I don't think this has been posted yet--I did a search and didn't find anything. The New York Times has been running a series of Q&As with Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik, authors of the newly revised “Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time." The series was divided into three sections, on Broadway's past, present and future. I thought it was really interesting. Here's the link:
Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)
Thanks for the link. Very interesting reading. Are you buying much of what they're selling?
In particular, I don't know if I believe "Trust me, there’s absolutely no comparison between a touring production and the original Broadway production." I have seen very clean, polished tours and some very sloppy Broadway performances. Perhaps I agree with the star statement and I do agree in most cases but not all about the scaled back sets. I don't know if I can agree with the overall sentiment though.
midwestsarah, I agree with you that there are some very fine tours and some very poor Broadway productions, but I've found that by and large the tours I see--now that I have been priveleged enough to see some original Broadway productions--lack the indefinable sparkle of a perfectly-rehearsed cast fully inhabiting their characters. It hasn't been as much a problem when I've seen shows here in Boston, typically at the beginning of their tours, but the last tour I saw in Minnesota was a total letdown aside from the leading lady. I never noticed a problem when I saw tours growing up, before I'd seen the magic of any OBC.