Livent Scorecard

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/12/03 at 10:30pm

Here is the scorecard of Livent Productions

1. Ragtime - Critcal Success / Financial Flop
2. Fosse - Critical & Financial Success
3. Seussical - Critical & Financial Flop
4. Sweet Smell of Sucess - Critical & Fianacial Flop
5. Kiss Of The Spiderwoman - Critical & Financial Success

Not to bad a record & one wonders what would have happened with # 1 had Livent not taken a trip along the old Hershey Highway & what other projects they would have undertaken had not Garth done a Tyco

Updated On: 11/12/03 at 10:30 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/12/03 at 10:34pm

In what way did Livent engage in anal sex (which is what that euphemism "Hershey Highway" stands for?) Do you mean "cooking the books" rather than "engaging in hot Greek love?"

[tpdc]

Posted: 11/12/03 at 10:35pm

What about PARADE? Or did Livent fall before production and it was only produced by Lincoln Center?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/12/03 at 10:48pm

Could you give us your source on which these facts are based?

[LouW95]

Posted: 11/12/03 at 10:57pm

Check the internet as there were many stories on Livent between 1997 and 2000. A class action suit is now in the final stages.

[magruder]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 8:39am

I believe Kiss of the Spider Woman lost money.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 8:58am

Didn't SFX end up producing 'Seussical' once Livent's problems came to a head?

And I believe 'Kiss' eventually made money from the tour. It lost money on Broadway, though. Updated On: 11/13/03 at 08:58 AM

[WOSQ]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 9:31am

Additionally:
Candide - critically and financially unsuccessful
Barrymore - a hit
Show Boat - Critical success; did not fully recoup its cost

Plus Livent had the Canadian production rights to several shows like Phantom and Sunset Blvd. and I don't know whether they made back their costs or not.

[sheekala]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 9:46am

Phantom made back their investments in both the show and the refurbish of the Pantages Theater ten fold...it in effect set Livent up..and also created the culture of greed that doomed it.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 2:06pm

did KISS even lose money once Vanessa went in?

[Dramamama321]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 2:17pm

I think Kiss was pretty much sunk when Maria Conchita Alonzo went in...

[WOSQ]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 3:56pm

There are two breakeven figures when it comes to shows:

Weekly - a show has to gross a certain dollar amount to meet its weekly playing expenses: rent, salaries, royalties, etc.

Capitalization - which is the amount the show cost to open. Any monies over and above the weekly nut is operating profit and goes toward paying off the show's capitalization and once it is paid off, those monies become profits.

Kiss of the Spider Woman played mostly profitable weeks, but there were not enough weekly operating profits to cumulatively pay back the show's capitalization even after 2+ years. It is possible to play months and months at a weekly profit and still close at a loss. In fact it seems to be the norm these days.

Also Livent had a creative accounting scheme that while interesting and different was transparently a case of mis-stating assets. A show was not written off until it had closed for good. I wish I understood it enough to be able to recount the practices, but I can't.