I was just refunded by Telecharge an hour ago, for the opening preview performance (2/27). Sad to say this show, as we currently know it, is cancelled.
Well that's sad, but I think it was just an unrealistic vanity project. It should have started off Broadway or gone to St. Ann's or something. But these producers now have 2 cancelled shows under their belt.
EDSOSLO858 said: "The Broadway run has beenpostponed to next season, not cancelled entirely as wasrumored. New dates and a theater to be announced later.
Sure it is. It'll open the same week that REBECCA and NERDS open.
Postponement is, naturally, a party line, though let's see what happens (since there will be angry investors and ruined relationships if the show is cancelled and doesn't move forward as planned but the money isn't returned).
Hopefully there'll be some investigative journalism to let us know what happened.
This is also a co-lead producer of Bandstand, The Visit, and the Campbell Scott Christmas Carol, so we're not looking at a great track record.
JSquared2 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "The Broadway run has beenpostponed to next season, not cancelled entirely as wasrumored. New dates and a theater to be announced later.
Sure it is. It'll open the same week thatREBECCAandNERDS open.
"
'Postponed'
Sure, Jan!
It's a bit unprofessional to announce it 10 days before previews start but it's just my opinion
pablitonizer said: "JSquared2 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "The Broadway run has beenpostponed to next season, not cancelled entirely as wasrumored. New dates and a theater to be announced later.
Sure it is. It'll open the same week thatREBECCAandNERDS open.
"
'Postponed'
Sure, Jan!
It's a bit unprofessional to announce it 10 days before previews start but it's just my opinion
They would have had to post cash bonds with AEA and the other unions by this week -- as well as give a cash deposit (at least $500,000) to the Shuberts in order to take possession of the building this week and start load-in -- so they obviously waited as log as they could, hoping for some "miracle investor" to step up. Bob Wankel is no doubt incredibly pissed off at them (and they've burned a major bridge).
"Postponed" is what it said in the press release, probably to try and soften the blow. It likely won't end up opening anywhere, but stranger things have happened. A lot of us didn't think Purlie Victorious would make it to January.
Most of the failed (or in this case, cancelled) Broadway shows post-pandemic have just been bad business ideas. Representation and diversity in the theatre is great, but things like My Son’s a Queer or How to Dance in Ohio are — unless done exceptionally well — going to appeal only to a small, niche audience. Especially given modern Broadway economics, that is just not going to be enough to make anything even close to a return on the investment by the producers.
"The show will face an uphill battle to capitalize a second attempt at a Broadway run next year following widely acknowledged poor ticket sales by Broadway standards, and investors shaken by a run that never made it to first preview.
EDSOSLO858 said: ""Postponed" is what it said in the press release, probably to try and soften the blow. It likely won't end up opening anywhere,but stranger things have happened. A lot of us didn't thinkPurlie Victoriouswould make it to January."
Surely you can't be suggesting those 2 situations are similar in any way, shape or form? Shows run longer than generally expected all the time. It's rare that shows that are announced and on sale cancel their runs a few days before they are scheduled to begin load-in.
I have no doubt there will be an attempt of some spin on this to blame the current economic environment but I highly doubt this show would’ve been a wise decision even ten or twenty years ago.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
If the team (theoretically) said "okay, Broadway was clearly too ambitious, let's do something more realistic..." and tried to book an Off-Broadway/much smaller house, is that something that would now be made more difficult due to this cancelation [announcement] and it being seeing as a kind of "tainted" production, or does that not really matter either way?
If the team (theoretically)said "okay, Broadway was clearly too ambitious, let's do something more realistic..." and tried to book an Off-Broadway/much smaller house, is that something that would now be made more difficult due to this cancelation [announcement] and it being seeing as a kind of "tainted" production, or does that not really matter either way?"
My guess is it would be near impossible to raise money for this again?
If they’re truly going to try to remount it next year (and who knows if that’s true) they’d be smart to aim for Pride so they can get the shows name all over the place.
If the team (theoretically)said "okay, Broadway was clearly too ambitious, let's do something more realistic..." and tried to book an Off-Broadway/much smaller house, is that something that would now be made more difficult due to this cancelation [announcement] and it being seeing as a kind of "tainted" production, or does that not really matter either way?"
If the GIF that ardiem posted on page 3, showing the very-few sold seats vs many production hold seats is anything to go by, I can’t imagine any off-Broadway theatre wanting to touch this show. And no Broadway theatre owner will ever touch it again either.
If the team (theoretically)said "okay, Broadway was clearly too ambitious, let's do something more realistic..." and tried to book an Off-Broadway/much smaller house, is that something that would now be made more difficult due to this cancelation [announcement] and it being seeing as a kind of "tainted" production, or does that not really matter either way?"
There will certainly be a whiff of failure surrounding it. It's hard to come back from something like this.
I can't speak to the specific steps that would have to occur for an existing entity to switch from a Broadway show to an Off-Broadway or touring production. It would be quite challenging: People invested in this as a Broadway show, playing in a theatre with a certain number of seats for a certain number of weeks with $X running costs, and they believed in this show's potential (whether that belief was misguided or not is kind of irrelevant). If the same commercial entity mounted it Off-Broadway or on the road, the capitalization, running costs, gross potential, recoupment sched, etc. would be wholly different.
There will be cranky people either way, especially with this being a "fool me twice" situation.