Musical Chairs - ROCK OF AGES to Move to Helen Hayes; RAIN to Brooks Atkinson

[Rob]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:27pm

Click Here to Read Musical Chairs - ROCK OF AGES to Move to Helen Hayes; RAIN to Brooks Atkinson

[wicked_beast4]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:30pm

Really? Wow, I'm shocked.

[JP2]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:34pm

It really is a smart move for all involved from a business perspective.

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:35pm

Musical chairs? Two shows are rotating, not two are rotating and you take one theatre away and see who takes it when the music stops. LOL

[mybigsplash]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:38pm

^Agreed, I didn't understand the Musical chairs analogy either.

[quizking101]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:40pm

What the hell? I thought Second Stage bought out the Hayes already.

[lull89]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:40pm

They're musicals. And they're getting new "chairs" or theatres. Wheee!

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:48pm

The main headline here is that 'Rain' is becoming an open season run.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:51pm

Will Rain run long enough to make this move significant? My issue is that Rain has toured all across the US and Canada. So, I'm think that tourists from the US and Canada won't want to see it again, unless they loved the show.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:51pm

I'd be happier if Crap of Ages just closed up shop all together. Let's see, an intelligent and thought provoking show like "The Scottsboro Boys" can't find an audience, yet audiences are still flocking to the low brow "Rock of Ages". Go figure.

[quizking101]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:57pm

I'm kinda happy ROCK OF AGES is remaining open and transferring.

The Brooks Atkinson is crappy, the side orchestra cut off alot of the set. (I was seated in Left Orch D-7). The Helen Hayes is a nice quaint little theatre (saw NEXT FALL there) and the sight lines are perfect regardless.

My Aunt wants to see this and we almost went to do rush on Saturday, but she complained of her bad back so we opted out. At least she has a chance to see it still.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 3:00pm

Rock of Ages will do well at the Helen Hayes. It has never sold less seats at the Brooks than what it needed to fill the Hayes.

[JP2]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 3:13pm

"I'd be happier if Crap of Ages just closed up shop all together. Let's see, an intelligent and thought provoking show like "The Scottsboro Boys" can't find an audience, yet audiences are still flocking to the low brow "Rock of Ages". Go figure."

I don't understand your thinking. Heck, you even mentioned that Rock of Ages has an audience while Scottsboro doesn't.

I mean, it's obvious what the better show is, and I'm sad SB is closing but Rock has an audience that love it as well as actors and musicians that are employed.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 3:18pm

"Second Stage signed an initial purchase agreement with the owners of the Helen Hayes two years ago, but its plans to raise the necessary money were stalled by the financial crisis. Now executives there say they are confident enough in the economy to move forward and are actually in a better position fiscally than they were previously. They expect to close on the theater in 2012 and open their first season there in 2013."

I guess Rock of Ages will be a good longer-term tenant to ride out until they need to close the theatre.

"Second Stage to invade Broadway" Dated 3 Oct 2010

Updated On: 12/6/10 at 03:18 PM

[tking001]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 4:24pm

I wonder what the new rush policy's will be

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 4:28pm

Of course you do.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 4:38pm

"RAIN" did short runs on its tour. Some for just a day or two. When it was here it only played for 6 days. It didn't do the normal 2 weeks most shows do when they come to town. So it is possible that people who wanted to see it didn't and is has been extended twice.

Updated On: 12/6/10 at 04:38 PM

[Fosse76]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 5:14pm

"Will Rain run long enough to make this move significant? My issue is that Rain has toured all across the US and Canada. So, I'm think that tourists from the US and Canada won't want to see it again, unless they loved the show."

So has Phantom of the Opera and Mamma Mia, yet they won't go away.

I personally don't see the point of this move (for Rock of Ages). Unless they significantly downsize the cast and crew, moving to a smaller house only decreases what they earn. With the cost of the move, I can't imagine the cheaper rent will make that much of a difference.

[wdwfreak]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 5:18pm

Well there is going to be less rent and electric to pay, they will be selling about the same amount of seats, and there won't be cheap seats since the mezz is relatively small and is a great view. I think the move does make some sense.

[Barney Stinson]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 5:41pm

- Wow, kalimba is just a miserable little biddy isn't she. Calling a show she's never seen crap and hoping it closes. Awful. Someone needs a new attitude.

- wdwfreak - they won't be selling close to the same number of seats. Even the worst weeks sell more than the 4,700 weekly seats at the HH. They've averaged over 6,300 tickets sold a week this year. That's a 25% drop from average sales now to maximum sales at HH. Even if they can boost ticket sales to $100 avg ticket price (unlikely) AND sell out every show (unlikely), that's only $470K a week. Which is less than they did this week.

$90 avg and 90% capacity are more realistic, and that's only $380K a week. I can't imagine their nut being much less than that. I know rent will go down some, but no way costs can go down the 25% that max capacity will decrease. They won't be cutting cast, I assume. How can they lower costs enough?

I don't really get it. But then again, that's why I'm not a producer. They must know something I don't.

I also don't get the move from the Nederlander's perspective. Rain is selling more tix than ROA, but that's because it's in a 1400+ seat theater. They are probably sold out Fri/Sat and light the rest of the week. Just like ROA. Seems silly to move in a comparable show without any evidence of staying power.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 6:16pm

Barney, honey, just because I demand more than just fluff (and common crap) from a Broadway show, does not make me a miserable biddy. I have never liked the jukebox genre, including the multi-award winning hit, Jersey Boys (which I have seen).

[JP2]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 6:18pm

Haters gonna hate.

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 7:03pm

I'm with you, Kalimba! The thought that this will transfer and continue to play while Scottsboro closes in a mere six weeks. And yes, I have seen both.

[Barney Stinson]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 9:10pm

Honey, of course demanding more than fluff doesn't make you a miserable biddy.

You see, honey, you start off miserable. Then the demanding and the decrying of shows haven't seen - those are just the symptoms.

There are about 30 Broadway theaters, you are going to have to get over the fact that a few of them have shows that aren't your cup of tea. You don't have the right to demand anything.

You don't really have the right to an opinion on something you haven't seen either, but that's never stopped anyone else on BWW, so you are in good company there.

[JP2]

Posted: 12/6/10 at 9:33pm

There are two types of posters on BWW..

The Statlers and the Waldorfs