Not Since Carrie 2: What Shows Would You Want Included? — Page 2

Ray said:
"I forgot what Mandelbaum's criteria for the first book was, I know it was a combination of economics and how long the show ran. So just focusing on the flop status, I'd like to see him talk about:
PASSION
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
GREY GARDENS
IN MY LIFE
RAGTIME
STEEL PIER
And the bunch of revivals that have flopped like WONDERFUL TOWN, SWEET CHARITY, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, etc. "

I dunno, I see how these could be called flops--Ragtime didn't recoup, etc but I really don't think any of these besides In My Life--maybe Steel Pier--would fit the criteria of the first book. WOnderful Town ran nearly as long as the original, Passion was never expected to run much longer than it did in all honesty, Ragtime had several companies running at once doing it...

I'd LOVE a West End version of Not Since Carrie--so many ridiculous sounding shows there that I'd love to hear more about.

I still with Got Tu Go Disco was covered better in the original.

I suppose he could have a combined chapter of my beloved LaChiusa's two 2000 flops, WIld Party and Marie Christine (although I'm not sure if Marie counts--wasn't it a close ended run that *could* be made open ended?)

Woman in White would be interesting, or some of the shows that didn't make it to Broadway (I think that counts--Baker's Wife is in the first book) like the Hal Prince Whistle Down the Wind

They should include all-out critical and financial flops (since they are plenty), not just good, arty shows that didn't find an audience but that theatregoers loved.

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I loved the stories in Not Since Carrie and want to read more. I'd really love to read about West End flops as well as Broadway ones.

I think the first book ended with SHOGUN (which played before NICK & NORA).

I would love to see pages about WHOREHOUSE GOES PUBLIC and THE RED SHOES.

There could be a new chapter on long-run shows that did not make back their original capitalization in town. To be fair some shows did turn a profit after a tour, and most made at least some of the original investment back.

This was a comparatively rare phenomenon back in the day: Milk and Honey, What Makes Sammy Run?, The Apple Tree. However beginning in the 70s the number picked up: Purlie, The Rothschilds, Shenandoah, the original Chicago, Woman of the Year.

In the late 80s the number exploded to the point that it seemed that almost no shows made money.

There could be a whole chapter on the jukebox rise and fall.

Also when Side Show closed, Mandelbaum wrote that he didn't expect to see a show that would be a heartbreaker so soon after he published the first book.

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You know. Speaking of Dance of the Vampires, Ken Mandelbaum is actually a fan of the original German show that Dance is based on so he could probably do a whole chapter which is a comparison of the two. Although he DID already do something like that on Broadway.com.

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A Tale of Two Cities

Bring Back Birdie-why the sequal
Taboo-so weird
Seussical-such potential why did flop
Glory Days-Why was it on broadway
Revivasls: Oliver (they tried a couples of times still went wrong)

Why have a couple of people suggested nonmusicals? I don't think Mandelbaum's going to cover those.

Eric, Caroline, or Change would definitely fit the criteria Mandelbaum set in the first book.

CHESS!

Adding:
Aspects of Love
Starmites
Tarzan


and though I hate to add it: Starlight Express

God I loved that show... DOTV was such a fun night of mindless money being paraded across the stage. I still don't get how at least the staging didn't get nominated. . . . *sigh*

I often find myself rereading his last chapter, "Heartbreakers and Cream," featuring great or near-great shows that flopped. I'd love to read a chapter like that on recent musicals. Camp flops are fun, but shows like Rags and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue fascinate me a lot more than Whoop Up!, or pretty much any other musical with an exclamatory title.