Great Comet closing in January?- Page 2

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/13/17 at 11:25pm

Can't imagine they'll ever really be able to find a big name for Natasha. Vocally, the role is extremely demanding, requiring a high soprano and a strong belt, and when you add in the physical nature of the production (all those stairs!) it's really a beast. Sonya or Helene seem like much likelier opportunities for star casting- fun roles with a plum song each, and not nearly as challenging to sing or act.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/13/17 at 11:27pm

Reality check: no one has a clue how it will sell post-Groban.  The show as a brand/name value -- at B'way prices, not in the rarefied climate of prior iterations  -- is hardly proven. The Groban outs have not sold well, and you can find it on the board at most performances -- with Groban.  I liked the show a lot, and love the score; but loved Groban's contribution a great deal.  I cannot imagine the average ticket buyer paying these top prices without someone comparable. Which as many have noted, is hard to find. This will not automatically be a big seller over the summer. (See Tonys.) If there's a substantial advance after July 2nd, it's big news. 

[Dysquith13]

Posted: 6/13/17 at 11:54pm

I have tickets for early October, and I'm praying with all of my heart Grace McLean is still in it.

Aside from that, I'm sadly not 100% sure if it can keep going strong, especially if running costs are as high as I imagine. I'd love to be proven wrong, though. At least let it PLEASE have a longer run than On Your Feet!

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:00am

would the Great Comet go back to off-broadway (similar to Avenue Q?) I'll admit I enjoyed the show a lot more when it was in the Kazino tent.

[rebmashow]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:25am

trpguyy said: "A big female name will be announced soon."

Pretty sure it's Ingrid Michaelson for Sonya. Brittain's posted about her before and Ingrid's going to announce something on the Today Show.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:34am

*ding ding ding*

[curel1]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:36am

rebmashow said: "trpguyy said: "A big female name will be announced soon."

Pretty sure it's Ingrid Michaelson for Sonya. Brittain's posted about her before and Ingrid's going to announce something on the Today Show.

 

"

She's a big name?

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:39am

Wow, that's pretty... perfect casting.

[3GamesToLove]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:40am

Oooo. Wonder if she's stepping in in Brittain's pre-announced break (July 3-August15) or after? I have tickets For Augusr 1st.

Updated On: 6/14/17 at 12:40 AM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:41am

I would love to see Ingrid in a show. I don't think it'll be nearly as good as Sara Bareilles in Waitress but I've also loved her music for a long time. Though I do think Brittain works very well in the show (but I know everyone doesn't share that opinion). I don't think Ingrid is as expressive of a performer as Sara but there's no reason she couldn't do one big emotional song. 

But when stunt casting for a female performer was mentioned I was really thinking of someone playful and charming taking on Helene. It's not as easy to sing as Chicago, at least the way Amber does it, but it does feel like more fun for a big name to want to do.

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:42am

curel1 said: "rebmashow said: "trpguyy said: "A big female name will be announced soon."

Pretty sure it's Ingrid Michaelson for Sonya."

She's a big name?"

I was wondering the same thing. 

[Willie4316]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:50am

It might be the best decision. Pierre we'll have to wait till the fall, and everyone's contracts run till November, which by then could bring a name for Natasha or Helene. Anatole would be very difficult to stunt cast. Not only does the role require a range most celebrities don't have, it's extremely physical and requires the ability to play violin (unless they simply add another ensemble member who can play violin) 

[leighmiserables]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 12:59am

Big Apple2 said: "curel1 said: "rebmashow said: "trpguyy said: "A big female name will be announced soon."

Pretty sure it's Ingrid Michaelson for Sonya."

She's a big name?"

I was wondering the same thing. 

 

"

She's a big name to a demographic of people that I feel like Comet already has a handle over: the "indie pop" crowd. If anything, it's just going to make those people come again (I'm planning to see the show for the third time next week, but now I'm going to start planning a fourth trip.) She definitely won't be much of a draw, though. But I could (hopefully) be wrong.

[HSky]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 1:13am

Willie4316 said: "Anatole would be very difficult to stunt cast. Not only does the role require a range most celebrities don't have, it's extremely physical and requires the ability to play violin (unless they simply add another ensemble member who can play violin)"

I saw Blaine Krauss as Anatole tonight, he didn't play the violin during that segment, just dance around with what looked like a handkerchief in hand.
 

