Robert Downey Jr to make Broadway debut in Ayad Akhtar's McNeal at Lincoln Center- Page 5

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 1:15pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "TotallyEffed said: "It's giving Matrix/Repo Man

Is the magnificent James McMullan retiring? He is totally irreplaceable, what a singular talent."

The theatre has never exclusively used McMullan art. A contemporary play about A.I. would make no sense forMcMullan.He did Anuncia for them less than a year ago.

His work was not always great. His CAMELOT art was awful. It's always hard to make McMullan art work well in digital formats. He thrives with static images and they just don't translate to the needs of a 21st century ad campaign when the majority of spend is digital. They could probably find a happy compromise utilizing digital and painted elements, but it's tough to get dinosaurs to change."

 

I never said they exclusively use him but obviously he is very closely linked with Lincoln Center Theatre. After the horrific art for Vanya and now this, I'm wondering if he will be doing less. Calling him a dinosaur is rude.

I loved his artwork for Camelot.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 1:28pm

Worth noting that AGBO, the company creating this “metahuman digital likeness,” was founded by the Russo brothers. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 1:58pm

TotallyEffed said: "Calling him a dinosaur is rude."

I'm calling Andre and the company's leadership dinosaurs. They're the ones commissioning, approving, and guiding the advertising art-creation process.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 5:32pm

This sounds like another failure for lct.  André Bishop can’t leave soon enough.  Here’s hoping Floyd Collins works out, I have high hopes for that one. 

[inception]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 5:35pm

I'm sorry, but did you see the footage from Comic Con this weekend of people going berserk over RDjr revealing he'll be in another crappy Marvel movie?  This will sell out.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 5:39pm

Well I guess uncle vanya did pretty good at the box office too, but it wasn’t good.  This doesn’t sound good at all and I could see it being another critical failure. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 5:53pm

Yes, because we've been given so many details.  Maybe it will stink - but maybe it will be interesting.   Can't possibly know.

Updated On: 7/29/24 at 05:53 PM

[gibsons2]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 5:58pm

Does LCT ever release data about their productions recouping or not, given they are non for profit? I'm wondering if Vanya recouped and what was the budget.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 6:26pm

inception said: "I'm sorry, but did you see the footage from Comic Con this weekend of people going berserk over RDjr revealing he'll be in another crappy Marvel movie? This will sell out."

Comic Con is a self-selected audience. I don't necessarily think too many of the people there are Broadway customers, and on social media outside of that bubble I heard more groans than cheers.

But on a related subject, and I know we shouldn't necessarily associate one project with another, but given this is a play about a writer dealing with AI it's interesting to see Downey teaming up again for this new Avengers movie with Joe and Anthony Russo, given they are two of the only major Hollywood creatives who are explicitly pro-AI.

Updated On: 7/29/24 at 06:26 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 6:27pm

gibsons2 said: "Does LCT ever release data about their productions recouping or not, given they are non for profit? I'm wondering if Vanya recouped and what was the budget."

No, because it's not as simple as a commercial production where $X is raised for the specific purpose of putting on a show and the ticket revenue goes towards paying off that cost. With a nonprofit, it's all one giant pot of money: There's the physical production and everything that goes into putting on a show, but they also have a massive year-round staff and facilities to maintain. A hit show can also offset losses from less successful shows.

We can easily make assumptions about LCT's revenue on recent shows, though:

• KING AND I, MY FAIR LADY, SOUTH PACIFIC, WAR HORSE, and LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA are their most profitable productions in recent years, not just because of the money they generated at LCT, but they also toured, played internationally, and in some cases were filmed. All those subsequent productions pay royalties back to the originating theatre. (But keep in mind they were also costly to produce. They can't afford to do a show at that scale every year.)
• VANYA did extremely well for them, and MACNEIL could do even better.
• CAMELOT, SKIN OF OUR TEETH, and FLYING OVER SUNSET were colossal financial failures.
• I don't expect anyone was mad about the financial performance of shows like JUNK, OSLO, THE NANCE, ACT ONE, and FALSETTOS, which did fine but not stellar business.
• I do not know what the financial arrangement has been when they are a co-producer on a commercially-produced show that did not originate at LCT. They probably made some money off MOCKINGBIRD (Broadway/tour/London).

Updated On: 7/29/24 at 06:27 PM

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 6:37pm

I wish they would focus more on developing new musicals.  Adam Guettel and other more classical composers should be resident composers there.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 6:40pm

KevinKlawitter said: "given this is a play about a writer dealing with AI it's interesting to see Downey teaming up again for this new Avengers movie with Joe and Anthony Russo, given they are two of the only major Hollywood creatives who are explicitly pro-AI."

Jon Chu (of WICKED and IN THE HEIGHTS) is also very pro-AI and believes it will become a medium of filmmaking, in the way that animation and live-action are mediums. But he claims that no AI has been used on WICKED.

Based on my (limited) reading, I think Downey has a fairly nuanced view of AI. He realizes its powers if used correctly as an aide to humans, which I think is inevitable, but he also has fears about how it can be misused.

As far as star power goes, Downey is one of the biggest stars to debut on Broadway in recent years and I have no doubt they will sell out nearly every seat to every performance. It's already selling exceptionally well based on a look at Telecharge. The Marvel fans are rabid and will pay big money to see him live, but he's also got fans outside of Marvel. His box office drawing power is one of the reasons why Oppenheimer did so well last year. It's a massive get for LCT.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 6:57pm

Broadway Flash said: "I wish they would focus more on developing new musicals. Adam Guettel and other more classical composers should be resident composers there."

