I Think I Skip 2018 — Page 2

JBroadway said: "@Jarethan: I can't help but notice that even after all the commentspokingfun at the OP for only focusing on Broadway, you still wrote thatentire post as if Broadway were the only form of theatre that exists in NYC. I understand it can be hard for out-of-towners to begin wading into the world of Off-Broadway, but it's not fair to complain about having trouble filling your 8 slots when you are limiting yourself so drastically. You don't have to start byseeing experimental underground theatre in a dingy basement deep in Brooklyn right off the bat. You can go to The Public, Second Stage, Classic Stage, St. Ann's Warehouse, Signature, Playwright's Horizons, BAM, Theatre For a New Audience, MCC, MTC, Vineyard, Atlantic, NYTW, to name just some. These are reputable theatre companies who put on exciting new works and revivals by major playwrights, often with actors and directors you might also see on Broadway."

You raise a very good point. I have to admit that I always think of Broadway, because 98% of what I have seen in NYC has been in traditional Broadway theaters. Even though it is quite clear that there are a lot of off-Broadway productions I would like to see each year. Because so many off them are limited engagements, I am restricted to what is actually open when I am in the city. In this case, it is still a long way off, late May - early June; but I will remember that.

EDR1971 said: "So instead of producing shows that many non traditional theater goers might have interest in and possibly introduce new people to the medium we should let the theaters stay dark, let the actors, ushers, musicians, stage handsbe unemployed?

in addition, why can’t a show like Margaritaville be enjoyable? Why can’t Head over Heels succeed with the the work Riedel spoke about in his article?

And lastly, I saw Jerry Springer in London and at Carnegie Hall and who knows it could maybe transfer. There is your new show.

"

Oh, for Pete's sake, no one is saying that at all. We are talking about APPEAL. I'm sure to some, maybe many, this year's shows ARE interesting....but obviously, to many of us here, they are not. They don't seem to be my cup of tea.

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Ya know what's a bummer really?

If some of the new shows from 2017 had waited till this season, they would've had better chances of attention and word of mouth, and awards.

There were so many exciting new musicals last year, TOO manyand I think they all canceled each other out on some level. Dear Evan Hansen crawled to the top and became the darling with excellent word of mouth, and viral attention,and everything else got lost in the mix.

Now this year we have tourist attraction shows overwhelming the catalog of new shows and it's frustrating."

I have to say that I’m not certain it would’ve mattered when last season’s failed shows opened. Shows like Groundhog Day and Bandstand would’ve likely atruggled this season too. The Great Comet would’ve “failed” also, albeit for more complex reasons. It’s not easy to predict what will succeed on Broadway and what will not. But shows destined to find a sustained audience usually do. The Band’s Visit and Come From Away continue to succeed vibrantly against last season’s juggernauts Dear Evan Hansen and Hello Dolly! (as well as other Broadway mainstays from The Lion King to Hamilton to The Book of Mormon) while shows with good to great reviews like Once On This Island and Spongebob Squarepants are still struggling to connect. If they can’t connect in the current environment, I doubt the aforementioned shows would have either. It’s not likely that lots of people would say, “We don’t want to see Head Over Heels so I think we’ll see Groundhog Day or War Paint, instead.” They’d much more likely say, “I don’t want to see that new Cher musical so let’s see Kinky Boots or The School of Rock instead.”

I also think it’s a mistake to assume there is only a certain size of Broadway pie that shows must fight for a piece of. To a certain degree that may be true, but the size of that pie (can you tell I’m trying to diet? Lol) is not static. As Broadway revenues show, each year the pie gets bigger (although partially due to increasing box office prices).

Just my two cents.

Updated On: 1/12/18 at 10:12 AM