RING OF FIRE to close April 30- Page 2

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 12:36pm

Oh, Sleeper.

Dear God,
Please forgive him. He knows not what he has done.

Updated On: 4/26/06 at 12:36 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 12:41pm

I don't think there is a solution. Tourists now drive the market and when they come into town on vacation, they want to be entertained and have little interest in seeing new, "different" or challenging works of theatre. They want fun musicals or they want to see a movie star in a play. That's it. You won't find them checking out the new Genet production at Cocteau Rep downtown or something like The Guardians at Culture Project. The reality is that new and innovative work is now the the province of the not-for-profit realm which because of subscriber bases can take more risks than Broadway ever can and mount shows that are different from the usual mainstream fare -- and even they rarely produce truly first rate new work. In addition, FOR-profit commercial Off-Broadway can't successfully produce works that aren't "safe" anymore.

Tourists are 75% of the audience for Broadway (as recent as 25 years ago, they were only about 30%, with 70% being locals -- including regular serious theatregoers) and that's not going to change. It's nice to see nonmusical plays like The History Boys and Lieutenant of the Inishmore (and Stuff Happens, another British play, in the midst of a soldout run at The Public) being so well-received and finding audiences. But, great as they are, they came to the US after having had long acclaimed runs in London (so there was much less risk on the part of their US producers). They also both came out of the subsidized institutional theatre of Great Britain. It'd be nice for new American works to be similarly nurtured and supported and then eventually once they're ready be given the opportunity at the larger stages of Broadway -- and find an audience once they get there.

If we in America don't have new plays of comparable quality (as the recent "No Award" from the Pulitzers seems to indicate) and/or that are capable of being smart and well-written AND audience-pleasing then there's something very wrong going on. It's sad that not only do our not-for-profit institutional theatres seem to be having trouble of helping artists create first-rate new work, but that when a new intelligent work does emerge, that there doesn't seem to be an audience out there anymore to support it.

I don't have an answer.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 12:43pm

Sleeper2 --

Try to keep up. If you can read, you could see that my comments were referring to the play WELL, not to RING OF FIRE, of which I offered no opinion whatsoever. If you're going to hurl nasty unfounded invective, in the future do a better job of choosing your targets.

So please get over YOURSELF.

Updated On: 4/26/06 at 12:43 PM

[Runner1B]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 1:05pm

What bothers me is: the fact that we have lost our local base of serious theatre goers. Yes, there isn't an answer to this dilemma.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 1:18pm

Margo:

Had someone said (And I'm sure it's been said, probably even by me), that "I hope someone pulls the plug on RING OF FIRE, not a word about it would have been said by you. You obviously have some great emotional attachment to WELL, and have had one for quite some time since you first saw it - and that's wonderful - I'm not faulting you there. With nearly across the board raves, it's obvious that there is probably something very special going on at the Longacre right now - and although I didn't enjoy WELL and although I am baffled by the extremes of it's critical reception, your acting as if you are the gate keeper and defender of all things WELL. Again, it's probably me that missed something here - the play just isn't for me - but the fact that if has affected some people very deeply is enough to make the play atleast an artisitic and critical success, I'm sure you'll agree.

But again, I don't quite understand why you needed to go on the rampage against someone who wished ill against WELL. No, I wouldn't wish WELL to close - but you were a tad over dramatic here.

Yes, tourists make up the majority of Broadway theatregoers, we know that. And it's obvious that the general tourist would prefer something like MAMMA MIA over DOUBT or SWEENEY TODD (or WELL), but it is, in a way, regretfully understandable.

You know more than I do that plays have a hard time succeeding, but how can you fault producers for bringing over critically acclaimed hits from London? Most of them are still wonderful plays - and whether they're written by an American or not shouldn't matter - they're still wonderful plays.

You say WELL's producer is so wonderful for being brave enough to move WELL to Broadway. Well, she's no braver than the producers of THE HISTORY BOYS, THE PILLOWMAN, FESTEN, or any number of other plays that have transferred. Whether it's uptown or across the ocean, they are still producers that care deeply and have much faith in the productions they are mounting. Some prove to be more successful than others, but I don't see anything wrong with it. A play doesn't have to be American to be worthy of attention.