Updated On: 6/14/17 at 01:13 AM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 1:44am

leighmiserables said: "

She's a big name to a demographic of people that I feel like Comet already has a handle over: the "indie pop" crowd. If anything, it's just going to make those people come again (I'm planning to see the show for the third time next week, but now I'm going to start planning a fourth trip.) She definitely won't be much of a draw, though. But I could (hopefully) be wrong.

Her concerts seem to sell out very quickly but those are one or two night things. Not a kind of residency like Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden or any of those Vegas shows. She's had hits on the radio and in movies and commercials but I feel like I could talk to 10 random people and maybe 3 of them might know her name. Because I want Comet to stay at the Imperial for a good long time, if she is the celebrity get I hope I'm wrong and she sells lots of tickets. 

[bear88]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 3:43am

I would love to be wrong, because I think Great Comet is a fantastic show that I would happily see multiple times if I lived near New York, but I just have my doubts about its staying power. It seems like the hope was that bringing in a mainstream star like Josh Groban would draw crowds and that, along with stellar reviews and possibly some major Tony wins, would allow it to keep running after Groban and the original cast leaves.

It's worked, up to a point, but Great Comet hasn't turned into the must-see show of the season. Instead of Hamilton, or anything close, it seems more like a combination of Hedwig and Fun Home, acclaimed musicals that have a cult following and a relatively short Broadway run. Hedwig steadily lost steam after Neil Patrick Harris left, and it must be a much cheaper show to stage than Great Comet. And Fun Home also has a small cast and is easy to tour.

For many people, myself included, the show is the star. But it doesn't have an easy hook to draw audiences, and the mix of mainstream Josh Groban fans and an avant garde downtown musical was always a weird fit. (The irony, for me, is that I knew almost nothing about Groban and was more interested in seeing the musical, and I thought he was fantastic.) Oak will draw some curious Hamilton fans, but even if that bit of "stunt casting" works, they have to do it again in three months.

[Lot666]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 9:19am

haterobics said: "If you are interested in exchanging your tickets for another performance of THE GREAT COMET before it closes on January 7, 2018, you may use our Online Exchange tool"

Is that the legit closing date, ya think? Or just motivation to get people to reschedule in the current block of tickets?"

I suspect that they are giving that date simply because it's currently the "on sale through" date. If they didn't specify a cut-off date, then people could request a date for which tickets are not and may never be on sale. I don't think it necessarily means that the show will definitely close at that time, but they can't offer to exchange tickets for dates that aren't on sale.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 9:29am

There are so many potential great Natasha replacements I can think of, some who'll bring box office numbers, some who might not as much. Not gonna lie - I'd love to see Rihanna in the role, even if she does a bit poppy renditions of the aria. I doubt they'd get her to be replacement, but hey Carly did it (yes I know riri is a much bigger name). Pippa might always come back. I was very pissed that Rhiannon Giddens did not get her debut in Shuffle Along, and she could really knock either Helene or Natasha out of the park.

[Theatricality]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 9:35am

Valentina3 said: "Not gonna lie - I'd love to see Rihanna in the role, even if she does a bit poppy renditions of the aria."

 

Delete your account.

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 9:49am

Valentina3 said: Not gonna lie - I'd love to see Rihanna in the role, even if she does a bit poppy renditions of the aria. I

"

[Lot666]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 9:52am

ACL2006 said: "Valentina3 said: Not gonna lie - I'd love to see Rihanna in the role, even if she does a bit poppy renditions of the aria. I"

"

Okay, I did laugh out loud.

[reginula]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 10:16am

When the "big name" thing was posted, I thought of something from the Hollywood universe, so my brain said "Oh! Oh! Anna Kendrick as Princess Mary!" 

I support your celebrity dream casts, pals. 

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 10:25am

Sorry to disappoint. "Big" is a relative term -- big enough to sell arenas is "big" to me, and I did qualify that she might not be a very big box office draw...

[schubox]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 10:29am

Seeing it for the second time on the 5th, so I think that's Oak's third show. Am excited to see him, my gf is going to be crushed Brittain is going to be out. She loves her. 

[sondmon]

Posted: 6/14/17 at 11:05am

How about Michelle Williams?