No theatre needs a "resident" anything. The mark of a good theatre is being able to produce and develop a diverse array of work at a high level. Giving established creatives a semi-permanent home can lead to complacency, boring work that the theatre feels obligated to produce, and fewer opportunities for emerging artists. (See: J.P. Shanley and Terrence McNally at MTC, John Guare and Bart Sher at LCT, Neil LaBute at MCC, Suzan-Lori Parks at the Public).

Financially and creatively, they have a pipeline problem because they just do not develop work on the volume of the Public and Playwrights Horizons and Roundabout, and they do not have a team of artistic development staff to help incubate new work from interesting people, ESPECIALLY new musicals. They also don't frequently partner with commercial producers to produce work in their Off-Bway spaces that could transfer to Broadway under the auspices of different producers: they are primarily a self-incubator.

New leadership will be a great thing for this organization, and I hope the silo of LCT3 goes away so work can be developed by the organization and then they can choose which of their 3 stages is most appropriate for a specific show.

Updated On: 7/29/24 at 06:57 PM

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 7:19pm

Suzan Lori parks has consistently done great work at the public?  Sally and Tom was beautiful, I hope it moves up town.  I think days of wine and roses would have been a success if it was at LCT instead of midtown.  So I think the resident thing is good for both the writer and the nonprofit. Scott Ellis always kills it at roundabout.  

[gibsons2]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 10:56pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "gibsons2 said: "Does LCT ever release data about their productions recouping or not, given they are non for profit? I'm wondering if Vanya recouped and what was the budget."

No, because it's not as simple as a commercial production where $X is raised for the specific purpose of putting on a show and the ticket revenue goes towards paying off that cost. With a nonprofit, it's all one giant pot of money:There's the physical production and everything that goes into putting on a show, but they also have a massive year-round staff and facilities to maintain. Ahit show can also offset losses from less successful shows.

We can easily make assumptions about LCT's revenue on recent shows,though:

• KING AND I, MY FAIR LADY, SOUTH PACIFIC, WAR HORSE, and LIGHT IN THE PIAZZAare their most profitable productions in recent years, not just because of the money they generated at LCT, but they also toured, played internationally, and in some cases were filmed. All those subsequent productions pay royalties back to the originating theatre. (But keep in mind they were also costly to produce. They can't afford to do a show at that scale every year.)
• VANYA did extremely well for them, and MACNEIL could do even better.
• CAMELOT, SKIN OF OUR TEETH,and FLYING OVER SUNSET were colossal financial failures.
• I don't expectanyone was mad about the financial performance of shows likeJUNK, OSLO, THE NANCE, ACT ONE, and FALSETTOS, which did fine but not stellar business.
• I do not know what the financial arrangement has been when they are a co-producer on a commercially-produced show that did not originate at LCT. They probably made some money off MOCKINGBIRD (Broadway/tour/London).

"

Thank you for your very detailed and thoughtful answer.

[whatever2]

Posted: 8/6/24 at 12:49pm

anyone have even a rough idea of the run time for this? i know it was workshopped at La Jolla back in December ...

thanks in advance!

[Ledaero]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 2:07pm

whatever2 said: "anyone have even a rough idea of the run time for this? i know it was workshopped at La Jolla back in December ...

thanks in advance!"

Yes, I just asked at box office today. Projecting 90 minutes, no intermission.

Speaking of, I went to box office because I was hoping to exchange my LincTix for a different date. It's not possible because LincTix are completely sold out and nobody has cancelled an order since tix went on sale. If one wants to exchange, they need to cancel an existing order and wait/hope that someone else cancels too. Bad system.

The box office attendant mentioned to me that, given this, another possibility is for LincTix members to exchange amongst themselves which can be requested through Telecharge and approved on a case-by-case basis. 

If any other Linctix members out there are looking to swap dates, let me know! I've got two great seats. Swap only.

 

[the.hard.part]

Posted: 8/29/24 at 3:39pm

Ledaero said: "whatever2 said: "anyone have even a rough idea of the run time for this? i know it was workshopped at La Jolla back in December ...

thanks in advance!"

Yes, I just asked at box office today. Projecting 90 minutes, no intermission.

Speaking of, I went to box office because I was hoping to exchange my LincTix for a different date. It's not possible because LincTix are completely sold out and nobody has cancelled an order since tix went on sale. If one wants to exchange, they need to cancel an existing order and wait/hope that someone else cancels too. Bad system.

The box office attendant mentioned to me that, given this, another possibility is for LincTix members to exchange amongst themselves which can be requested through Telecharge and approved on a case-by-case basis.

If any other Linctix membersout there arelooking to swap dates, let me know! I've got two great seats. Swap only.

"

It won't let me message you but let me know what date you have available for swap. Thanks!

[Ledaero]

Posted: 8/30/24 at 2:02pm

It won't let me message you but let me know what date you have available for swap. Thanks!"

Tech glitch from Broadwayworld - just PMed you 😊

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/3/24 at 11:45am

$48 digital lottery launches tomorrow.

Updated On: 9/3/24 at 11:45 AM