Hair To Close

on Broadway the day after its London production brings its curtain down.
Producers are about to announce the New York closing for Sept 5th but it is widely expected it could be a few weeks earlier than that date as they watch the box office.

Updated On: 6/8/10 at 06:08 AM

Good we decided to see in in NY, but sad lots won't have the privilege to see this awesome production.Do i hear recession.

Again with the pricing! Top price is £65 on Hair, yes, but every other price band is cheaper than the equivalent on Legally Blonde - and there are day seats rather than a lotto.

It IS clear that people didn't want to see Hair - and by people, I mean people with money. As with Spring Awakening, it struck a chord with young people, but not with their parents...

And while I'm sure Legally Blonde is doing BETTER (film recognition, TV/pop stars, more family friendly, wouldn't say it's better or worse than Hair), I don't think we really know how its box office is doing generally and whether it's making a lot each week. Anyone of our ticketing agency spies have any ideas?

Why are producers in the West End making the same mistakes on hair as Spring Awakening?

Where is the next generation to sweep in and take over?

What's meant by young? Both times I went the majority of the audience was over 40. There were a few teens & 20s upfront and a few families at the back but it was no younger a crowd than love never dies.

Re the broadway one closing, it's had a pretty good run.

"Where is the next generation to sweep in and take over?"

Producing fringe theatre, because no-one has any investor contacts in their 20s, or running touring companies.

People like Matthew Byam Shaw are the "next generation" (he only started producing in the early 00s and he's, what, 40-something?) and he was one of the producers on Spring Awakening! The only wunderkind who hasn't turned out to be a fraudster seems to be Jamie Hendry (again, one of the producers on Spring Awakening) and he's not producing things on his own at all as far as I can see - even the Notes From... shows are co-productions with Paul Spicer I think.

I don't want to sound like an apologist for Hair - I would have told you it would flop the minute they announced it. But I don't think it's as simple as "the producers don't know what they're doing" - Cameron Mackintosh has somehow kept Avenue Q running for a fairly long time now on lukewarm reviews and low prices despite being even LESS tourist-friendly than Hair.

No surprise there, considering the recent grosses!

Broadway never gives much notice it is closing a production.

I would of thought The Producers would of held out til labor day.

Its not just a producing error
Bottom line UK audiences dont seem to be open to anything without a star name, familiar score, based on, or cast by a relaity show.

Our musical theatre scene is a joke

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