Urban Cowboy
So Long 174th St. (An amazing show that needs to be brought back)
A Class Act
Amour
Thou Shalt Not
Jelly's Last Jam
Whoopee!
The 1928 production with Eddie Cantor was a hit and spawned a movie. Then it sat and sat until Goodspeed tweaked it in 1979 and transferred it to Broadway for a 6 month run.
I'm in a production right now, but it is so seldom produced that our scripts were delayed an extra week because Tams-Witmark had to have them printed just to send to us. Which is too bad, because our production is playing well and it stands the test of time better than you might think.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/09
"So Long 174th Street" was renamed "Enter Laughing" and presented this past season at the York Theatre. It had a successful run. It had previously been presented in the Musicals in Mufti series.
Stand-by Joined: 4/28/09
STEEL PIER (for good reason)
WORKING (for what reason?)
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
WORKING (for what reason?)
Many community theaters and summer stock theaters have done Working. It's a musical that can be done on a low budget. But sometimes audiences have a hard time with it because there's not a plot and no big production numbers or dancing. The show is simply this person steps forward and explains their job, then this person steps forward. If the pace of the show is not kept moving and the energy high, it makes for a slow night at the theater.
Gone with the Wind
Imagine This
And Piazza just had it's British premiere recently.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/8/08
Dr. Jazz was completely forgotten.
Stand-by Joined: 11/29/08
Redhead
Look to the Lillies
Body Beautiful
Home Sweet Homer
Updated On: 7/5/09 at 11:48 AM
Arena Stage in DC did Hallelujah, Baby a few years ago.
I don't think RAGGEDY ANN has been done since it was on Broadway in October 1986...
Same goes for INTO THE LIGHT.
I kind of feel bad for SAVED! I think it had a lot of potential, but it made some bad casting choices and the design/direction was just rather bland and boring, but I think it would be great with some changes.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/09
"The Body Beautiful" was presented at the Musicals in Mufti two years ago. A recording of the score was issued with this cast.
I wouldn't expect any colossal flops that closed in previews or out of town or after only a few weeks to have "life" after their original productions. That implies they had "life" to begin with. And some of these definitely didn't.
The Pirate Queen was an unfortunate flop.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/15/05
SAVED is presently still in development, I think. I did hear they want another production in the near future. HIGH FIDELITY is indeed getting a sit-down resident production in Chicago, with a complete physical overhaul and new vision from the Broadway production.
As for OPPOSITE OF SEX, well, yeah they could bank on Kerry I guess right now. But she's now too old to play the part convincingly. They'd need to recast.
I imagine most every community theatre has done Working at some point. There was also a recent revision.
Two Gentlemen of Verona was done in park a few seasons back and is popular at colleges. Ours did it.
Piazza will surely be a popular choice for light opera companies for many years to come.
I would also consider Cast Recordings to maintain the life of certain shows. Pirate Queen may not be produced anywhere anytime soon, but many fans of Pop Opera play it often.
And again, Baby is quite popular regionally. We had several productions within two years of each other. Papermill did a wonderful, slightly fixed (the show still has flaws) version with Carolee Carmello, La Chanze, Michael Rupert, and Norm Lewis.
I imagine Saved! would be a popular choice for schools and community theatres should the rights be released.
GEORGY
JIMMY
SOPHIE
NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP
SARATOGA
THE VAMP
COMIN' UPTOWN
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/09
"Georgy" was revived at the Wings Theatre, NY in 1991. It was a very nice production.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/15/05
Also URBAN COWBOY had a non-union tour.
Did Catered Affair have any life after it closed? Not that that was too long ago...
Understudy Joined: 12/15/07
PRETTYBELLE. Are the rights even available to this show?
Perhaps WOMAN OF THE YEAR.
It would be nice to see more college and regional theatres tackle some of the shows on this list as opposed to all of the perennial favorites.
QUOTE: ""Georgy" was revived at the Wings Theatre, NY in 1991. It was a very nice production."
Hmmm ... I think one production 18 years ago (and at Wings, no less!) is qualification for "little or no after life".
Tenderloin, apart from the 2000 Patrick Wilson Encores! Production.
TOVARICH
had a healthy bway run considering the economic state at the time. vivian leigh stared and there is a cast album. but the only other production of the show was this past year with Musicals Tonight. The original artistic team literally brought the material to us in a box on the 1st day of rehearsal. Its quite a charming show with some enchanting music!
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