Most Expensive Musical

[James2]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 8:58pm

Is it Dance of the Vampires? Is it The Lion King? Is it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? I'd like some confirmation please.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:10pm

I think Spamalot and Wicked.

[boytobroadway]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:16pm

Wicked was over 14 million dollars. I thought it was the most expensive musical. You would think with that much money they would have actually gotten a lead who could actually sing...Stephanie J. Block *cough* cough*

OK I am just gonna say it...IDINA WAS HORRIBLE AS ELPHABA!!!!!!

OK, I did it,
B2B

[Katecab99]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:18pm

oh, let's not start THAT argument again...good god...

wicked was incredibly expensive, but i would guess that spamalot was quite a bit as well. it took wicked and a half (i believe) to recoup its investment.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:19pm

yeah, wicked recouped quickly.

[theaterlover45]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:22pm

Probably not but, I think Lion King because of the masks or makeup. Like I said probabaly not, just a thought.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:26pm

Chitty Chitty is something around $20 million, I think.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:27pm

I thought I heard that All Shook Up was 21 million.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:34pm

There is no way that All Shook Up cost anywhere near $20 million...if it did I think we're looking at Bialystock as the producer, embezzling funds. I can't imagine Spamalot being the most expensive either. I would say Wicked or Chitty...

[Kevo711]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:37pm

Does anyone know how much Chitty, as in actually JUST the car,cost?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:38pm

I heard it was at least a million for just the car alone. AT LEAST.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:40pm

are you only interested in Broadway shows? everytime this is brought up I feel the need to mention the fact that the original mounting of EFX at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was, at the time, the largest most expensive show in the world capitalized at over 40 million dollars...

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:40pm

I don't think wicked is THE most expensive musical. I think it is Lion King or Chitty.

and Spamalot is only expensive because of the actor's salary. The sets and effects were not that amazing.

[thetheatrekook]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:40pm

what about Titanic? I know it probably wasn't the -most- expensive...but I heard that ship cost quite a bundle...anyone know any number costs?

[Pgenre]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:42pm

The most expensive musical of all time was DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES... CHITTY comes close, but Crawford's weekly take was so high for DOTV that the show lost money left and right. He had a 2 year contract, to do the show in England and elsewhere as well as on Broadway were it a hit. By the time it closed it was over $20 million in the red. The cpitalization was $15 million, but many directly involved with the production claim much more money was thrown at it, and much money was wasted in creating set pieces that were never used (the silver staircase, the giant growing white snake, etc.), and orchestrating/staging songs that were cut ("Is Nothing Sacred?" "Read My Apocalypse", "The Devil May Care", "You Learn To Live With It"). If you don't believe me, ask Mr. Sonenfeld.

A Good Nightmare Comes So Rarely,
P genre

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:44pm

I assumed when I heard the info about All Shook Up was that most of the cost came from buying the Elvis songbook.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:44pm

hehe. elvis.
Updated On: 9/1/05 at 09:44 PM

[Conor]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:47pm

I am almost positive that All Shook Up was $14 Million not 21.

[John Murdock]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:51pm

just becaause u dont like someones style does not mean taht someone cant sing.

you are a dip**** for thinking that

how pathetic

its amazing to me those of you outside the business are so jugemental

[Jon]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:53pm

The odds are that THE LION KING is the most costly show ever. We will never know exactly how much it cost, because Disney doesn't have to reveal the amount, since there are no outside investors. Estimates are from 21 to 25 million. And it's a good thing there are no "star" salaries to pay, because the weekly running costa are huge. They have a staff of over 25 people just to deal with props, wigs, masks and costumes. That doesn't include the stage hands.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 9:54pm

i think wicked is the most expensive for costumes, effects, lighting, and such.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 10:10pm

not on broadway but a well done regional production of damn yankees could cost a ton. When i was designing a version of it we ended up cancelling due to the fact that the effects for the devil and lola alone were going to cost $100,000 for the mechanics and then all of the expendable pyro costs

[Jon]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 10:27pm

Gee, the original version in the 1950's had NO fancy pyrotechnics. Oh - the Devil make a lit cigarette appear in his hand. That trick costs about 20 bucks at any magic store.

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 10:28pm

BATB cost around $16-17 million. Disney has put $23 million into Poppins and Cameron has matched that. Mary Poppins is the most expensive musical the World has seen.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 10:40pm

I love it when people talk about how expensive the ship was in TITANIC. THERE WAS NO SHIP in that show. Everyone LOOKED at it and they were ON it but the ship wasn't shown. The stage florr tilted to an 80 degree angle to represent the sinking. This cost a fortune?