Postponed Indefinitely: ROOM On Broadway - News & Discussion Thread- Page 5

[Huss417]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:01am

DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "Wow this is very unfortunate for everyone involved.
however, did we really need another musical or play with music or whatever they were calling it, adapted from a Hollywood movie? no!"

Oh this is too bad as it leaves you only Some Like it Hot to still bash.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:07am

What an awful situation. A reminder of the perils of the theatre industry, and the trickiness of putting trust in producer/investors who are new to the industry.

I do wonder if this announcement is partially a cry for help, and that it could lead to another investor coming in and perhaps some internet rallying. Obviously Hunter Arnold is very well-connected in the industry so he would have exhausted the "usual suspects," but I'm thinking of someone from Hollywood or another business sector. A Byron Allen or Oprah type or another billionaire who can afford to lose a few mil.

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:28am

Wow I’ve seemed to have triggered a few of you…

im a big fan of new works

i don’t want to see any show fail

im also entitled to my opinions as you all are. 

[ANewBrainn]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:28am

Seems like a "Nerds" sort of situation

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:31am

DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "Wow I’ve seemed to have triggered a few of you…

im a big fan of new works

i don’t want to see any show fail

 

LOL -- sure, whatever you say, doll!

 

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:35am

Wow, how unfortunate for all involved. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 11:50am

Wasn’t Hunter Arnold recently being investigated by the SEC? I just searched online and there’s only one search result about that, and it’s behind a paywall. Makes me wonder if someone had it scrubbed. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:00pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "Wasn’t Hunter Arnold recently being investigated by the SEC? I just searched online and there’s only one search result about that, and it’s behind a paywall. Makes me wonder if someone had it scrubbed."

His partners were, he was not, and he said today in the NYT that the investigation has been dropped. He's a co-producer or co-lead producer on a staggering 15 Broadway shows in the 2022-23 season, so raising money is seemingly not his issue.

His two producing partners are Canadian and British theatre guys with no Broadway experience; that's most likely the cause of the problems if one of them was to raise 1/3 of the $7 mil capitalization and couldn't.

I will say, this reflects VERY badly on Adrienne Warren's name value as a recent Tony winner and budding "star." She was being promoted heavily, and no doubt had her pick of the litter for projects that could mark her return to Broadway. The shutdown is not specifically her fault, of course, but it's another signifier that being a Tony winner and prodigious talent means nothing in the eyes of the Gods of ticketbuying and investing.

[Age_of_Mendacity]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:04pm

The financial markets are so uncertain right now that wary investors could like be the norm going forward. Hopefully just an isolated incident, but with so many high wealth tech folks feeling the affects or being worried about Silicon Valley Bank's failure, it may be an interesting summer.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:16pm

Call_me_jorge said: "How ****ty for everyone involved. That producer is scum. Curious if this has anything to do with the recent banking crisis. Did he or his investors have any money in SVB or signature bank?"

Why is the producer scum.  An investor pulled out.  

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:16pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "Wasn’t Hunter Arnold recently being investigated by the SEC? I just searched online and there’s only one search result about that, and it’s behind a paywall. Makes me wonder if someone had it scrubbed."

His partners were, he was not, and he said today in the NYT that the investigation has been dropped.He's a co-producer or co-lead producer on a staggering 15 Broadway shows in the 2022-23 season, so raising money is seemingly not his issue.

His two producing partners are Canadian and British theatre guys with no Broadway experience; that's most likely the cause of the problems if one of them was to raise 1/3 of the $7 mil capitalization and couldn't.

I will say, this reflects VERY badly on Adrienne Warren's name value as a recent Tony winner and budding "star." She was being promoted heavily, and no doubt had her pick of the litter for projects that could mark her return to Broadway. The shutdown is not specifically her fault, of course, but it's another signifier that being a Tony winner and prodigious talent means nothing in the eyes of the Gods of ticketbuying and investing."

What sort of BS is this? Reflects very badly on Adrienne Warren’s name value???? What a ridiculous statement 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:17pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: 
I will say, this reflects VERY badly on Adrienne Warren's name value as a recent Tony winner and budding "star." She was being promoted heavily, and no doubt had her pick of the litter for projects that could mark her return to Broadway. The shutdown is not specifically her fault, of course, but it's another signifier that being a Tony winner and prodigious talent means nothing in the eyes of the Gods of ticketbuying and investing."


lol okay

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:17pm

Thanks Ermengarde for that info.

