Glorius Ones Broadway Transfer?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 3:44pm

My best friend attended a weekend performance and said it is the best Ahrens and Flaherty score since Ragtime. He said the audience was out-of-control in love with the show. He said Ahrens was crying happy tears in the back. Also said that a Broadway transfer was being buzzed about the theatre. Any news on this?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 3:46pm

Wouldn't have to move far.

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 3:49pm

I hope so. It's an INCREDIBLE show.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 3:52pm

Has it already officially opened?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 3:52pm

No, still in previews but the buzz is HUGE.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 3:54pm

Cool. Yeah, the boards are very positive about this show.

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 3:58pm

Opens 11/5, I think.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 4:04pm

It'll depend at least partially on the reviews that come out next week. It'll probably need a rave from the Times to get serious attention from producers for a transfer.

Personally, though I mostly liked the score (there were a couple a real standout numbers) and cast, there's something about the book and basic story that feels too small and underdeveloped for it to work commercially on Broadway (and since nothing seems to recoup financially in commercial off-Broadway any more, that's probably not an option either). I'm enjoyed it and am glad I saw it, but it nevertheless struck me as a nice appetizer rather than a fully satisfying meal -- by which I mean it seems more like one of Ahrens & Flaherty's minor works (that suits a short limited run at the not-for-profit Mitzi Newhouse just fine) than something with the sort of long term, widespread mainstream appeal a work needs to have in order to be a successful transfer.

Updated On: 10/31/07 at 04:04 PM

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 4:13pm

I hope it at least gets a Cast Recording...

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 4:14pm

There will most probably be a recording, according to the Ahrens/Flaherty website.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 4:43pm

Someone else (Not me, although I wish I were this concise and articulate) thought that the show just wasn't funny enough.

Small cast, small band, one set, costumes that can be either pulled or thrown together = an afterlife in regionals.

But don't expect a transfer.

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 4:47pm

WOSQ, it has the best score of anything playing in New York now, period. I'd wait for the reviews before curtailing it to regional theatre.

And TGO isn't a comedy. I don't understand why it wouldn't be funny enough. Updated On: 10/31/07 at 04:47 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 5:09pm

As much as I admire most of Ahren/Flaherty's work, the real reason I want a cast recording is to hear Marc Kudisch and Erin Davie. What do people think about their performances in this show? I'm a big fan of both.

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 8:27pm

The two of them along with Menken & his various lyricists are what seem to be keeping my interest in broadway.

just got a ticket. So excited because when I have tried in the past they have been not available.

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 9:48pm

I enjoyed it when I saw it a couple of weeks ago, but I agree there should be more comedy. The comedia del arte sequences were repetitious and not improvisational, despite the fact that the characters kept talking about how funny and groundbreaking their improvisational work was. I also found there to be way too much narrative. The show finally picked up for me when they all stopped "telling" us how they felt about each other and started interacting with each other.

The music is good, but I found Dessa Rose to be more stirring emotionally. Opposite You and I Was Here are standouts, along with a song that Natalie Venetia Belcon sings about being replaced as the love interest by someone younger. There are some truly goose-bump inducing moments, but there are also some slow spots. Of course, I understand they have continued to rework the show, so it's probably quite different from when I saw it. I'll be very curious to read the reviews to get a sense of how much it might have changed by now.

The performances are terrific, across the board. Kudish and Davie have magnificent voices, and Belcon really shines as an actress. It's hard to believe she's the same person I saw as Gary Coleman.

I can't see this transferring to a bigger house unless it were to move upstairs to the Vivian Beaumont where the audience sort of surrounds the actors. It needs an intimate space. I also can't see this having mass market appeal. Its audiences will be regular theater goers who see a wide variety of shows and who appreciate a thoughtful if somewhat offbeat story. I doubt that the once-a-year tourists will be attracted to the subject matter.

I would enjoy a cast album, though. Ahrens and Flaherty's music is always worth repeated listening.

lc

[MovieGuy1031]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 9:56pm

Huh - i'm pretty excited now that I bought myself a ticket for it. I didn't really now exactly what I was getting myself into, I just knew I loved Ahrens & Flaherty for 'Ragtime'. GREAT to hear that its getting incredible buzz! I feel like I might catch something before it hits the big time!

Either way, still can't wait to see it!