HONEYMOON IN VEGAS struggling on Broadway- Page 8

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 10:56pm

Personally, I hated If/Then. It is very very boring, and its a lot of Idina switching lives the whole show. On The Town was eh. Loved Honeymoon In Vegas at Paper Mill; hopefully I will get to see it when I'm hope for Spring Break (hopefully it's still running). It seems like people either really love it or really hate it. Hedwig is awesome. Other great shows with lotteries: Kinky Boots, Matilda, The Book of Mormon, Aladdin. I think Beautiful is definitely worth seeing (morning rush). A Gentlemans Guide is also really great too (morning rush also).

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 10:59pm

ebontoyan, just out of curiosity, why are you staying away from this show? I kinda find it fascinating how people are so turned off by this show, but yet Book of Mormon is a smash hit

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 11:06pm

Oh my God. I can't even imagine walking out of something whether it's live theatre or a movie. Maybe things will change in the next decade when my time becomes more valuable than my disposable income. I've seen the movie version of On The Town (though I know it's very different from the stage production). I've watched a lot of the promotional videos and Alysha's vlogs but I still don't have that feeling that I'm really going to enjoy it.

I already have my tickets for On the Twentieth Century. As soon as they went on sale I jumped on it. I'm torn on whether I want to listen to the OBC album before I go see it. The last thing I got to see Kristin in was The Apple Tree (she was AHMAHZING) and I've wanted to see Peter Gallagher in something for ages. I used to listen to clips of him doing Annie Get Your Gun with Patti Lupone all the time.

(Sorry for getting a little off track.)

[acekatherineplumber2]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 11:10pm

VintageSnarker: You should go see If/Then for sure! Granted, I haven't seen the three other shows you're entertaining, so I haven't exactly got a basis of comparison. Regardless, I loved If/Then enough that I saw it twice and walked out of the theater beaming each time, and not just because I got to see Idina perform. I truly love the show itself.

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 11:13pm

Philly pinto I didn't like the movie, thought it was boring and just didn't want to spend my $$ on it. But just my opinion. Last season I took a chance and got tix to Rocky and I haven't even seen any of the movies. And to my surprise, I loved it (proly one of the few who did lol) and sad it closed too soon! I did get to c 2x before it closed. People just have different tastes...

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 11:20pm

I loved Rocky too!

[acekatherineplumber2]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 11:21pm

ebontoyan: I'm in the same boat with you, with respect to Rocky. I hadn't seen the movies either and wasn't expecting all that much and was pleasantly surprised.

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 11:22pm

VintageSnarker, I probably have more decades on you...but I don't make it a habit of walking out unless totally unbearable! Glad to hear you got tix to OTTC. I got mine too, in addition to Kristin and Peter the show stars Andy Karl. He was awesome in Rocky!!! Just my opinion of course :)

[Primrose804]

Posted: 2/2/15 at 11:51pm

Hi everyone!
I have never written a post on any message board here EVER so please be patient with me.....! I have been reading a ton of these threads as of late. Some of which I find quite entertaining, ha! And I will tell you why:
I am a part of 3 different shows that all are "broadway bound". All 3 of them have different time lines but all have had workshops and 2 shows have had out-of-town tryouts/workshops/readings in the past few years. The reason I am responding on this thread is that I find it fascinating. Truly! I have learned so much and a lot of you seem to be very knowledgeable on the subject of shows closing/reviews/etc...(not everyone seems to be knowledgeable but I'll let you all discern who I am talking about for yourselves). 2 of my shows are on the brink of transferring to broadway. Actually "chomping at the bit" is more of a correct description.

I am not sure if any/all of you are aware of how a show getting a broadway theatre works (forgive me as I don't know any of you) but if the Shubert Organization, Nederlander Organization, or Jujamycn Organization come to your workshop or out-of-town tryout and like your show, they have a meeting with the lead producer and general manager. Then they decide if that show should be put on their "list"..... This list is basically a list of future broadway productions that will go into one of that organization's theatres when it is "time".

I have not seen "Honeymoon in Vegas" although I have quite a few friends involved in the production, and actually am planning on seeing it this week possibly. I have heard great things about "Honeymoon" and not-so-great things about "Honeymoon" from various people. I can tell you that someone who was involved in the production told me that the reason "Honeymoon" previewed so long was because they wanted to secure the Nederlander Theatre as quickly as possible which is why they moved in September/October of this past year. THEN they found out that Ben Brantley (who gave "Honeymoon" a glowing review at Paper Mill a year and a half ago) was going to be out-of-town until the beginning of January......This is why they had such a long preview process. They wanted to assure their show got a rave review from Brantley of the NY Times. Which it did. They were hoping that that rave review from the NY Times would assure it's success on broadway. I have also been told from a source that a ton of money has been thrown at this show to hope it lasts until TONY noms, but it likely won't make it until then.
I don't know anything about when the show will close or if it will stay open, but I can tell you that every show has different producers attached to it and this show is an anomaly. It depends on how much the lead producer is willing to continue to put into the production. I have a feeing it will close within the next 4-5 weeks, but I am not positive. Really who can be positive about that right?

Also, "On the Town" I have heard will continue it's run until the TONY nominations because they have a "reserve" of money to make it until end of April when the TONY nominations come out. I don't think "On the Town" will be announcing it's closing date until those nominations are announced. This is coming from someone who has been told what number on the list the shows I am involved in are on the Shubert, Nederlander, and Jujamycn lists. Believe me there are A LOT of shows in line for these theatres, and those shows that are waiting in line are ready to claim their space. Some shows are putting off their announcement because they are waiting for the right theatre, some shows are willing to take any theatre that opens up. It is a game of puzzle pieces. Quite interesting I think.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 12:40am

"not everyone seems to be knowledgeable but I'll let you all discern who I am talking about for yourselves"

are you talking about me?

