Well, that's sad. I didn't see the show, but I thought there were good things being said.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
"Our thanks go out to our amazing cast, crew and production team who have put their hearts into Lucky Guy. We are delighted to announce that the show will be captured on a soon to be released original cast recording." Link
I always didn't think it was good idea for Kyle to leave "Wicked" so soon because I really didn't think this show had potential. Still, the Broadway production is lucky to have the very talented Richard H. Blake there.
I just got back from seeing LUCKY GUY and the early closing has me scratching my head. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire show, the tuneful score, the zippy choreography, the satiric plot, and especially the performances. Varla Jean Merman is a scream and Leslie Jordan is terrific. Kyle Dean Massey has a glorious voice and looks just dandy in his skin-tight Wranglers. The house was probably 60% full and everyone seemed to be having a good time, even standing and cheering at the end (although by now it may be a lot of friends and family rushing to see the show before it closes). I enjoyed it way more than CATCH ME and even PRISCILLA, which I felt wore out its welcome before the first act curtain fell. I highly recommend LUCKY GUY for a good old-fashioned, toe-tapping musical comedy (that's actually quite funny). And the four young men who play the Buckaroos are too handsome for words.
'Our whole family shouts. It comes from us livin' so close to the railroad tracks'
I just got back as well (I wanted to see it before it closed).
I didn't hate it. I mean, I had a great time. Varla is worth the price of admission. I wish she had been the main character. Leslie Jordan was funny, but it did annoy me that he never looked people in the eyes, or even really looked at them. But he was pretty hilarious.
Everyone else was fine, but just kind of bland, or trying to really sell me on the material. I kind of wished they had made this a campy straight play. Whenever they'd start to sing it just slowed everything down. I liked the songs in Act 2 better, but for the most part I thought they were pretty forgettable, granted I don't care for country music.
The design and physical production exceeded my expectations for an off-Broadway commercial run, and it does suck that this show couldn't even play it's limited run, but I mean, it's not great material. I wouldn't call it camp. I think it's missing something to make it full-on camp. Right now it's just dated jokes ("UnbeWEAVEable"), and kind of boring songs.
The Little Shubert is one of the more expensive, if not the most expensive Off-Broadway theatre to rent, when you are not making the money to cover costs, well you gotta close. It happens
rippedman, what makes it so expensive is that it is a 499 seat house, and most important, it is the only off-broadway house with a union crew. IATSE dont come cheap.
Interesting side note, the theatre actually has 500 seats, but they only sell 499. Or in most cases about 20-30 per night.
"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it." -Stephen Colbert
The production seemed top-heavy with production costs. From the looks of things, and how quickly it folded, they obviously needed it to become a hot ticket almost immediately to survive, and they should have anticipated less-than-enthusiastic reviews based on the show's 25+ year development and the critical reception it's received in the past.