MOTOWN To Open At Lunt-Fontnne Theatre 4/14- Page 3

[Ghostfan2]

Posted: 8/28/12 at 7:06pm

Do people actually care about what theater a show is playing? I never really thought about it. I just like to enjoy what I am seeing. Does the location matter to many?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/28/12 at 8:26pm

One of the things we love to discuss here is real estate and location. We're weird like that.

[Ghostfan2]

Posted: 8/28/12 at 8:50pm

It's all good. I was just wondering.

Seems like shows never stay long at the Lunt. Could it be a curse? I've read that the Lunt Fontanne is a desired theater because of the location, but aren't all the theaters within blocks of each other. I can literally walk to each theater within minutes. What makes Lunt Fontanne so special? Just curious.

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 8/28/12 at 9:52pm

The Lunt's location as well as its marquee allows it to stand out in Times Square and, with it being a relatively large theatre, is commonly used for musicals that are expected to have mass appeal or are very commercial - as the location helps to further sell the already commercial property to tourists who aren't familiar with what is currently playing on Broadway. This ability also makes it desirable for potentially commercial shows coming to Broadway, hence A CHRISTMAS STORY jumping ship from Jujamcyn for the Nederlanders after it became available. I doubt Jujamcyn had a problem since they wanted BRING IT ON to extend anyway.

Many people say the Palace stands out in Times Square, but I disagree. The marquis blends in with the other advertisements and doesn't stand out. The sliver of the sign that says PALACE on it is the only thing that indicates there is even a theatre there. The Palace marquis used to be the size of the New Amsterdam's original one before it, too, got split in half.

Updated On: 8/28/12 at 09:52 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/28/12 at 10:06pm

There's no curse, it's Prime real estate as explained above.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ran like 8 years there.
Unfortunately only one or two Musicals a season are any good anymore, but the LUNT is always occupied, loading in or out and restoring, hardly ever completely empty.
And it's a great Theatre.
DISNEY blew their deal with MERMAID, many believe B&B could still be running if Little Tommy Shoemaker hadn't kicked it out.

And there's no Hyphen.

[Ghostfan2]

Posted: 8/28/12 at 11:00pm

Very interesting. It always confused me when shows jumped to different theaters. I never understood why. I remember seeing Annie in different locations such as Alvin and Uris (Gershwin).

Besides Gershwin and broadway theater, aren't the rest basically the same sizes?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 8/28/12 at 11:18pm

No. In fact, one of the Broadway Theaters (the Circle In The Square) isn't even a typical proscenium theatre. It's normally in the round or thrust.

The Helen Hayes has 597 seats while the Gershwin has 1,933 seats (that's more than 3x the size!).

If you have a popular show, like WICKED, being in a large theater is important because you have more seats to sell and therefore are making more money.

Choosing (and then obtaining) the appropriate theater for your show is one of the most important factors in turning a profit.

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 8/29/12 at 11:36pm

According to the Nederlander's official website, there IS a hyphen in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre name.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/29/12 at 11:48pm

Has Berry Gordy written any film or theatre piece before? I was thinking he wrote Mahogany, but he "only" directed that glorious camp mess (Bob Merrill of all people was one of the screenwriters).

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 1:10am

He wrote the screenplays for ENCINO MAN and CABIN BOY.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 1:28am

Oh good! I predict a hit!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 2:05am

Theaterkid, you're right, a magical hyphen has appeared but it's new because it was not done that way before.
Strange.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 8/30/12 at 2:12am

There may or may not be a hyphen, but there is definitely supposed to be an "a" in there.