London Loved It/New York Hated It

So thinking of those London transfers where New York hated the show, from the top of my head thinking, Cabaret, King Lear (Glenda Jackson) and Enron.

What others?

Enron was so good. Americans don’t like shows about stupid Americans.



Matilda deserved so much better.

Groundhog Day

Coram Boy. Debuted at the National Theatre, even had a return engagement, and then transfered to NY and closed at the Imperial after a month.

Kad said: "The Glenda Jackson Lear wasn't a transfer.

Mincemeat is doing well but it certainly didn't receive the same rapturous reception here as it did in the UK.

Back to the Future will end its run in London after over four years and the Olivier, while it ran just shy of a year and a half here at a massive loss and was all but shut out of the Tonys."

I thought Lear was an Old Vic production? Funny enough I was in that very theatre to see the brilliant A Christmas Carol.

Was Groundhog Day hated? I remember it was well received but got shut out by other good shows in a fierce season which included Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and Hello Dolly.

I wish I could say the say about Tammy Faye, that was just a **** show. I understand why Tammy got favorable reviews in London and dreadful ones in New York.

Timon3 said: "Was Groundhog Day hated? I remember it was well received but got shut out by other good shows in a fierce season which included Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and Hello Dolly.

I wish I could say the say about Tammy Faye, that was just a **** show. I understand why Tammy got favorable reviews in London and dreadful ones in New York."

Groundhog Day was generally liked in NYC. The NYC critics, however, were doing the regular "it's been a British rave - we pick it apart" drama for reader and publication clout.

It was Tony nominated for Best Musical, Best Director, Best Choreography, Best Book, Best Music, Best Lead Actor, Best Set. It was the "non-American"-based musical that year of the 4 noms ... It could have easily won in another year. All 4 nominees could have.

I'd add Girl from the North Country? While it wasn't hated here it definitely received a very tepid response. I have to say personally I loved it in London and hated it here with the exception of Mare Winningham.

I stand corrected with King Lear! Thanks.

Matilda got rave reviews, recouped and actually run longer than Billy Elliot, what it didn’t get was the Tony, it didn’t win that for no other reason than it got beat by the excellent Kinky Boots, if it came to Broadway a year earlier it could’ve beaten Once, who knows? A year later it definitely would’ve beaten A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, that was a good show, but not great like Matilda or Kinky Boots. Kinky Boots actually won best musical Olivier in London.

I was listening to a interview with with Cameron Mackintosh, about 7 years ago who commented on Oklahoma he produced both West End and Broadway productions, that he couldn’t get a work permit for Hugh Jackman, then commented on how times have changed.

I can’t be the only one who thinks Kinky Boots is trash.

Matilda and Gentleman’s Guide would’ve been such an interesting battle. I find them both to be supremely underrated although I think Matilda likely would’ve won the Tony between the two.

Jarethan said: "I have toimagine the best example is still Starlight Express. It managed to have a decent run on Broadway, but iy lost its investment, while Starlight ran a decade, and more recently had a theatre build just to stage its revival. Another example of extremes would be Blood Brothers, which als o had a decent run on Broadway, but still lost its investment, while the London version ran forever.

In the ancient past, an incredibly lauded production of Orpheus Descending (starring Vanessa Redgrave)from London did not catch fire in NYC, fine as it was, and closed pretty quickly.

"

I said Starlight ran *decades* but actually it *only* ran 18 years I guess (yeah they redid the show in the 90s but it was still essentially the same run.)

I was pretty sure that Peter Hal Orpheus Descending was a limited engagement on Broadway? That's one of my favourite plays (by Williams or anyone) and yet I can't find out just how run its London engagement was, but I assumed both were limited runs (it ran three months on Broadway.) Of course it did lead to Hall and most of that cast doing a movie version (for TNT cable network of all places) which has some issues but I'm glad we have.

everythingtaboo said: "

There was a period of transfers that were well-received in London, but underwhelmed critically or commercially here. I recall Jumpers andEnron, to musicals like The Woman in White,American PsychoandTaboo."

Woman in White was a baffling transfer as it was always struggling in London (and got very mixed reviews) ultimately running a year and a half (and I kinda have a soft spot for the show, so take little pleasure in that :P )

American Psycho seems to be the Almeida curse that Tammy Faye suffered from as well. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a MUCH better and more interesting show. But in both cases the shows got great reviews and had sold out limited engagement runs in the TINY (300 seats?) Almeida and then, I guess call it producers' hubris, the decision was that the next move should be a big Broadway production.

(I guess Taboo suffered from that too--the DVD of the London production shows how reliant it was on being a VERY intimate production. I assume for Broadway there was a concern maybe that they had to really exaggerate and play up things like the 80s London club scene for whatever reason and, God love Charles Bush but he wasn't a great fit for the sincerity of the show, although I'm sure he was just doing what he was asked to, by camping it up.)