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 12:55am

"are you talking about me?"

Is that all you got from that person's entire post? We're talking about Broadway, who cares.

Updated On: 2/3/15 at 12:55 AM

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 1:23am

I want to know what shows he's working on, and if he was referring to me or not. I think he was...so rude

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 1:40am

"are you talking about me?"

The novelty of you has really worn off.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 1:54am

I KNOW RIGHT!! The people on these boards just get to me!

[haterobics]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 3:09am

"Hedwig (I was waiting for JCM), On the Town (I haven't really been grabbed by any of the promotional materials), Honeymoon in Vegas (the mixed word of mouth put me off), and If/Then."

Do the Hedwig lottery again and again and again until you get in, it is worth missing the other three shows entirely to catch Hedwig once. Although, given the schedules, the others do have shows when Hedwig doesn't, so I suppose you can try them on Hedwig's off days.

I do love If/Then, though. The songs are great. Idina is at the top of her game. I plan to see this twice before it closes yet (well, once... I'm already booked for the final show).

I'm seeing On the Town tonight, so I'm interested to finally see it. I was supposed to see it in November, but then my family was debating a Thanksgiving gathering that never materialized, but I flipped some of my mid-November shows to early 2015 just in case, including OTT.

"I want to know what shows he's working on..."

What sane person involved in three Broadway-bound shows would out themselves like that?! And who assumes anyone successful is a man?

"THEN they found out that Ben Brantley (who gave "Honeymoon" a glowing review at Paper Mill a year and a half ago) was going to be out-of-town until the beginning of January."

Whoa, what a gamble... and one that ultimately didn't pay off. I mean, sure, they got the good review, but no one seems to care. I didn't hate the show by any means, but it is ultimately a very strange show and definitely hard to market.

"I kinda find it fascinating how people are so turned off by this show, but yet Book of Mormon is a smash hit"

What's the connective tissue here?! BOM is known for pushing the edge with its content, especially with regards to religion, etc. HIV is meant to be a fun romp, but people are pushed away by some of the story's inherent misogyny, among other issues.

Honestly, I think HIV is getting a bit of a pass because it was a movie. If someone brought this to stage as an original concept, it would be picked apart a lot more. Take my girlfriend away for the weekend? Flying Elvises? What exactly is this show?! I mean, I had issues with the book to The Last Ship, but since this is a known property, you sort of have to accept the known quantities here in a way you don't with original works.

Not that anyone was clamoring for HIV...

Updated On: 2/3/15 at 03:09 AM

[Sushisake]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 7:11am

Personally, I loved this show. Saw it once at Papermill, once in previews and went to Opening Night. I suppose it is not catching on because the movie (I refuse to refer to it as a "film") - was just plain lousy. The fact is, the creators of the musical did so much more with the material. That being said, I would like to see this show run; however, the writing is on the wall and I think they will hold out until Tony nominations. Still, it is inevitable that the public simply will not buy it - sort of like what happened with ROCKY (which I also thoroughly enjoyed). So, we wait and see - when closing is announced, I will grab a ticket to be at the final performance, as I really think that this is one of the best shows I have seen in a very long time. As for ON THE TOWN, I also really enjoyed seeing this. It's a Broadway classic and is chock full of talent. For anyone going to New York, I would not miss either of these shows. Just my opinion.



Updated On: 2/3/15 at 07:11 AM

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 9:20am

Primrose, thanks for sharing, but most of what you posted is common knowledge here.

[haterobics]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 11:15am

"As for ON THE TOWN, I also really enjoyed seeing this. It's a Broadway classic and is chock full of talent."

Yeah, I can't wait to see it tonight. Although I did see it in the 90s?! So, it hasn't been that long...

Updated On: 2/3/15 at 11:15 AM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 4:18pm

"This abbreviations, HMIV and HinV are cute, but you're all skirting around the issue - nobody wants to go see HIV The Musical."

I wanted to say basically this, but didn't want to sound insensitive to people with the disease. It's a terrible abbreviation.

[Sushisake]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 4:48pm

People should refer to ANY show by the actual name of the show - then this would not be an issue. I suppose laziness has crept into our society such that ridiculous abbreviations (as unfortunate as they may be), distract from the conversation at hand.

Updated On: 2/3/15 at 04:48 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 5:03pm

Why? That's like saying its horrid for people to have a nickname.

[Sushisake]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 5:19pm

"Honeymoon" or "Vegas" would be nickname enough; yet people prefer to draw a similarity between the initials of this show and a dreadful medical condition. I see that some have tried to alter these initials to be less associated with said condition - and that's great - but others choose to keep coming back to it, even so much as calling it HIV The Musical. Can we grow up, at least a bit?

[gypsy101]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 5:24pm

That's like always having to call A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by its whole monstrous title instead of Forum, ditto with How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying instead of How to Succeed.
Granted, Honeymoon in Vegas is a much shorter title.

Updated On: 2/3/15 at 05:24 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 5:25pm

But your statement included ALL musicals, not just this one with an unfortunate set of initials.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 2/3/15 at 5:37pm

Honestly, as a tourist, I don't get into the abbreviations at all. You see marketing posters, billboards, website ads, and they don't have abbreviations. But Honeymoon in Vegas is crippled by its association with a crappy movie, first and foremost, and all the other things that go along with "Vegas." It has far, far more problems than "HIV."