Pippin to Open at the Music Box in March — Page 3

Jesus Christ. The ripples outward COME from New York, not Kansas or Illinois. Maybe people should stop fretting about the business aspect and just decide if they want to see it or not. You know, own their own decisions and not worry about Kansans.

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And maybe, just maybe people are underestimating the inherent appeal of the production.

This is why I rue the day common citizens were made to care about such crap as box office receipts and all the other behind the scenes BS of The Entertainment Industrial Complex.

Who CARES about that? See the show that somebody puts on or don't. Like it or don't. Tell people what you think. But why hinge your argument on your prognostication over whether people you imagine to be unsophisticated will pay to see it too? Deal with the creation.

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Updated On: 1/4/13 at 02:06 PM

I hope it enjoys some success. We need a departure from the countless Sondheim revivals. And I swear I don't mean that bitchy.

They just need to recreate that amazing Pippin commercial from the original run where you see one minute of Fosse's choreography.
Pippin Commercial "A Free Minute of Pippin"

This thread is a treasure trove of bizarre comments.

either she is a genius (which I am not denying) or well she is the only director willing to try and completly reinterpret "semi" classics

No, she reinterpreted one that transferred to Broadway and one that may transfer to Broadway, but she's the only director reinterpreting revivals. Just her. All by her lonesome. Nobody has thought of it before or since.

So I fail to see how it can flop??

If people don't want to see it and don't buy tickets, it will flop. A big hit in the 70s doesn't translate to a big hit revival. Remember the 1997 Annie or both revivals of Company?

If Drood is staying afloat I'm sure Pippin will do just fine.

Oh, absolutely. The correlation between the two shows is unmistakable.

I mean, it's slightly well known, but I'm from the South and never seen anyone put on a production of it.

I'm from "the South" and I've seen it produced several times. What about this show do you believe is so specifically off-putting to anyone who lives below the Mason-Dixon line? Does the script only make references to the Midwest or New England? Or perhaps it's the veiled references to abolishing slavery that keeps this musical out of the South.

Yes, they are recognizable Broadway names in the cast, but not anyone that somebody from Kansas or Illinois or where is necessarily gonna have heard of.

OMG YES! Those wackos in Illinois are terribly unfamiliar with the BROAD WAY. That's why they fail to try out new Broadway musicals in Illinois pretty much EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Because living outside of New York means you have no access to anything Broadway related. Why, even now, right this very moment, I'm not reading this thread or typing this post because I couldn't possibly know anything about it! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!

I do think it's interesting that following the successes of Avenue Q, In the Heights, Spring Awakening, Urinetown, Memphis and God knows what else, people still believe that it takes NAMES to sell a show. Names can help if a star has a built-in audience like Ricky Martin. In many cases, shows with names can go down in flames as MASSIVE failures a la On a Clear Day. The speculation as to the success of this production from those who haven't seen it truly baffles me. If you guys have such reliable crystal balls, why aren't you picking lottery numbers?

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The production currently has a warning stating that they recommend the show for grades 6 and up because it "contains mature themes, sexually provocative scenes, and some cursing, but a really fun score."

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HoldThatThought, that's what I was thinking. Choose one of the big circus numbers, sell the spectacle of the show, and freeze frame right before the singing kicks in.

"At any rate, was there indication that the PR for this production is really pushing the cast as the major selling point of the production?"

Not so much the cast, although they are outstanding in it. The selling points so far seem to be:

1) It's a Diane Paulus production.
2) It's got circus acrobats in it.
3) It's the first revival to hit Broadway since the original production.

Logo and information for Broadway production:
http://www.pippinthemusical.com

Updated On: 1/4/13 at 06:09 PM

"I just thought they would've gone with a similar size theater as in Cambridge because "Sold Out" creates more buzz than not."

Their weekly operating costs on Broadway will be higher than their costs in Cambridge. It could easily mean that in a smaller theatre the numbers just don't work out in a way to make the producers feel comfortable. Say, for instance, that the show ends up costing $500,000 a week to run. In a smaller theatre they would still be able to clear that with a sell out week, but it would also mean a smaller gross potential and thus potentially taking longer to recoup.

There's quite a science behind determining the best relationship between gross potential, weekly operating costs, and what you think/hope you can sell each week.

How to gouge if the run has been successful?

Broadway shows are like a herd of wildebeest on the run, in the spring they start off normal, fit and healthy, but you get a couple of sick stragglers that get picked of by the hungry lion, last year it was Jesus Christ Superstar and Leap of Faith the year before it was Catch Me If You Can and Wonderland, the year before that was Come Fly Away. That's Broadway for you.

If the show runs to labor day or closes earlier the show has tanked?

If the show makes it to the annual Broadway blood bath of New Year 2014 or runs longer, is the show considered a success?

Updated On: 1/4/13 at 06:35 PM

Cool story, bro.

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