And there is still an audience for plays - that's evident with the recent successful runs of I AM MY OWN WIFE, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, DOUBT, or even PROOF. Sure, it's a very small amount of plays - but if a play receives glowing reviews (as they all did), and have a fantastic word of mouth, yes, there are tourists willing to go see something like PROOF or I AM MY OWN WIFE. I suspect that outside a very limited group of die-hard theatregoers, WELL does not have a good word of mouth - I think that's obvious.

I'm sorry about the rambling that probably doesn't amount to much of anything, but your defense and personal attachment to WELL has gone a little awry here...

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 1:23pm

I'm with Margo.

I'm sick of the bullsh*t surrounding WELL. Kron has crafted a genius, beautiful piece and I'm not in any hurry to see it go. I think it something the world needs to see.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 1:24pm

Local serious theatregoers generally belong to one or more of the not-for-profit companies -- MTC, LCT, NYTW, The Public, Atlantic, Playwrights, MCC, Signature, etc.... And that's great. If you want new, interesting, well-produced theatre that's where you're going to find it -- not usually on Broadway.

But I think the locals as group have sort of ceded Broadway to the out-of-towners who prefer lighter fare and will support things like History Boys and Doubt when they show up and of course, will break down and pay for a new musical or revival from time to time.

The constant complaint I've heard from locals is about ticket prices. People simply can't afford to see a Broadway show every month like they used to, if even a nonmusical play with two characters is still going to charge $90+ per ticket. Maybe -- and I'm just throwing this out without thinking it through -- the League and the Broadway producers could come up with some sort of incentive plan for New York City residents (and maybe north Jersey and Long Island). Perhaps, some sort of discount program could be arranged giving local residents an automatic 30% (or so) off tickets purchased at the box office. They already discount up the wazooo as it is, why not have a program that targets and benefits the locals who are here year round supporting theatre? Maybe it'll make New Yorkers feel special (and NYers always love a deal) and want to come back to see shows more often. Not sure if it would work, though.

I've also thought that they should have some sort of equivalent of a frequent flyer program for theatre. Issue ID cards or someting and with every 10th Broadway show you pay to see, you get a voucher good for 50% off (or whatever) your next ticket purchase. Again I have no idea if it would work or have any impact, but there must be some creative ways out there to encourage more attendance from the large local market.

Updated On: 4/26/06 at 01:24 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 2:05pm

My issue was with the phraseology "I HOPE that they pull the plug" and I stand by my statement that HOPING for any show to close -- including Ring of Fire or any other -- is a little sick, especially when no other show interested in going into that theatre. And even if there is another show, I think that expressing such a sentiment is uncalled for.

And it's not just WELL. I said the same thing when everyone wanted to push GEM OF THE OCEAN out of the Walter Kerr, so that DOUBT could take over. GEM was a brilliant play and a tremendous production and it struck me as short-sighted for people to wish it gone, just because another play wanted the space (DOUBT was obviously going to come to Broadway very soon anyway, whether it was to the Kerr or another theatre and it was unnecessary to send the buzzards circling around GEM hoping for a premature closing).

I also said the same thing when everyone was celebrating the PRODUCERS seasonal dip in numbers and people were hoping and praying it would close. I just find that that sort of mindset is ghoulish, juvenile and insensitive to the many people a closing impacts. No we don't need more bad shows on Broadway, but if a show is clearly still entertaining to people and is paying its bills, why wish it ill?

I personally am not the biggest fan of RENT -- have you ever heard me expressing a HOPE that it would close and give another show a shot at playing the Nederlander? No, of course not. Such a hope or wish is anathema to me.

And I said nothing about the bravery or commitment of the producers of HISTORY BOYS, FESTEN or any other show from Britain. I was merely commenting that it would appear that their internal play development process is apparently doing better than ours these days since so few new American plays in recent years have achieved a similar level of artistry. And I refer not only to the plays that transferred here to the US, but also to more than a dozen other first rate new works that have played at the National, the Royal Court and other subsidized theatre in the UK and haven't made it over here yet. I see practically every new play on and off Broadway every year and there has been a noticeable drop in quality and accomplishment in the new American works being produced by the regional houses and not-for-profit companies around the country in the last few years.