On the plus side, I’m guessing bonds will have been paid to the unions so employees will get a couple of weeks of pay beyond today. 
Hopefully ushers can be reassigned to other theatres…?

[DaveyG]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:27pm

My heart goes out to the company, especially those making Broadway debuts. To think you're about to achieve that milestone and have it pulled out from underneath you can be devastating. Tough business. 

[Kad]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:27pm

As great as Warren is, she is not yet a marquee name.  Even Audra McDonald, the most lauded living American stage actor, couldn’t draw people into not one but two plays in recent years. 

Updated On: 3/16/23 at 12:27 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:33pm

What sort of BS is this? Reflects very badly on Adrienne Warren’s name value???? What a ridiculous statement

Could not agree more, Adrienne has nothing to do with this and anyone who knows 1% about theater would know that. 

[bdn223]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:45pm

How does this 4 person show with no big names attached have a $7M capitalization?!? That's my question. I would thing this would be under $5M.

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 12:47pm

The problem is not Adrienne Warren. It's the subject matter. 

I think interest is low because 1. The movie was fairly recent 2. Because it was fairly recent, people know how depressing much of this story is. Even if the stage play lightened things up a bit  or had different storytelling elements, people already have a preconceived notion of what Room is. I would guess that many said "No thanks, too dark for me" or "No thanks, I've already experienced that story. Don't need to sit through a depressing tale again"

As mentioned above, this was also the issue with Ohio State Murders. It wasn't Audra McDonald. The thing has "murders" in the title. If you have $100 or so to spend on a Broadway ticket, will you go for something fun or something about murders? Non-Musical plays are always a harder sell on Bway, especially dramas. Leopoldstadt was able to be the rare exception to the norm this season thanks to a wave of glowing reviews and a great bit of marketing. The Piano Lesson was also able to capitalize on its stars and the name recognition of its author. But those are exceptions, not the rule. Room was always going to need Leopoldstadt-type reviews to be a financial success. Maybe it would have gotten them, who knows. But obviously this one producer was skeptical of its financial prospects. I feel awful for the cast and creatives though. To get this close to the run, being in rehearsals up until yesterday with no indication that this was happening, only for it all to fall apart? Just cruel.

Updated On: 3/16/23 at 12:47 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 1:22pm

I agree that not letting it even open is cruel. And surely the producers knew going into this that they would never make a dime, that this was a “prestige” art house kind of thing. So to pull the plug when ticket sales are low (I’m assuming that’s what happened)? Lame.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 1:26pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I agree that not letting it even open is cruel. And surely the producers knew going into this that they would never make a dime, that this was a “prestige” art house kind of thing. So to pull the plug when ticket sales are low (I’m assuming that’s what happened)? Lame."

 

Art house cannot exist on Broadway.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 1:30pm

IF that's the reason - it's called cutting your losses.  

 

Such a shame for all that thought/hoped they had a steady paycheck for the next 4 or more months.

[BdwyFan]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 1:45pm

They build in excess “G&A” and reserves.  

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 1:45pm

bdn223 said: "How does this 4 person show with no big names attached have a $7M capitalization?!? That's my question. I would thing this would be under $5M."

it is a cast of 7 (one track has two kids alternating) and then like 4 understudies

it is a fairly sizeable play with music which means they probably have musicians as well

 

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 1:59pm

I think a performer winning a Tony for a musical doesn't mean much when they go to do a straight play, as evident by Audra McDonald. 

That does seem high, cost wise, but I'm always amazed at how much stuff costs to produce in this day and age. 

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 3/16/23 at 2:23pm

RippedMan said: "I think a performer winning a Tony for a musical doesn't mean much when they go to do a straight play, as evident by Audra McDonald.

That does seem high, cost wise, but I'm always amazed at how much stuff costs to produce in this day and age."

Except Audra has won Tony awards in ALL categories -- including for straight plays. Point taken, but not a good example.