Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
LightsOut90
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/2/14
#1Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 12:33am
Deal closed yesterday, welcome to Broadway 2ST
helen-hayes-theatre-sold-for-25-million-fourth-nonprofit-on-broadway
After Eight
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/09
#2Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 7:08am
More bad news.
Time to go outside and enjoy the flowering trees of spring.
#3Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 10:34am
Yes, by all means, let's mourn the demise of a theatre that has brought us Rock of Ages, Colin Quinn, Slava's Snowshow, Jay Johnson, Kiki and Herb, and Jackie Mason, and its replacement by an operation that will bring new American plays, the sorts of things that contend for Pulitzer prizes. Enjoy your spring awakening...
#4Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 10:38am
^
#5Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 11:15am
I wonder what shows they are going to put in here. When is the theatre going to open?
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#6Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 11:20am
In what way is this bad news???
#7Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 11:34am
That's a bit selective- in recent memory it was home to the deliriously happy Xanadu and Golda's Balcony too!
#8Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 12:00pm
Devonian-I did not mention the successful or semi-successful shows. My point was that a majority of the shows booked into the Hayes would provide a damn good answer to the question "Name six shows that didn't belong in a Broadway theatre." I expect that 2ST will have its successes and its failures in the venue, just as they have in the current venues. But I don't think they are going to curate a series of variety acts there.
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#9Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 12:51pm
I just hate that we're losing a smaller musical house. It's already tough for a small musical to do well on Broadway. Just sucks we're losing out on one. But 2nd Stage does do musicals, and now with this added space maybe they can expand their wings a little. I just hope they stop producing that Paul Weitz/Zach Braff dribble.
#10Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 12:58pm
I agree RippedMan! The Helen Hayes was perfect for small musicals like Xanadu and Rock of Ages. It Shoulda Been You would have done well in this theatre too. The Honeymooners would do well in there also
#11Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 1:03pm
Recently Second Stage has done DOGFIGHT, NOBODY LOVES YOU and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE to name a few. They were also planning on the US premiere of AMERICAN PSYCHO. I'm not sure why everyone is reacting like they'll never produce a musical in the Helen Hayes again.
Bwaydide92
Leading Actor Joined: 5/16/12
#12Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 1:06pm
Whomever wrote the BWW article for this just skimmed the Deadline article, and not very well. They said Next to Normal was at the Helen Hayes, when it was at The Booth. The Deadline article clearly states that Rock of Ages, Xanadu, and Torch Song Trilogy were at the Helen Hayes, and that Next to Normal got its start at 2nd Stage.
Deadline: Although its size makes it a challenge to produce profitably, the Helen Hayes has shown with such long-running engagements as Rock of Ages, Xanadu and Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy that with careful management, money can be made. More important for Second Stage, it will provide the company, where such shows as the prize-winning musical Next To Normal got their start, with one of the 40 theaters eligible for Tony Awards.
BWW: The smallest Broadway theatre, the Helen Hayes seats 579 theoretically may struggle with profitability due to its size, though it has housed Broadway engagements of successful shows such as XANADU, Harvey Fierstein's TORCH SONG TRILOGY, and Pulitzer Prize-winner NEXT TO NORMAL.
Now that's just lazy plagiarism.
Updated On: 4/18/15 at 01:06 PM
Fantod
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/3/14
#13Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 1:09pm
I wish they wouldn't rename it.
#14Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 1:17pm
What I'm more curious about actually is what 2ST plans on doing during what appears to be a year and a half long and $30 million plus renovation of the theater. Based on the start times of the renovation (2016) and the onset of programming (17-18 Season), I'm assuming that they haven't yet raised the lion's share of the money necessary for the renovation. If it took them this long to cobble together the funds for the purchase, I'm imagining the rest of calendar 2015 is going to be another massive fundraising crunch for them.
#15Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 1:23pm
They should just put in the Honeymooners now and make the money they need to renovate it later lol
#16Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 1:37pm
I actually don't disagree with that concept. If the theater is going to remain dark and large scale renovation work isn't starting until next year. Once 2ST officially takes possession of the theater, they should look to renting the theater for a limited engagement as an ancillary source of funds. I'd imagine THE HONEYMOONERS would not be a good fit for this timing wise as that production would want to be able to have a much longer run.
#17Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 1:44pm
That would just be even better for second stage! More money for them!
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#18Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 3:53pm
Small musicals have a venue in NWS
The Honeymooners is looking for Broadway & Not Off.
#19Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:02pm
"Small musicals have a venue in NWS
The Honeymooners is looking for Broadway & Not Off."
#20Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:10pm
"Devonian-I did not mention the successful or semi-successful shows."
There was no more successful show in that theater than Rock Of Ages. You may not enjoy the show but it crushed it at that theater and made a lot of people really happy... including the theater owners.
#21Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:15pm
Maybe Dogfight will come in?
#22Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:36pm
Hack, that's true and I didn't answer the question correctly. My original list was of shows I don't think belong on Broadway, and then I somehow pivoted to the success question.
#23Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 4:48pm
""Small musicals have a venue in NWS
The Honeymooners is looking for Broadway & Not Off." "
Coming from the chief idiot, who cannot post anything unless it's with some puerile video clip.
#24Its Official, Second Stage has closed on the Helen Hayes
Posted: 4/18/15 at 5:08pm
The Helen Hayes really is in desperate need of a renovation. I saw Rock of Ages in December, and it looked pretty broken down and old to me lol.
I hope they keep the name Helen Hayes, but on the Patty and Emily podcast, they said that they would name it after a company or something like that, like the Papa Johns Theatre or the Dunkin Donuts Theatre. Gosh i hope they won't call it that!!
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