How much longer can "Chicago" last?- Page 2

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 5:03pm

This thread seems to be going around in circles. 

Why is Chicago still open? 

Because it has low costs and is still relatively popular and the theater is undesirable. 

The theater owners would make so much more money with a new super popular show. 

That might not necessarily happen. 

So why is Chicago still open?  

Because it has low costs..........and on and on and on.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 5:34pm

The circles are common around here and usually have the same cause: folks posting without learning  from that which preceded their post. It gets boring quickly. I'm just going to add one point and not repeat the other one I am tempted to reiterate. Regarding the undesirability, the FOH suffers because of the weird shape and also the size of the mezz which is roughly identical to the orchestra. Between that and the lack of wingspace or other storage options, it is a last choice and that creates a vicious circle that explains how few shows succeed there. Chicago was a good fit when it was asked to leave the Shubert almost 2 decades ago. Because it was basically the Encores staging. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 5:59pm

Very few cohesive book musicals are as modular as Chicago. It’s barely an ensemble piece at all, a series of solo turns and one or two big numbers, interspersed with a barely blocked book that still has lots of solo and duo stuff. There’s no other major show where it’s so easy to plug someone new in at any given moment, which is what makes it so amenable to a long run.

They say shows like Wicked are machines where the actors are almost secondary moving pieces to the whole enterprise… well, if Wicked is a machine, Chicago is one of the original ancient Simple Tools.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 7:12pm

SouthernCakes said: "What makes it so undesirable? It’s the only Broadway theater I’ve never been in.


it’s a good location though.


I saw the all female version at LCT and was reminded how great the show is."

I couldn’t believe what a dump that theatre is when I went to see Pamela Anderson there. The bathroom situation is totally ridiculous, in particular. 

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 7:21pm

Matt Rogers said: "I couldn’t believe what a dump that theatre is when I went to see Pamela Anderson there. The bathroom situation is totally ridiculous, in particular."

I've only been inside once about 15 years ago...what is the bathroom situation?

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 7:27pm

FANtomFollies said: "Matt Rogers said: "I couldn’t believe what a dump that theatre is when I went to see Pamela Anderson there. The bathroom situation is totally ridiculous, in particular."

I've only been inside once about 15 years ago...what is the bathroom situation?"

Well I can only speak for the men’s room but they only have one (1) extremely tiny men’s bathroom. I think there are like three urinals and two stalls or something like that. It’s pretty pathetic. 

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 8:25pm

I remember reading years ago that when the Shuberts kicked them out of the Shubert Theatre they got a CRAZY great lease/deal because of the move and because the house was so undesirable. I can see how they stay if there is no (or a VERY low) stop clause amount, reduced rent, etc as well as the Shuberts know they'd need to spend millions renovating when Chicago leaves and don't want to to oust them. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 9:50pm

@nasty You remember correctly. They wanted the Shubert (not surprisingly) for the Bernadette Gypsy. 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 10:12pm

Nolan LuPone said: "SouthernCakes said: "What makes it so undesirable? It’s the only Broadway theater I’ve never been in."

It’s not about the auditorium of the theater, but the backstage space. There just isn’t enough room for a big musical. Although, the auditorium itself isn’t great either. It’s a weird shape and the side sight-lines are horrible."

The backstage space is not the only area that is lacking in space.  The men's "salle de bain" is incredibly cramped.  I've only used it once.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 10:38pm

Can they do small renovations and upkeep in the day time while the show is running at night? I've never quite understood how these theaters fall into disrepair during long runs. Though, the only other example I've seen first hand was the Nederlander in the final years of Rent.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 10:45pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Can they do small renovations and upkeep in the day time while the show is running at night? I've never quite understood how these theaters fall into disrepair during long runs. Though, the only other example I've seen first hand was the Nederlander in the final years of Rent."

What I can't believe is they had two years of pandemic to give the Ambasasdor a sprucing up and two weeks after they reopened the marquee was so inundated with rain that it was flooding onto those trying to stand under it while trying to get in. The bathroom situation is made even worse now that the Crowne Plaza across the street locked up its toilets.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 10:50pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Is the backstage area actually that bad at the ambassador? Have never been back there but there’s many a theatre with poor backstage space and they “make it work.”"   I have been backstage more than once.  I entered through the entrance passage-way, check in with the stage door person and then go in.  From there, I proceeded to the front of the stage.  ** Here with Jason Patrick Sands.



