HERE LIES LOVE closing November 26 — Page 2

Peppa222 said: "I loved this show but what an example of poor producing."

Oh I disagree. The producers tried every angle to try to generate sales. I don't think this would have fared ANY better with a different producer, with the possible exception of opening in the spring instead of summer. It might hav eclosed more quickly with a producer who couldn't afford to keep it afloat and didn't believe in it.

I still think this will get 8 or 9 Tony nominations on its worst day. Musical, Directing & Choreo, Score, 2-3 Acting noms, 4 Design noms, Book(?). Think back to things like SCOTTSBORO BOYS getting a slew of nominations. This is a highly nominatable show.

Updated On: 11/7/23 at 01:34 PM

I wonder if Hal Luftig wishes he’d stopped at Kinky Boots.

Broadway61004 said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I still think this will get 8 or 9 Tony nominations on its worst day. Musical, Directing & Choreo, Score, 2-3 Acting noms, 4 Design noms, Book(?). Think back to things like SCOTTSBORO BOYS getting a slew of nominations."

Maybe, but Scottsboro opened 5 months later into the season and in a much less competitive year (10 new musicals and 2 revivals vs 13 new musicals and 5 revivals (and counting)). And was much more acclaimed than this was. So, we'll see."

Yes but Scottsboro closed only two weeks later in the calendar year than HLL. It played only 79 perfs (incl previews); HLL will have played 182 perfs (incl previews). I assume they've also re-invited nominators to see it twice, with their choice of sitting or standing. It certainly won't be the only show closed by the time nominations come out, and some that are still running might barely get recognized (like BTTF).

It's all premature, but the length of this show's run should not greatly impact its nomination haul. (Winning anything is a different story)

TaffyDavenport said: "FYI code HLPARTY still works on Telecharge Offers for the final performance."

Good to know there's a discount, I might use it to see it again, but it's too little too late for so many people that were just priced out from the beginning when discounts disappeared. Coming into the fall, there should have been so much more out there to keep sales going.

I actually think a different directed concept of this show down the line may make this show stronger.

It was trying to do something and I don't think it fully succeeded but it was a valiant attempt at a concept, and I think a different director could find it. It feels ripe for an Encores production someday.

everythingtaboo said: "TaffyDavenport said: "FYI code HLPARTY still works on Telecharge Offers for the final performance."

Good to know there's a discount, I might use it to see it again, but it's too little too late for so many people that were just priced out from the beginning when discounts disappeared. Coming into the fall, there should have been so much more out there to keep sales going."

I've seen this 4 times with a discount code each time - they've been plentiful?

Well you make the world of broadway only financially viable to the wealthy upper class white ticket buyer as the primary audience member, then you are suddenly only catering to them every time and you run the risk they are gonna decide that they can't immediately relate to it and not put their money towards it.

Broadway said "let's be more diverse" but then changed nothing about how expensive broadway is at all. That's what's so gross. And then they want to blame the shows flopping on "there just wasn't an audience"

BS. There was an audience.

You just rather line your pockets than let this art actually be seen by the people who need to see it and would connect with it and then blame the art when it flops.

The $99 tix I got for this were the least I’ve paid for a Broadway show in years. (Advance/non-TKTS tickets I mean.) When it can cost upwards of $30 for a premium-format movie (in a red state’s suburbs; not even in an expensive metro), $99 for a large-scale “immersive” Broadway show seems like a relative bargain. HLL seems to have offered many opportunities for lower-than-usual ticket pricing as the ongoing discounts seem to show. Just my $.02.

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Well you make the world of broadway only financially viable to the wealthy upper class white ticket buyer as the primary audience member, then you are suddenly only catering to them every time and you run the risk they are gonna decide that they can't immediately relate to it and not put their money towards it.

Broadway said "let's be more diverse" but then changed nothing about how expensive broadway is at all. That's what's so gross. And then they want to blame the shows flopping on "there just wasn't an audience"

True, but although I’m not an economist. I don’t think there are any simple ways to make Broadway tickets less expensive outside of student rush and things like that.

I also don’t think it’s prudent to always assume potential BIPOC ticketbuyers are poor or can’t afford Broadway prices. If half of all adult, middle class, Asian Americans in the tri-state area had bought tickets to Here Lies Love, it would be sold out for like, three years. There just wasn’t enough interest.

There’s also no avoiding the fact that some non-White cultures are generally less inclined to attend the theatre or enjoy certain kinds of plays, and it is going to take a long time for the American Theatre to shake off its reputation as “a White people thing.” The We See You White American Theatre movement was led by BIPOC artists who wanted more jobs, not ticketbuyers. It seems that Broadway and regional theatres have been saying, "Hey! Here are more shows about brown people! You're welcome!" and the general response from a lot of BIPOC Americans is "Um, thanks, but we never actually asked for that."

Updated On: 11/7/23 at 03:45 PM

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I honestly feel like audiences are straight up rejecting all of these attempts to make Broadway more diverse and have BIPOC stories told unless it's about Michael Jackson or has a movie star in it. A Strange Loop, For Colored Girls, Paradise Square, Ain't No Mo', Fat Ham...add Here Lies Love to the list of shows that people just didn't show up for. Limited runs have done okay, but commercial productions have generally not done well financially."

You could say the EXACT same thing about largely white shows like Mr. Saturday Night, Mrs. Doubtfire, Company, Sidney Brustein, Almost Famous, Hangmen, POTUS, Dana H/Is This A Room, Pictures From Home, Once Upon A One More Time, Dancin, NYNY, Shucked, and Walking With Ghosts.

People aren't showing up for a lot of things on a sustainable level.

Interest comes from many different angles but it's way too reductive to blame it on race, and it's not as simple as trying to appeal to 1/2 or even 1/4 of Asian American citizens of the tristate, but this isn't an argument that I feel like wading any further into today.

Updated On: 11/7/23 at 04:03 PM

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Well you make the world of broadway only financially viable to the wealthy upper class white ticket buyer as the primary audience member, then you are suddenly only catering to them every time and you run the risk they are gonna decide that they can't immediately relate to it and not put their money towards it.

Broadway said "let's be more diverse" but then changed nothing about how expensive broadway is at all. That's what's so gross. And then they want to blame the shows flopping on "there just wasn't an audience"

BS. There was an audience.

You just rather line your pockets than let this art actually be seen by the people who need to see it and would connect with it and then blame the art when it flops.



To paraphrase the great Yogi Berra "If the people don’t want to come out to the theater, nobody’s going to stop them."

HLPARTY doesn't work anymore for the last 3 days of performances.

Updated On: 11/7/23 at 04:31 PM