For very DOUBT, there are a hundred plays that were produced that weren't ready, needed another draft or two or just plain needed to have been nurtured better in the developmental process. This apparently is happening in the UK (not to say they don't have their share of flops and underwritten plays) -- it's not happening here as of late. And you can blame the fact that more and more writers are quitting theatre and going for the more lucrative world of Hollywood film and tv, but whatever the reason, it's shocking what passes for a produceable play in a major theatres in this country these days.

The failure of WELL -- and GEM and THE GOAT (which won the Tony, but still flopped) and FROZEN and IAMOW (which incidentally never recouped) -- points to isssues much larger and deeper and more ominous than whether you or some others liked the play or not (because, despite the detractors -- and EVERY show has detractors -- there still should have been enough audience out there to still support it). It represents the ongoing problem that serious theatre is having in this country trying to find an audience, even when the reviews are across the board raves. THAT'S why I didn't care for someone expressing HOPE that the show would close. In this trecherous environment for new nonmusical work where few new plays are produced on the Broadway level and only a tiny percentage of them succeed, any show that attempts to be challenging and innovative should be saluted, not belittled and dismissed.

Updated On: 4/26/06 at 02:05 PM

[sanda]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 2:31pm

I said that I wished Chitty Chitty Bang Bang closed. Does that make myself sick? Well, then so be it. I don't announce myself as a Miss I-care-theatre. And I am happy to see a show that waste my time and money closed. Hell, I do catch cold sometimes.

And I still remembered the happiness about the closing of good vibaration or other crap shows. So it is OK to celebrate one closing but not OK to hope another one closing. Ah, I just love double standard.

[sanda]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 2:37pm

I should say whoever called other people sick simply because they don't do as what she wish them to do is sick, indeed.

[Calvin]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 2:37pm

I was runner up for Miss I-Care-Theatre. I would have won, but I blew it in the question round.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 3:09pm

Calvin....did you blow it on 'Who will play the Little Mermaid?'

[Calvin]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 3:18pm

I said Marylouise Burke. They laughed me off the stage.

[Lamc16]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 5:15pm

Not sure, Margo, if those ideas (re: theatre discounts for new yorker's) would work, but it sure sounds like a great idea. I'm all for it!

[StartaFire]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 9:49pm

i'm just sad i didn't get to see it. regardless as to what critics say. i think it had potential

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 10:37pm

I detested WELL. Whenever I passed by the theater, I heard people talking about how horrible they thought it was. It never should have transferred. However, it gave jobs to people who need them. And for that, it should be applauded.

I thought Ring of Fire was far from genious, but it was fun in the same way Mamma Mia was. It was like watching the Country Bear Jamboree. Should people have to pay $111 to see it? They certainly pay close to it to get into Disney World, for the Jamboree. The cast is great. Too bad.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 10:52pm

RIng of Fire was one hell of a good time. If you're drunk.

I am glad it is closing because I found it insulting to charge such high prices for a show that was worse than an Atlantic City spectacle. I also found it insulting to Johnny Cash the way they were so -over-animated and cheesy. That's not what he was about.

It sucks for box-office personel. I am one myself and I feel for them... but I here they're opening two new windows at TKTS. They can work there to sell good shows no one knows about, LIKE DROWSY CHAPERONE.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 11:28pm

I absolutely think that tickets should be made available to local residents at discounted prices.

You'll laugh at the analogy, but that's exactly what they offer at Disneyland to California residents, and it's been a brilliant plan. The locals are what keep the park going in the off season months.

Great idea, Margo.

[bryan]

Posted: 4/26/06 at 11:31pm

i hope that this show get a cast cd made of it.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/27/06 at 12:36am

Bryan, buy a Johnny Cast album.

I like the idea of giving New Yorkers discounts. It may give them some sort of incentive to go see shows they would not normally see, or are a littly iffy about. Not sure how it would work with producers though. It seems like they can't really discount them too heavly or else they'll be loosing money.