Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open- Page 3
Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
#50Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/1/16 at 1:30pm
NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "Thanks. I mean as the writer, he really should be forced to sing that lyric."
he wrote the music, not the lyrics.
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
#51Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/1/16 at 1:35pm
gypsy101 said: "he wrote the music, not the lyrics."
Well I'm sure it was collaborative and it was a joke. If we're nitpicking, that line is a little bit book (which he wrote), a little bit song. Either way. There are many songs and parts of this show that are so beautiful and a few that just aren't.
I like a good rhyme more than a good time
Tom5
Broadway Star Joined: 9/23/11
#52Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/1/16 at 1:53pm
As long as more than half the seats are filled (In this case I believe it's closer to 70 percent) any good show is worth keeping alive because of future word of mouth and awards season. Below 50 for any length of time a show will always close regardless of funding because its simply too demoralizing.
#53Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/1/16 at 2:05pm
@Chi-one more observation regarding a writer's royalty. Unlike a performer, a writer has to negotiate for everything up front because once a show is written, there is nothing the writer has to offer a producer. (An actor by contrast can offer to extend etc) So writer contracts tend to get weighted to the top end of the writer's demands. That's why it is common to see short term renegotiations of those deals when there is a "going concern" issue. Also worth noting that typically these renegotiations throw some additional (usually ends up being theoretical) compensation to the writer if the fortunes turn around markedly.
#54Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/1/16 at 8:42pm
Doesn't the show have 10 people on principal contracts? Maybe that's why it has a high operating cost.
My father (AIDS)
My sister (AIDS)
My uncle and my cousin and her best friend (AIDS, AIDS, AIDS)
The gays and the straights
And the white and the spades
neonlightsxo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
#55Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/1/16 at 8:46pm
They should know better than to pay more principals than they can afford. They should have thought about that before.
AEA AGMA SM
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
#56Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/1/16 at 8:55pm
A principal contract is not necessarily going to cost a production more than a chorus contract. The minimums are still the same.
#57Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/1/16 at 9:35pm
In an interview on NPR, Steve said that Alice's character originally had 3 sisters but they couldn't afford it. At the time I thought he was kidding. I now do not.
Noel&Cole
Leading Actor Joined: 11/10/07
#58Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/2/16 at 1:41pm
BRIGHT STAR is a wonderful show. I went in expecting very little. As a matter fact I was kind of dreading it. BUT I knew VERY little about it. To my delightful surprise I fell in love with it. I found it moving, charming, and wonderful gem of a show. I was enthralled with Carmen Cusack. Never heard of her before and now would never miss her.
SO I found myself contemplating the shows troubles despite solid reviews and a rave from the NY Times. I do fault the press and marketing. However, unlike the others on this thread, I actually think selling Steven Martin's name is a mistake. I LOVE him, but I associate him with silly over the top comedy. I know he's done other stuff, but, the general public loves him from things like SNL, The Jerk, Father of the Bride, Cheaper By the Dozen, etc. It was his name that actually turned me off on the show before I saw it. And I'm a fan! I found myself asking why do I want to see a gothic southern romance written by Steve Martin? If he had written SOMETHING ROTTEN, that would have made sense. This did not so I was turned off. (Thankfully I was SO wrong, he's a wonderful theatre writer) However they press and marketing give no sense of what this who is. And to me that's one problem
The Second is a bias press who have a ridiculous obsession with pushing HAMILTON. Over and over again we hear about how HAMILTON is totally original and puts a new kind of music on Broadway. Well shouldn't BRIGHT STAR be mentioned in the same breath? It's totally originally (actually more original as it's not based off a book of a real person's life) And Bluegrass for a musical is as rare if not rarer than a rap musical.
My heart goes out to this team because it's a worthy show and bless Steven Martin for using his money to help the show have an extended life. He should be praised for this action not insulted.
JennH
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/14/13
#59Riedel on Steve Martin keeping Bright Star open
Posted: 6/2/16 at 2:15pm
^^^ That...everyone I know who's seen it all have said they adore it. Yes Hamiltn is fresh and new, and I more than happy people are finally beginning to take to original shows again, but we have a long way to go before the majority of original shows remain open for longer than they have been. Sadly the majority still close quite soon. I'm not sure what about Hamilton hit with people (I've haven't seen it, so I just can't say yet), but obviously it hit something since it's an original show. I find most source material shows don't do this as often as they could or should, when I know they can.
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