Posted: 12/13/15 at 4:48am
Hey guys! I'm just wondering how long Kelli has left with The King And I. I know some said she's staying till January, while others say she's extending past that. Any confirmation on this? If there's a recent thread already on this, please forgive me!
Posted: 12/13/15 at 6:06am
There are serious talks about bringing King and I in the West End with Kelli in late 2016/early 2017, I think it might depend on that.
Posted: 12/13/15 at 7:36am
Tickets on sale through June, and on Telecharge it lists dates in April at which she won't perform, so... sounds like she extended.
Posted: 12/14/15 at 1:40pm
Surprised that Kelli would play to a half empty theater on winter weekdays when she must have at least a half dozen other offers. But the dates are there on Telecharge and Lincoln Center Theater that she will be off as late as April 3rd.
She is also scheduled to appear in the City Center production of Dido and Aeneas on Thursday and Friday nights, April 28th and April 29th. Who could pass that up?
Maybe her contract extension allows her more time off to participate in other projects.
Posted: 12/14/15 at 1:42pm
You can guarantee she'll be there to June, whether or not she stays through the summer is the question
Posted: 12/14/15 at 1:47pm
OlBlueEyes said: "Surprised that Kelli would play to a half empty theater on winter weekdays when she must have at least a half dozen other offers."
Half-empty seating maps on Telecharge become a much different story once you factor in day-of-show discounts on TKTS. I did a Wednesday matinee recently and, in advance, there was hardly anyone seated in the two side section of the orchestra. By showtime, the front half of both sections were filled with it only trailing off slight as you went up further.
Posted: 12/14/15 at 8:43pm
Surprised that Kelli would play to a half empty theater on winter weekdays when she must have at least a half dozen other offers. But the dates are there on Telecharge and Lincoln Center Theater that she will be off as late as April 3rd.
The show has never been below 70% capacity in a week. I'm sure it'll dip a bit more in the winter but the show is far from dying. Also, it's a nice, stable paycheck which is pretty rare in this business, a phenomenal production, and a role she has wanted to play for a long time. I can see why she isn't in a rush to get out. I also don't know where the idea that offers just fly at you after winning a Tony come from. I'm sure she has some other offers to do musicals, but those come with time and travel and maybe risks of workshop and the potential that whatever she does will flop.
Posted: 12/16/15 at 12:45am
I can see how the Telecharge seating chart is not reliable. Thanks for that. I was also thinking of the weekly grosses report. If percent of full house is 70 percent, I would guess that the weekends would be 75 to 85 percent and weekdays only 55 to 65 percent.
Kelly has gone from Piazza to Pajama Game to South Pacific to Nice Work to Bridges to King and I. In the brief time between these major shows she has squeezed in Encores' Bells are Ringing, her opera debut in The Merry Widow and various concert performances. She is a real working actress and a box office draw. I can't imagine her being involuntarily unemployed for more than about an hour and a half, but I admit that I'm not in the business and don't know much about the importance of workshopping.
Posted: 12/16/15 at 5:49am
Is she a box office draw? She didn't seem to be a big draw for Bridges..
Posted: 12/16/15 at 8:14am
She's popular and has been involved in several successful productions, but her name alone has yet to successfully carry a commercial show.
Posted: 12/16/15 at 11:39am
qolbinau said: "Is she a box office draw? She didn't seem to be a big draw for Bridges.."
I wouldn't call her a draw per se, but we've seen that the show's grosses certainly tend to take a bit of a dip when she announces in advance that she won't be in.
