Has "The Cort Curse" been broken?

[AC126748]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 11:40am

For as long as I could remember, the Cort was considered the theatre where shows went to die. After Nicole Kidman's turn in THE BLUE ROOM in 1998, the theatre seemed to host flop after flop after flop for a decade straight. Many blamed this on the theatre's undesirable location (between 6th and 7th Aves.) and second balcony. But in the last two years, this particular theatre has been on an up-turn, with four hits in a row: THE 39 STEPS; YOU'RE WELCOME, AMERICA; A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE; and FENCES. Word is that Denzel handpicked the Cort for the latter show. TIMES STANDS STILL has tapped it for the fall already. It seems like the Cort has gone from a flop house to one of the most sought-after theatres on Broadway in a short amount of time. Thoughts?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 11:48am

The curse will only continue to be broken if big name stars have shows there. I don't think you'll see te kind if attendance with TIME STANDS STILL that they've had for the past three shows.

[angelplays]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 11:48am

At least in terms of the most recent three, they have been limited runs. (I'm not sure about the show that won't die - aka The 39 Steps.) It will be interesting to see how Time Stands Still does if it's not limited (and assuming they don't cancel the transfer when/if they lose the Tony). It seems that as a rule limited runs do better because people know they have a finite time in which to see something as opposed to an open ended run where people are more likely to procrastinate.

[wonkit]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 2:24pm

And THE HOMECOMING recouped there, too, if I am remembering correctly.

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 2:28pm

Sadly, you are remembering incorrectly.

"The Homecoming" barely recouped any of its costs (my friend's dad was an investor). I'm not even certain it returned anything, but if it did return something, it was minimal at best.

[wonkit]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 5:54pm

bwaynut - sorry! But thank your friend's Dad for putting up the $$$$$$ - I loved HOMECOMING and went several times. My first Pinter.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 6:00pm

So, does this mean 1998 is as far back as you can remember? For a 98 year-old theatre, it's probably seen its share of hits. But yeah, some houses seem to go through cycles of flop runs. The Shaftesbury in London was known to have been cursed for a while until Hairspray came along.

[AC126748]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 8:09pm

Mister Matt, you answer your own question in your post. I was specifically referring to the last 10-12 years at the Cort, which were a period of flop after flop after flop. In no way was I referring to the entire 98-year history of this particular theatre.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/21/10 at 8:18pm

It was the "for as long as I could remember..." bit I found puzzling. I guess you're too young to remember anything more than 10-12 years ago.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 5/22/10 at 8:51am

If having a second balcony penalized the Cort, look again. As I said in another thread, I sat in the steeply banked second balcony for FENCES and discovered how very fine it was, with excellent sight lines and not feeling far away from the stage. And if I am correct that there was no amplification for FENCES, the acoustics of the Cort are remarkable--I heard everyone on stage perfectly.