater with lots of seats, because being a twist on THE WIZARD OF OZ, they thought it would have a huge appeal, which it did.

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 1:56pm

The Palace also could probably hold it. They have that huge bus for Priscilla there now.

"I don't want the pretty lights to come and get me."-Homecoming 2005 "You can't pray away the gay."-Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy. Ignored Users: suestorm, N2N Nate., Owen22, master bates

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 2:00pm

Wicked was specifically designed to fit the Gershwin's super wide proscenium It is similar to how American Idiots producers were trying to get the St. James at all costs because it is the only theater with a proscenium high enough to fit American Idiots extremely tall set.
So technically yes The Gershwin is the only theater with a wide enough stage to fit the show, but that is because producers had the show designed to fit the theater.

#10

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 2:12pm

How about the set for Sunset Boulevard at the Minskoff? Huge.

"I hope your Fanny is bigger than my Peter." Mary Martin to Ezio Pinza opening night of Fanny.

#11

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 2:14pm

All shows are designed specifically for the theatre they are going into. If WICKED were going into a smaller house it would have been designed smaller. They sameway the touring company cuts down on sets.

You'll notice when a national tour comes to Broadway the sets are usually smaller.

I think the main reason for choosing the Gershwin was yes you can put a large set, but more importantly it has over 1900 seats making it one of the largest theatres seating capacity wise. Which ofcourse brings in larger ticket sales.

#12

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 3:17pm

And the dragon is only like 40 lbs. It's all made of foam. It would be way too dangerous to house a giant, heavy dragon above an audience. If that dragon fell, it would be more of an annoyance than a hazard.

Updated On: 6/15/12 at 03:17 PM

#13

Gershwin Theatre Question

Posted: 6/15/12 at 3:18pm

Is the dragon really 800 pounds? In the Behind The Emerald curtain video no youtube, it says that it is actually quite light weight.

"Brevity is the soul of wit"--Hamlet

← Back to Message Board

View all Videos

Tickets From $59

Tickets From $71

Tickets From $95