I haven't seen the show at all, nor heard its music. That being said, just by reading about it and the responses and the show's history...
It seems like it would have been a smarter move to have the show grow in popularity in the regional circuit and take the LONG, LONG road to Broadway. Let a bunch of major regionals do it, then make it available for licensing. If it becomes a hit, then they can build a strong buzz that this SHOW is coming to Broadway.
I don't see the reasoning behind coming to Broadway to begin with. Perhaps they hoped it would have caught on?
AND THAT being said...
Coming to Broadway and its fast exit could have been SMART (and perhaps intentional?). The buzz becomes "there's this show that opened on Broadway closed within like a week, but EVERYONE is saying how wonderful it is! We should check it out!" It's an interesting angle to look at it from, making a hit out of a flop. Hmm...
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
