Riedel on London plays possibly transferring

http://nypost.com/2017/05/09/these-star-studded-london-plays-may-be-coming-to-broadway/

I agree with Riedel that Lincoln Center's the best place for Angels, but my god that anonymous producer's an idiot. Lane and Garfield would make it a blockbuster, and I doubt most audience members are familiar enough with the two plays to have an opinion about the relative quality of Perestroika.

The Kid Stays in the Picture sounds interesting, but in no way commercially viable whatsoever.

The Ferryman is making waves and will no doubt come over eventually. Also would not be surprised if the Glenda Jackson Lear, Staunton Gypsy, Tom Hollander Travesties, or Fiennes/Redgrave Richard III transfer.

Updated On: 5/10/17 at 11:31 AM

On paper, Angels makes sense. But having seen Part 2 - which I quite enjoyed - it's a MASSIVE production. The beginning of Act 2 the entire set is pulled back and swallowed up, and the entire front edge of the stage is a giant trap door. There's flying, there's pyro. There are multiple big set pieces that slide on and off. It would only make sense at Lincoln Center, but they have My Fair Lady coming, so I doubt it would be this upcoming season.

M.O.A.I. said: "I agree with Riedel that Lincoln Center's the best place for Angels, but my god that anonymous producer's an idiot. Lane and Garfield would make it a blockbuster, and I doubt most audience members are familiar enough with the two plays to have an opinion about the relative quality of Perestroika.

The Kid Stays in the Picture sounds interesting, but in no way commercially viable whatsoever.

The Ferryman is making waves and will no doubt come over eventually. Also would not be surprised if the Glenda Jackson Lear, Staunton Gypsy, Tom Hollander Travesties, or Fiennes/Redgrave Richard III transfer.



"

I have on good authority that Staunton's Gypsy and King Lear with Jackson are both coming to NY next season

Glenda's Lear also strikes me as a production best suited for a limited run at BAM. The production was so bizarre, I don't see it doing well on Broadway, even with her name attached. Similarly, I think The Kid Stays in the Picture would be more suited to one of the big off-Bway non-profits, like the Public, the Signature, or St. Ann's.

I don't see Travesties transferring, but Staunton's Gypsy could definitely do well, as well as the Ferryman. Richard III might be problem with Redgrave's age, but I guess Fiennes could always do it without her. Still, I doubt it will come over, given that it's been almost a year with no word, and it didn't even transfer to the West End (I know, I know, that didn't stop American Psycho, but still)

I know there was talk of the Staunton Gypsy being produced by Roundabout. If that's the case, there's no risk of a flop there.

Jackson's Lear could probably be successful in a moderately sized playhouse. From what I understand, it's rather a Brechtian/minimalist production, so I can't imagine a huge budget? I don't know how viable Travesties is, but Baz Bamigboye reported it was looking to transfer. It's been a year for Richard, yes, but Fiennes likely has a lot of film commitments, so it's hard to say why it didn't transfer to the West End. Redgrave's age is, of course, a problem.

As for the Staunton Gypsy, I know it's reviled on these boards because of its recording, but I'm inclined to believe London reviewers who saw it in the theater. (Although of course there are those in this thread and elsewhere who saw it live and didn't care for it.) But I thought Roundabout is almost certain to do Kiss Me, Kate with Kelli O'Hara this season?

I can't imagine what with Junk and My Fair Lady at the Beaumont that LCT could squeeze in Angels in America this year. Either it would have to wait for next season, or they'd have to rent another house a la Falsettos or The Glass Menagerie. No doubt Rudin or another commercial producer would jump at the chance to co-produce.

Agreed, The Kid Stays in the Picture should run at BAM, the Public, etc.

And I'm just sitting here waiting for Rosencratnz and Guildenstern with Daniel Radcliffe.....

I'm surprised that Rosencrantz wouldn't be transferring. It got good reviews and Broadway likes Radcliffe.

Rosencrantz might purely depend on Radcliff's schedule and desire to keep doing it. Also, I don't think Cripple of Inishmaan was a financial hit so his name alone in a straight play might not carry that much weight now.

I have seen Carolee's and enjoyed her very much, but Staunton's haunts me. Emma Thompson also remains in my favorite Lovetts purely for finding line readings I'd never heard before and taking a completely different approach.

Valentina3 said: "nasty_khakis - have you seen Carolee Carmello's Lovett yet? She's phenomenal.

Junk is a while away. It's possible that they can move it to another house to make room for Angels, if they think latter's a better fit there. Depends on the kind of contracts they have with these shows. While a beautiful house, Vivian-Beaumont is far enough from the Times Sq. that a new play might want to move to attract more foot traffic. This line of argument might not be relevant at all since LCT is a non-profit with a built in subscriber base as I have been reminded several times on this board, but a girl can dream."



I'll point out that LCT does not technically have a subscriber base. They have members, but those members do not purchase a package of tickets the way the other Broadway non-profits do. So it's not a 100% guarantee that all of their members will see a particular production. It was actually a big question as to whether their members would turn out for the Broadway mounting of Oslo, as many of them probably saw it last year at the Newhouse.

I loved Staunton's performance in Gypsy (I thought she had many more notes than just angry) but agree that it would not transfer well. She's appeared in a number of American roles where she's great but the supporting cast is dodgy (I hear the supporting cast's accents from Good People in my nightmares) and this would be no exception.

I also didn't think Rosencrantz was all that great (static and dull, apart from David Haig) and don't think it would transfer well. I love, love, love Tom Hollander and adored Travesties, but it's a very niche piece.

On a positive note, the NT Angels is phenomenal (both parts, in my opinion) and would transfer exceptionally well, especially with that cast. And I cannot say enough good things about The Ferryman & hope you get to see it sooner rather than later. Fiennes' Richard III was great and doesn't need Redgrave to transfer. Glenda Jackson's Lear was wonderful, but she is not exactly young herself.