Matilda and Annie

[sundayclothes2]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 11:35am

Am I the only one that thinks it is a mistake for the producers to open these shows in the same season? For staters, they both have the same target audience, families with kids.
And though kids usually get a lot of attention when they star in roles which carry the show (Billy Elliot boys, Daisy Eagan), I wonder what will happen when there are two competing shows with little leading ladies? My guess is that Matilda is going to be getting all the attention and poor orphan Annie is going to get left behind...

At least it will be a good year for child wranglers?

Updated On: 5/3/12 at 11:35 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 11:46am

What about The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and Newsies? And Wicked?

There's a lot of kiddie and tween theatre on Broadway right now.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 11:53am

They are very different entities and I think there's room on Broadway for both of them. American audience know Annie and it's been 30 years since there was an excellent production of it on Broadway. If the new one is good, it should have no trouble attracting audiences or attention. Matilda, as a critically acclaimed new British musical, could be a huge hit, but it also has to be properly positioned here, as it's certainly a darker, stranger piece than the sunnier Annie. I'd even say Annie might have the greater title recognition, and could prove a strong seller out of the gate.

At any rate - just because both shows feature a little girl as the lead, there's no reason necessarily to pit them against each other.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 12:41pm

I think ANNIE is going to be a slow sell and unless it gets great reviews is going to have a bit of a time competing with the other family friendly fare on Broadway right now (you can add WAR HORSE to the list of spectacles listed above). I just can't see families of four shelling out $140 a ticket for something they could see at the local community theatre.

MATILDA is not only going to be a critical bonanza, but its also coming in as a new prestige production meaning it will sell heavily to people who actually live in the city as well as to tourists.

There is no contest in which is going to be a bigger hit.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 12:44pm

I do think Annie is going to have an uphill battle against Matilda, especially after the last dreary revival. The only thing that Annie could do to drive sales is have a huge bankable must-see star in Hannigan generating love-letter reviews. Otherwise, they should probably hold off a season or two.

[rjm516]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 12:46pm

Hopefully Matilda will get the wide-ranging audience it deserves. It's the best new show I've seen in a while, and it's definitely not just a kids show (which I think Annie is).

[finebydesign]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 12:47pm

Unless Annie has something special going on (celebrity) don't expect it to last more than a season. Hopefully Matilda will have a nice run.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 12:52pm

I feel like, for many in America, Annie is usually accompanied by an eyeroll because of its somewhat ubiquity and the cliches attached to it.

[BdwyFan]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 2:06pm

Completely different show. Matilda is very dark. ANNIE has the brand recognition behind it - plus it's been 35 years since a robust production. I understand there is a huge "waiting list" for pre-sale too! It'll be packed with families.

Also, isn't ANNIE opening in the Fall and Matilda in the Spring? There would be a good 6 month lead time for ANNIE, right?

[sundayclothes2]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 2:38pm

I understand that the shows are very different but that doesn't change the fact that they are both going to be targeting the exact same audience. And if the reports are true, no expense is being spared in the Annie revival, so they will need more than 6 month headstart if they are going to be competing with the Matilda audience. And Lion King, Wicked, Newsies, and Mary Poppins all opened in season where they were not competing against another family oriented show. I think it would have been a bad idea for someone to mount a revival of Oliver in the same season as Billy Elliot even though they are different shows. Same thing with Annie...
Now, if they manage to land a star on the level of SJP then it'll be a different story...

Updated On: 5/3/12 at 02:38 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 2:42pm

I don't think SJP would be a big enough draw unless she received rave reviews, which is unlikely. SJP isn't even a big enough draw for most of her films. She has to be part of a star-studded cast.

[lupone76]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 1:17am

Well for that matter, why did Godspell and JCS both open in the same season??? And to Mister Matt SJP is a bonafide star. Did you know that SJP and Angelina Jolie are the highest paid actresses in Hollywood?? Thank you very much! I think she'd be amazing>

Updated On: 5/4/12 at 01:17 AM

[sundayclothes2]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 9:46am

Well hasn't it proven to be a mistake for JCS and Godspell to open in the same season? Godspell has gotten zero attention and is likely to close at a loss at the end of the month.

[madbrian]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 9:53am

I loathe the idea of SJP as Hannigan. Hannigan needs the talents of someone like Jane Lynch, Katie Finneran, Ana Gasteyer, Catherine O'Hara, or Harriet Harris. SJP or McArdle would be a gimmick, and an awful idea.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 1:43pm

(Annie + Carrie)/Spring Awakening = Matilda

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 3:29pm

Well hasn't it proven to be a mistake for JCS and Godspell to open in the same season? Godspell has gotten zero attention and is likely to close at a loss at the end of the month."

But Godspell opened well before Superstar, and, as I recall, didn't exactly set the press afire with glowing reviews. Is there any evidence, even anecdotally, that people avoided buying a ticket to Godspell because they were holding out for tickets to Superstar and only had the patience or tolerance for one "Jesus" themed musical?