Michael Reidel: RAGTIME to Close January 3rd? — Page 4

"I'm going to show how naive I am and ask then why it's not available on TDF? "

It is on TDF, and has been. Only up for one performance at the moment, but I've seen lots of dates, and surely more will appear.

Very sad. I was hoping to give this production another chance, even if I didn't like the original production when I first saw it.

^ I think that is what happened. In the link it said "tour to follow." So I am sure that is from the original production.

Since it was an interesting case - Merrick did shut down Oh, Kay! at the Richard Rodgers in January and attempted to reopen it in April at the Lunt-Fontanne, but it only played for a handful of previews before he shut it down again. It never actually reopened.

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It's on TDF with limited availability for exactly one performance: Sunday evening, December 6.

The discount code is not valid on weekends.

These producers are absolute idiots. Do they think the crowds are going to suddenly storm the box office because Whoopi raved about it?

My sources within the production have not given any indication of any closing. That being said, if you look at shows other than the established shows, none of the new shows are surviving in this economy. I can't help but suspect that if Birdie is closing, then Finians and Ragtime can't be far behind, at least with the current weekly grosses. Time will tell. I'm glad that it got a send up on The View. They need that kind of press.

Reserves only hold out so long. This show is great, but it is just a numbers game about reserves and weekly operating costs.

They should also be making the morning news shows circuit and perform a couple of numbers. Didn't Memphis appear on the Today Show this morning?

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These producers are absolute idiots. Do they think the crowds are going to suddenly storm the box office because Whoopi raved about it?

Now, if only Oprah would throw the show a bone. That'd be Steady Rain business right there.

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kidding of course :P

I check TDF pretty often, and up until the last few days Ragtime had only been up there for a performance on Halloween and one the day before Thanksgiving. The day I bought my ticket at the box office before Ragtime opened, I mentioned to the guy behind the counter that I'd rather buy a discounted seat (and it was a terrific deal, about $50 for second row center) than chance TDF. He said he didn't think it would ever be on TDF and if it was, that'd mean it was failing. Then I shocked him by telling him I'd seen Jersey Boys for $33 on TDF! They seem to think that putting a show up there is a death knell, whereas I see it as potentially building an audience...but I agree with the poster on this thread who keeps talking about the economy.

I think Broadway producers really underestimated how bad things are, and how nervous many of us are about spending money these days...people will go for the safe, proven shows or the ones with stars. I'm glad I got so see and really enjoy Ragtime, and I'll keep my fingers crossed. Glad also that I'm seeing Finian's tomorrow, since that one seems to be threatened as well.

They did and I don't think that performance will help sales

I turned it off. I wanted to like it since I've heard so many good things about it but it couldn't hold my interest.

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TDF puts bodies in seats, but it doesn't really help a show in the long term. It brands it as a discounted product and forces down the average ticket price. Getting too reliant on it to fill the theatre can be fatal to the show's long term life. Any word of mouth generated probably leads to people telling people they can also get seats to Ragtime through TDF or at a discount. What they need are the people who will pay full price so the show can run at cost or profit. I think the reviews - good as many of them were - were either not good enough in the right places or make the show sound good for you, like so much medicine.

As far as getting on morning shows... most importantly, the morning shows have to want you and that's not a given in Ragtime's case. Ragtime has two strikes against it in that it has no stars and would be costly for a morning show to book it, to pay so many actors, musicians, wardrobe, wig, etc. And shows like the Today Show, Regis, The View etc are watching their dollars very carefully these days.

At any rate, if the fall season has taught us anything - shows without a name of some sort are going to be an increasingly impossible sell in the current economy.

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