Musicals That Went Nowhere- Page 4

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 10:39am

Kander and Ebb's SKIN OF OUR TEETH still has not gone anywhere...

[leefowler]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 10:44am

Although it's true that most composers don't write the overtures to their shows, Jule Styne did write his own, one of the reasons why they're so good. By the way, I saw One Night Stand 3 times! Not bad for a show that just lasted one week of previews!

[leefowler]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 10:50am

It would be interesting to see a list of shows that closed in previews on Broadway. This is pretty unusual, actually, since it's so expensive to get to Broadway that you might as well have an opening night once you get there. Here are some:

The Little Prince And The Aviator
Senator Joe
Rachel Lily Rosenbloom
Breakfast at Tiffanys

Any others?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 1:23pm

I actually saw Rachel Lily etc & god was it a mess. Reportedly written with Streisand in mind. She could not have saved it

[CastAlbumFan]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 1:31pm

Actually the correct spelling of the title is RACHEAL LILLIAN ROSENBLOOM. Very important, as the joke is that she spelled her first name like that in tribute of Barbra (It was the extra "A" that Barbra took out of her name).

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 1:55pm

Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge...it was quite different than Annie Warbucks...I actually like some of the music better. I mean it had a production at the Kennedy center, but changed drastically during that run, and obviously changed even more to become Annie Warbucks.

I have a Life Magazine from like 1990 I bought on ebay when I was 14 that has a young Megan McGinnis in line to audition. It's crazy.

Updated On: 7/3/05 at 01:55 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 1:57pm

My God how could I have forgotten

Mata Hari

[roquat]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 6:09pm

There was a version of "They Shoot Horses, Don't They"? Do you know if it was supposed to have been any good, or was it just a hopeless idea?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 6:27pm

"Steel Pier" was Kander & Ebb's version of "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" It was a major flop, running on Broadway for just two months back in 1997. Personally I thought it was awful and tedious, though the cast was very good and tried their best -- Karen Ziemba, Gregory Harrison, Debra Monk and Kristin Chenoweth (in her Broadway debut). In a weak season, it received 11 Tony nominations, but didn't win anything and closed a few weeks after the ceremony.

[Liz_Bennet]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 8:03pm

It's not a musical, but in 2003 Bobbi Boland (starring Farrah Fawcett) closed after all of seven performances, without officially opening.

[Benzy92]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 8:13pm

Camille Claudel which starred Linda Eder.. it was done at Goodspeed and was hoped to be brought to Broadway.. I loved everything about it and hope it is still a possibility of bringing it to the Great White Way!


As for Kander and Ebb's Skin of our Teeth, a few huge workshops have just been done in hopes to bring it SOMEWHERE.. names attatched have included Karen Ziemba, Eartha Kitt, Debra Monk, Robin De Jesus.. to name a few

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 8:38pm

"Skin" got some horrid reviews when it premiered out of town.

Even Angela was smart enough to get out of that one.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 8:49pm

I saw "Chaplin" with Anthony Newley and Maureen McGovern in L.A. which never made it to Broadway. I believe it shuddered in Washington D.C. It wasn't that bad but I remember they couldn't use Chaplin's trademark.."The Little Tramp" because a bank at the time had optioned its use from the Chaplin estate to use in their tv commercials. It was kind of odd seeing a musical based on him without seeing his image as a bum twirling a cane with that side to side walk.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 9:48pm

Just remembered another..."The Night They Raided Minsky's" with a Charles Strouse score. I've heard the 1999 demo with Brent Barrett, Marin Mazzie, Christine Noll and Debbie Gravite and it's rather good. There was mention of it being done at the Ahmanson in L.A. a few years back but unfortunately it never materialized.

[aegeusrocks]

Posted: 7/5/05 at 12:49am

More recently, Masada was supposed to open in Chicago as a pre-Broadway tryout then was delayed to later months and ended up being postponed indefinitely, in other words went plain kaput.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/5/05 at 11:47am

A few from CANADA that were headed for Broadway but died on ther road....

DUDDY: THE MUSICAL - based on "The Aprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" this musical starred Lonny Price and toured across Canada but did not move to Broadway as planned. Maybe because at every stop the critics trashed it. All that survives is a 30" ad (showing a clip of the song "Trust Me") shown on the 1982 Tony Awards telecast here in one of the station breaks.

DURANTE - based on Jimmy Durante's life and career (using the songs he popularized) opened in Toronto the summer of '89 and toured several U.S. cities, folding in San Francisco.

I did not see either one so I cannot comment on the quality of either show.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 7/5/05 at 1:11pm

What about things like The Buddy Holly Story that has had (some) success in London but hasn't really caught on in the US?