Kelly Ripa's plea to save THE PIRATE QUEEN...

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:25pm

On Friday's (June 8, 2007) LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY, when Kelly Ripa asked guest-host Neil Patrick Harris what did he do the previous night, he mentioned that he went to see THE PIRATE QUEEN (he and David are friends with cast member Marcus Chait). He stated that it's unfortunate that the show is closing next weekend, which startled Kelly, prompting her to look straight into the camera (and out to the studio audience) with a plea for everyone to go and buy a ticket to see THE PIRATE QUEEN to 'save it'. He slyly added that would be impossible. After adding that the show was closing at a loss of $18 million, this sequed into a talk about the costs of shows these days, and what a bummer it is that shows have to reduce and economize sets, etc. He loves the elaborate over-produced spectacle shows, so seeing how shows are being reduced saddens him.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:27pm

Forget the sets, the real tragedy on Broadway these days is happening in the orchestra pits.

[Weez]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:32pm

See, I actually really enjoyed the PIRATE QUEEN and, while I have no opinion on Mel Brooks's ego and think YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN could be a brilliant, am rather sad that it's closing. ;_;

But I dislike Kelly Ripa THAT MUCH that there's a little part of my brain that's pleased it's going. Bad brain! PQ can't help that Ripa is a major irritant! XP

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:33pm

I'm probably gonna sound like a complete idiot but are you talking about John Doyle?

[jaystarr]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:33pm

Im sorry to say and I dont mean to be b*tchy but this woman (Kelly Ripa) has no IDEA of BROADWAY at all ! nor grip on REALITY ! God Bless her heart ! she tried though...

Kelly- Please leave the Broadway talk to a gay man ! for God sake !

BTW (forgot to mention on other thread) Ive seen her do her "dance moves" before introducing number from "Curtains" and "Mary Poppins" this week, and I must say I am scared for life with that image constantly playing on my mind !

J*

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:34pm

isnt equss (sp?) with daniel radcliffe closing in the west end-why dont the pack up the PQ and go to that theatre

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:35pm

"I'm probably gonna sound like a complete idiot but are you talking about John Doyle?"

mmmhmm

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:36pm

Becuase that would be very expensive? And they'll probably (or at least they should) work on it some more if they want it to be sucessful anywhere.

And, by the way, it's Equus.

[Weez]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:38pm

You're kidding, right? 'Pirate Queen' is a HUGE show physically, the Gielgud ain't that big. What size theatre is 'Frost/Nixon' playing on Broadway? 'Cos 'Frost/Nixon' is the show that was in the Gielgud before 'Equus', so you can use that as a size comparison. If you like. I'm so kind. :3

[jaystarr]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:39pm

Frost Nixon is playing at the Bernard Jacobs Theater (formerly Royale ) with approx over 1,000 seats.

J*
Updated On: 6/9/07 at 12:39 PM

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:42pm

"I'm probably gonna sound like a complete idiot but are you talking about John Doyle?"

I highly doubt that was a reference to Doyle. It was in all likelihood a remark about how the size of orchestras for Broadway shows seems to dwindle more and more as time goes on.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 12:43pm

If you meant my post, MattBrain, what I am referring to is that in the past 10-15 years, Broadway orchestras have been cut in half. 24-28 was once the norm, and now you are lucky if you get an orchestra of 14-15. A full sized orchestra makes a huge difference.

[EganFan2]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 1:00pm

I usually keep up with this stuff, but I have lapsed. Forgive me.

Anyway, I thought "The Producers" was closing. Wouldn't it make sense to put "Frankenstein" in there? I suppose some other show already has dibs.

[Weez]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 1:04pm

'The Producers' already closed. I think the producers were initially looking at putting 'Young Frankenstein' in the St James but wanted somewhere bigger, so they let 'The Grinch' have the St James, and now that 'The Pirate Queen' is closing, 'Young Frankenstein' will be getting the Hilton. 'Young Frankenstein' did not cause 'The Pirate Queen' to close, and 'The Pirate Queen' is not closing because of 'Young Frankenstein'. It's just a fortunate (for 'Young Frankenstein') or unfortunate (for 'The Pirate Queen') coincidence.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 1:05pm

EganFan, yes, it would've made sense to put Young Frankenstein in the St. James, but the return engagement of How The Grinch Stole Christmas will be playing there instead. So, Young Frankenstein is going into the Hilton instead.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 3:32pm

I wonder how the producers of the Grinch and YF came to switch theaters. You'd think the producers of the Grinch would be reluctent to switch theaters after making all that money this past winter.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 3:35pm

I wonder if every subsequent return of "The Grinch" will be counted as a Revival in terms of Tonys.

[TapTapTapioca]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 3:37pm

I wonder how the producers of the Grinch and YF came to switch theaters. You'd think the producers of the Grinch would be reluctent to switch theaters after making all that money this past winter.



Becuase the show was not very expensive it was making money selling out half of the Hilton (the biggest theatre on Broadway) but if it goes to the St. James it can still make more money and be sold out. They don't need a bigger theatre...

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 3:38pm

Look, all of you people out there, buy tickets for The Producers before it's too late!
We've got to save it!

I wish they were filming a sequel to "Show Business" this year, that's probably the only way we'd ever know what exactly had transpired with the St. James and YF. It was reported on this board that the St. James owners wanted a bigger cut of the Young Frankenstein grosses, and that initially Mel was talking to the Hilton as a negotiating tactic. Perhaps the St James fired back by courting "The Grinch", which at the time couldn't know for certain that the Hilton would be free by November.

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 3:40pm

I wonder if every subsequent return of "The Grinch" will be counted as a Revival in terms of Tonys.

Nope, they had their one and only shot at it. Remember A Christmas Carol at MSG?

[B3TA07]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 3:42pm

^Nope, that was before I got into this, but good to know.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 4:08pm

Tecnically, a show must be closed for three years before it open again and be considered as a revival. Anything less than three years would mean it is considered a "return engagement" (ie, Cathy Rigby's productions of Peter Pan in the early 90s).
"Christmas Carol" at MSG isn't considered a Broadway show for purposes of the Tony's. It isn't an eligible house.
"Grinch", due to it's expressed intent as an annual Christmas entertainment, would most likely have fallen into the category of "Special Theatrical Event".

[Bwayfan4]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 4:31pm

I'd like to help "save" the Pirate Queen, but the discount codes aren't working...anyone know of new(er) ones?

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 4:37pm

I agree with Smaxie's concern about the dwindling size of the pit orchestras for Broadway musicals. As I understand it, Local 802 of the Musicians Union negotiates orchestra size with the shows' producers and theatre owners depending on the size of the theatre, the larger the theatre the larger the orchestra must be. Producers generally want to cut costs by having the smallest sized orchestra they can get away with. The synthesizer has replaced a significant number of string players in the Broadway pits. And now everything is amplified, too. There was a time when pit orchestras were not amplified and the sound was more natural. At the same time the amplification of singers didn't have to be as great as it is today. Don't get me started on theatre amplification. But it's a lost cause because younger people don't mind the heavy amplification; they are used to it in all areas of entertainment. Sigh...

[Phantom2]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 5:26pm

Sorry to see this show close. Stephanie continues to do a great job leading such a talented cast. I hope we see Hadley Fraser again on Broadway. Corine2 is wearing one of Linda Balgord's costumes on the red carpet tomorrow night.