 

Updated On: 8/15/22 at 10:50 PM

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 10:53pm

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/15/22 at 11:46pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Can they do small renovations and upkeep in the day time while the show is running at night? I've never quite understood how these theaters fall into disrepair during long runs."

I don't think the issue here is disrepair because of the long run –– it's the architecture & functionality of the space to begin with. The Nederlander was a dump before RENT moved in.

What the venue most desperately needs is an overhaul of its bathrooms and FOH (possibly losing some mez space for additional bathrooms), and that kind of thing is completely impossible with a show running. You can barely do any work when the longest time off is 48 hours. I expect the Shuberts have greater plans for renovation after Chicago eventually closes, hence no small upgrades in the interim. This is a historic building and would take months to design and get approvals, and then additional months of construction time; we had no idea how long the pandemic shutdown would last.

Updated On: 8/15/22 at 11:46 PM

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 12:10am

That’s a valid point!

i think the Lyceum could use some work and dusting but haven’t seen that happen either. 

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 3:15am

For those who weren't around at the time, the Ambassador sat empty from 1990-1995. That's how unpopular it was. Even the Nederlander Theatre was more utilized during that time. Still, in the years before Chicago, the Ambassador did manage to have a couple of winners in the 1990s and early 00s with Noise/Funk and Topdog/Underdog. 

When one day it is renovated, I'd love if they would recreate this FOH sign, as Jujamcyn did for the Ritz/Walter Kerr when it was restored. Vintage photos of the Ambassador interior also show a much more attractive house than how it looks presently. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 7:53am

The pandemic was the best time to do any renovation at the Ambassador and Majestic. It’s sad the Shuberts didn’t take advantage of the opportunity.

[IfIOnlyHadAHeart]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 1:49pm

From Playbill Ambassador Theatre Article:

"The plot at 215 West 49th Street presented a challenge to veteran theatre architect Herbert J. Krapp, being too narrow for a conventional theatre layout. The resourceful Krapp responded with an unorthodox configuration, placing the auditorium diagonally on the site."

There's legit no wing space able to support the needs of modern musicals:



 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 5:25pm

I have the view that, no matter what they do to mke the theatre more attractive, e.g., better bathrooms, non-threadbare carpeting, etc., the fundamental problem is not going to get settled.  There is not a Broadway theatre that has more terrible seats.  The side sections go on forever.  There are seats that are so aggravating to sit in that I would never consider sitting in them, even if it made the difference between seeing the show or not.  Chicago benefits from having no scenery, but the choreography has to look terrible from many of those seats.  

It should be the Shuberts' designated theatre for one or two person shows with no scenery.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 5:28pm

The Majestic Theater had tons of work done to its exterior during the pandemic. It was covered in scaffolding for months and months and there were a ton of work notices taped to the doors. 

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 6:55pm

The commercial viability of the theater, or other shows in the theater, is completely irrelevant. There is no stop clause. Chicago will run only when Barry Weissler decides to close it, which in his own words, is "never."

[HogansHero]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 11:19pm

one can never say never in the theatre. Of course it will eventually close and thus discussions of commercial viability etc can't be wholly irrelevant. Once again, it is well to remember that there are no rules.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/17/22 at 3:11am

I think it's valid to say that they didn't do any work on the theater because none of us knew how long the shutdowns were going to be. It just kept going and going and going. 

That said, it does seem an awful design for a theater. It's how I feel about the Winter Garden. The sides are just awful. Oval is a bad shape for a theater. 

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 8/17/22 at 3:52am

There will always be another washed-up starlet waiting in the wings.  I hope it lasts forever.  

[trpguyy]

Posted: 8/17/22 at 7:51am

HogansHero said: "one can never say never in the theatre. Of course it will eventually close and thus discussions of commercial viability etc can't be wholly irrelevant. Once again, it is well to remember that there are no rules. "

This is true, of course. What I meant is that the theater’s logistics and viability are irrelevant as to the longevity of its current tenant.