Right Show, Wrong Theatre

So recently, I saw the revival of Fiddler on the Roof, and I thought it was absolutely magnificent. But what I was most taken by was how huge the Broadway Theatre is (I had been there twice before for Sister Act and Shrek, but had never paid that much attention to the theatre's size before this trip.) I thought back to that dreadful production of Dr. Zhivago from a while back. Obviously the reason why it closed was that people didn't buy enough tickets and it wasn't that great of a show. But I thought "in what world would any producer think that show could fill this huge theatre? Would it have done better if it was in another theatre"

Which begs me to my question: Is there any Broadway show that you think should have been put into another theatre, whether it not being the right fit in your opinion, or had too many seats and not enough public interest to sell them? What show do you think would have ran longer if it was in a different theatre?

fun topic that was recently discussed in this thread

I think the Lyric and the Gershwin are similar in size. The Gershwin was formerly the Uris and housed a number of successful shows; both in the past and now with WICKED. The Lyric seems rather cursed...

MichelleCraig said: "I think the Lyric and the Gershwin are similar in size. The Gershwin was formerly the Uris and housed a number of successful shows; both in the past and now with WICKED. The Lyric seems rather cursed...



"

There's I believe only a four seat difference between these two theatres, yet the Lyric always seem to be problematic. Is it the shows they pick, or the auditorium setup? Neither venue has sight line issues, and I find distance from the stage feels smaller in the Lyric.

I think the Side Show revival would've done much better if it had opened somewhere like the Booth or the Helen Hayes. Also if it had opened later in the season.

I think Wicked proves that even the exact right show can change a theater's fortunes. I was reading The Untold Stories of Broadway and it was talking about how show after show struggled in the Gershwin until Wicked was the absolute perfect show to come in and it's been selling out ever since.

Same could happen for the Lyric with the right show, I think but a show like "On the Town" which was well received, struggled mightily in a theatre that was far too big for that type of show.

Updated On: 8/3/16 at 01:48 AM

Pre-Wicked, the Gershwin's longest run was the Garth Drabinsky Show Boat, at around 25 months. Given his accounting, it probably lost everything. That theatre housed tons of flops, as well as some decent shows that didn't pay back. It was probably just as "unlucky" as the Lyric. The Minskoff, similarly, had a string of spectacular flame outs, pre The Lion King. Save for Me and My Girl, Annie Get Your Gun and Drowsy Chaperone, I think every other show at the Marquis has been a failure. The Lyric needs a hit, but it's no more unlucky than the other modern musical houses.

The 2009 RAGTIME revival that played at the Neil Simon. For such a scaled down production, it really would have benefited the show to play a smaller house like the Schoenfeld, Jacobs or Barrymore. It also would have likely ran longer, possibly until the Tonys at least.

While not the WRONG theatre per se, I'm surprised Book of Mormon plays in such a small house. Then again, it must be nice to have consistently sold out audiences.

Dysquith13 said: "While not the WRONG theatre per se, I'm surprised Book of Mormon plays in such a small house. Then again, it must be nice to have consistently sold out audiences.



"

Same type of thing with Hamilton. It's a business tactic to keep demand high.

I loved the recent Follies revival, but found it odd that a show involving a decrepit theater played in a modern theater (the attempts they made to make the Marquis look older didn't work for me). Almost any other theater would have been better.