IN THE HEIGHTS Opening March 9, 2008 At Richard Rodgers

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:04pm

The uptown world of Washington Heights will make its way to midtown — into Broadway's Richard Rodgers — in early 2008, when producers Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman place In the Heights there.

Previews for the hip-hop and salsa-spiked musical comedy will begin Feb. 14, 2008, toward a March 9 opening. Enthusiastic crowds and encouraging critics greeted a January-July 2007 Off-Broadway run of the accessible, romantic show about a community of immigrant dreamers who live and love in far-uptown Manhattan, where the George Washington Bridge gleams as a metaphor in the sky. (Bridges, journeys, islands and distant shores are images conjured throughout the show.)


In the Heights Will Play Broadway's Richard Rodgers Starting February 2008

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:09pm

I wonder if it will be as hard to see stuff for this show as it was with "Rawrzan"

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:17pm

That theatre is WAY too big.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:17pm

wow- that's great news !! Just one question though ? Why is it taking them soo long to open after Tarzan (almost 8 mos! )

Yankee- youre right again about the Nederlander Theater, huh?

J*
Updated On: 7/26/07 at 03:17 PM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:22pm

Deena - which theatre would you have recommended instead? I think the Rodgers will be the perfect space for this show. The staging will just need to be expanded for Broadway, which is to be expected with many Off-Broadway to Broadway transfers.

[Becky]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:23pm

I'm not sure why anyone ever believed it would go into the Nederlander. Nothing about that rumor made any sense.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:25pm

Why's it opening so late? What are they going to do until then?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:28pm

I cannot see how this show will survive. Didn't it have trouble selling tix off-broadway?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:28pm

Perhaps a limited run of FOLLIES or GYPSY can occupy the theatre in the meantime.

I think it's smart to wait until closer to the Tonys to open, similar to the way DROWSY did and got a big boost as a result.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:29pm

Almost ever press release and article about this show for the past month has stated that they will be closing the show off- broadway in order to do reworking and rewrites before the Broadway run.

And... YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY IN THE HEIGHTS! SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS NEWS.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:30pm

Because the producers were smart. Exactly what Foster said. They know their show may not run that long, so opening in the winter months and having to sustain through the tough first part of the year was not even an option. It makes more sense to open around the Tony time and get the momentum building. They're not an instantly recognizable name, so they need the Tony exposure.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:31pm

Bobby, the show sold wonderfully Off-Broadway, which is the reason why it was repeatedly extended, resulting in a 7-month run.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:32pm

In The Heights was selling EXTREMELY well at the end of its run at 37Arts. And if it wasn't sold out for the entire off- broadway run, that doesn't directly correlate to Broadway failure. In fact, I remember Spring Awakening being reasonably easy to get tickets to during its run at the Atlantic, up until the last few weeks. And then BAM.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:36pm

I imagine the time lapse is to give them ample opportunity to air the stench out of the theatre.

[broadwayboy1017]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:42pm

BIG huge mistake

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:47pm

As the only original musical (i.e. no source material) currently set to open on Broadway this season, IN THE HEIGHTS is ambitious, heartfelt, clever, and yes, ORIGINAL.

I am so so thrilled about this. I think it's going to do so well. Whether it's the #1 commercial hit of the season or not, this show deserves to be on Broadway, reaching audiences.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:49pm

>As the only original musical (i.e. no source material) currently set to open on Broadway this season<

13?

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:52pm

13 hasn't been OFFICIALLY announced, as in: with a theatre and dates.

But I hope it does come too! Yay original musicals! [cue title of show]

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:54pm

From what I've heard, 13 is at least another season away. A producer friend of mine said it needs a LOT of work at this point.

As for ITH, if they can find a target audience like TCP has, it'll run. It's not really that good enough to run mainstream.

[TapTapTapioca]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:55pm

I think it's smart to wait until closer to the Tonys to open, similar to the way DROWSY did and got a big boost as a result.

Actually DROWSY did not do that on purpose. Drowsy was ready to transfer but there was no theatre that was suitable for Drowsy. Then at the last moment (February 19th) The Woman in White opened leaving a theatre that Drowsy could take. Drowsy moved in really as soon as possible on April 3.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:59pm

I realize that DROWSY didn't do that on purpose, but I was just pointing out that the show benefitted as a result of opening so close to the Tonys, regardless of whether it was an intentional move, and that IN THE HEIGHTS could similarly benefit.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 4:00pm

Isn't the Rodgers a big theatre? How well is this going to run there?

Posted: 7/26/07 at 4:08pm

Foster, the theatre is one of the bigger ones on Bway and with the show being more intimate might be better suited to the Music Box, Kerr or something of that size.

[WaltSummersPI]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 4:11pm

With CATERED AFFAIR having booked the Kerr (first preview, here I come!), there weren't many good options.

Posted: 7/26/07 at 4:13pm

Oh, right... well, any other smaller theatre would be better.