Jason Robert Brown Says Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Is Still Waiting for a Broadway Theatre — Page 2

I'm sure that this will keep kicking around for a while considering who's writing it, but I would think landing at a nonprofit like the Public would probably be the best move rather than straight to a commercial Broadway run. 

Without Ghee I don't really see the point. They were the show. I also like where the show was going with multiple people direct addressing to the audience. Hopefully they kept the weirdness. 

There is no way this show is ever going to Broadway. Taylor Mac decided to center the story around one of the many supporting characters (Lady Chablis), presumably for both personal artistic interest in creating a non-binary leading character and to meet the moment when public interest in such a character was probably at its peak. But as the reviews stated in the kindest way possible, this was a colossal misfire, resulting in a disjointed pairing of the main story of the book (the Jim Williams murder trial) and whatever it was Mac was trying to do.

TLDR nobody wants this.

iluvtheatertrash said: "The Distinctive Baritone said: "TLDR nobody wants this."

Hi. I want to see this. You don't get to speak for me."

I'm not sure whether I'd see this show, but I agree 100% with your comment. What's with these people who presume to speak for everyone with sweeping statements like, "nobody wants this"?

 

That song and Ghee's performance of it were spectacular but it didn't work in the context of the show, and the context of the show doesn't even work in the context of the show -- for reasons that have been often stated. Having the Hewitt character and the Ghee character as co-leads doesn't make any sense.

Kad said: "We understand that when somebody says “nobody wants to see this,” it’s hyperbole and not them telling you how you should feel, right?"

I obviously meant "nobody" in a general sense. Should I have instead written "nowhere near a sufficient enough number of people want this?"

In the old days of bombing out of town there wouldn't even be a discussion of whether or not this show would come to Broadway. It would be unquestionably dead. But now that millions of dollars have been spent on its development, I suppose there is a chance of a Beaches-like "Yeah let's get this over with and pour a few more million into it so we have a better chance of getting theaters to license it in the future." However, if it was going to go to Broadway, odds are we would have at least gotten an official announcement by now.

EDIT: I should have read Kad's statement more thoroughly. Thank you Kad for understanding what I meant.

Updated On: 6/18/26 at 05:24 PM

The NYT said the show was intriguing yet unwieldy, said the score was solid, and praised Ghee’s performance.  Overall the critics said there is much to enjoy about the show, but said it needed work.  That doesn’t exactly sound like a dud. 
 

Reviews

iluvtheatertrash said: "Kad said: "We understand that when somebody says “nobody wants to see this,” it’s hyperbole and not them telling you how you should feel, right?"

Yes. And most adults understand it's still obnoxious."

and WHO designated you the official spokesperson for most adults?

pot, meet kettle ...

 

I didn’t see this in Chicago, but I LOVE the book. It’s perfect source material for a musical since so much of the story just sings in nature. That said, adapting it will absolutely need significant changes. The movie, for example, was horrible.

From what I’ve read about this show, they are making exactly the type of changes necessary to get this into workable shape. The Lady Chablis is the very best part of the book, and I think audiences would much rather see her as the leading lady than a bunch of old gay men doing detective work and singing about antiques. In any case, there is no real main character in the book, so a big structuring decision would have to be made either way. I think having characters speaking to the audience as if they’re on a tour is a brilliant idea which stays true to the book, and I can totally see Chablis as the “emcee.”

TLDR: this show absolutely has fans waiting anxiously for it to hit Broadway. It has the potential to be a misfire like the movie adaptation, but it will soar if it can tap into that unique magic of the book.