Interesting YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Article in Today's NY Times

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 8:29pm

Thought you guys might enjoy this one- very interesting, and also quite nice to hear Sillerman admit what a jackass he was and how he single-handedly doomed this show.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/theater/25fran.html?ref=theater

Updated On: 11/25/08 at 08:29 PM

[cantstandbrody]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 8:37pm

He is a jackass !! NO doubt . I M O i think him annoucing the show was closing to the cast and crew DURING Christopher Fitzgerald's Last show happy trails was extremely low class !!It was emotional enough(for roger and others ) with Chris leaving and oh by the way you're out of a job cuz im a jack ass i think i know how to market a Broadway show !!
Updated On: 11/24/08 at 08:37 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 8:44pm

I have a lot of respect for Sillerman being so self-depricating--in a New York Times article no less. Good for him for having the guts to admit he was wrong.

EDIT: Yeah, he should have waited until the next day to tell the cast about the closing.
Updated On: 11/24/08 at 08:44 PM

[mc1227]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 9:33pm

Very interesting article. Thanks for posting!

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 9:33pm

That's right, New York Times! RUB IT IN! RUB THE SALT IN DEEP!

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 9:38pm

Interesting article. I wonder how much Sillerman was taking the fall for Mel Brooks on some of the decisions and how much Brooks has been blamed for Sillerman's decisions.

Either way, nice they finally get how their actions drove the public's perceptions. Too bad the cast and crew have to suffer for their arrogance.

[mc1227]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 10:03pm

The cast and crew are never considered when the knives are being sharpened. People don't seem to care about the big picture. They just like to spew their venom. Too bad...In this economy, it will be difficult for many of these performers(not just from this show) to find jobs.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 1:11am

I don't buy his claim that they recouped.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 8:06am

Thanks for posting that!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 8:15am

Of course he's taking the fall for Brooks. The hubris surrounding this debacle will become legendary. Reading again about the prices -- oh, what irony, only a year later, amid a fiancial meltdown -- only stirs the pot. $450 bucks a seat?! It's beyond hubris; it's pathelogical greed and arrogance.

And to think that this silly little show would be the perfect 900 bucks night on the town for a sea of couples!

[morosco]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 9:40am

In that article everything gets blamed except for the quality of the material. Does the material even count anymore on Broadway?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 9:53am

The cast and crew are never considered when the knives are being sharpened. People don't seem to care about the big picture.

And what's the big picture? Medicore, overpriced, poorly marketed shows should run at a loss so the actors don't get put out of work?

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 11:25am

Sillerman was interviewed on Theater Talk on April 12th. he discussed this on the show. He talks about the mistakes he made with the pricing. You can see it online at their website in the past editions section.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 11:34am

If the nut is $600,000 and they have been taking in between $500,000 to $700,000, there is no way they can recoup.

[jv92]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 12:15pm

"The cast and crew are never considered when the knives are being sharpened. People don't seem to care about the big picture."

This puppies and rainbows **** really drives me bonkers. It's SHOW BUSINESS! Actors, stagehands, musicians and so on KNOW what to expect. Should we fill Broadway up with mediocre crap just so people can have jobs? I mean, shows have been closing for years. Why is it so tragic for actors now? Gypsies are gypsies for a reason. And Broadway isn't always the answer. There's tours, regional productions, Off-Broadway, Encores!. There's always a chance to work if you're talented.

[RockabyeHamlet]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 3:10pm

I love you JV.

[Anna_Elizabeth]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 3:34pm

At least he is admitting it. That's more than I can say for some other producers out there. Maybe this will wake up a few more people.

[show lover]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 4:04pm

This is what I was saying in my message The cost of Theater. Producers and investers have to come down to earth. Because one show is a hit does not make their next one an instant hit.
Even though it may be hard on us I think we have to stop going to the shows that charge high prices to show we want theater back to a reasonable price.

[noplain]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 4:33pm

To recoup on closing night they would need to be taking in an average of $849,027* a week. I don't believe that.

*calculated from 30 previews and 484 regular performances, with set up costs of $16 mil and weekly costs of $600000 - so it is probably a conservative estimate. Updated On: 11/25/08 at 04:33 PM

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 4:57pm

morosco-

Isn't that a shame? I was thinking that while reading the article. I think the show's cold reception certainly contained some reactions to the arrogance of Brooks and Sillerman, but it's also the show's mediocrity that kept it from being the hit they wanted, not just the overblown initial ticket prices. Many people would have paid the sky-high prices (they always do for the current hits) had it been something they had to see. Nobody felt they HAD to see this one.


jv92-

That was amazing. And true.

[justafan2]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 6:15pm

Well, I give him some credit for admitting their mistakes. Too bad --- hindsight is 20/20. I still enjoy this show.

[mc1227]

Posted: 11/25/08 at 8:14pm

I didn't think the show was that bad either. Would I pay premium prices? No, I wouldn't for any show. It was somewhat entertaining but I agree, it wasn't fantastic. I can say the same for Legally Blonde, SA, Mary Poppins and many others. They were ok but nothing fantastic. There's very few shows out there right now that are great quality.