@After Eight- still don't think you saw it based on those generic comments that could easily be jacked. But that little dust-up obscures the important point which is that calling the show a critics' darling is disingenuous. That doesn't mean you have to like it; it just means you ought to be able to distinguish between personal taste and overall reception. Unless of course Riedel really is your role model.
After Eight will never answer specific questions. Though it is interesting to see his reaction to a show he can't write-off with his typical, "If it's so good, why did no one go to see it?" or "It is only popular because of the critics."
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
I have serious question. Is it better to transfer to Broadway and flop than not transfer at all? I mean, Hamilton could run for a long time off-Broadway and be considered a huge hit. Why not just stay there and keep the hype going? Is that considered wrong by insiders?
For instance TOS was a huge, runaway hit that tanked on Broadway. Was it better that they went to Broadway and flopped in insiders eyes? Just curious.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
Bettyboy: TOS and Hamilton aren't comparable, number 1. Number 2, They can't "run for a long time" at the Public. The Public has seasons scheduled and limited space.
The pros of Broadway are you can license it as Broadway musical, more opportunity for profit (if you recoup), and the big one, the Tonys.
Well, it would have to transfer to a theatre that could support an open ended run, which The Public could not, and the profit margin for an Off-Broadway show is much, much lower than on Broadway. The NY Times estimated their Broadway capitalization at 12 million dollars, if I remember correctly, which obviously would be lower if their goal was Off-Broadway, but what compromises that would are unknown.
Also, there is no denying that Broadway is a much wider audience and I think that there is something to the idea that this is an important show that I imagine the creators are hoping will be presented on a larger scale.
@Bettyboy-the economics of off-B is such that a show can never make a huge profit. Hamilton feels more like Rent than In the Heights, and TOS was never a huge runaway hit at the Vineyard-it was just a successful show in a theatre with under 200 seats to fill for a limited time. The move of TOS to Broadway was about a producer who wanted to do it because he had affection for it, not because it was ever going to be a huge success there. There are shows that transfer to Bwy to up their profile for the road but I don't think that was the driving factor for TOS.
So outside of that incident where David Leveaux punched him, has no one else inflicted bodily harm on Riedel....'cuz I'd like to see that.
Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you.
--Cartman: South Park
ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."
well people frequently spit in his drinks at Joe Allens while he isn't looking but I don't know if that causes any actual bodily harm or not but i suppose it could.
Groff is young, but I think he's funny, and he could pull off the comic aspects of the role. I wonder, can he hit those falsetto notes that Brian does? That is a very comical element.
OK so I am in the UK and have no idea why Hamilton has crossover appeal? When I next visit Broadway what are the unique qualities that will make me want to see a rap musical about an obscure historical figure?
I've heard a synopsis of Fun Home, Something Rotten, Honeymoon in Vegas and It Should Have Been You and they all seem like accessible, enjoyable or moving topics- a rap musical about the 1700s seems hard to relate to; as an outsider, how is this show going to be sold to me?
I'm not being flippant and I don't hate the show, I'm just puzzled how something that seems pretty esoteric is catching fire.
Agreed. As a fellow non-American the only thing appealing to me is the hype. I don't know who Hamilton was.
It's a silly comparison because Hamilton is much more successful in terms of reviews and ticket sales. But let us not forget the Carrie revival practically sold out every night for a couple of months. Broadway requires tourists to get on board to last. Introduce 5x the amount of seats and the demand won't be as strong. Interested to know how it goes. A new, avant-garde musical without any stars is rarely successful. I hope it is.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
A non-US person might want to see Hamilton for great storytelling; inventive staging, music, and lyrics; and for a show where all the parts combine to make an enjoyable evening of musical theatre. Along the way, someone might learn a little bit about US history just as Americans or people from other countries attending The Audience will learn a bit about the UK's.