It has been rumored that the Kennedy Center was unable to transfer their Guys and Dolls production to Broadway since the Broadway rights has been snatched up by the London producers of the immersive Guys and Dolls.
Anybody hear anything about the timing of a London transfer. It sounds more like a question of when than if.....Would they wait up to a year or more for Here Lies Love to close and use the same theatre? It costs $$$ to convert a theatre.
Thoughts? Rumors?
"It does what a musical is supposed to do; it takes you to another world. And it gives you a little tune to carry in your head. Something to take you away from the dreary horrors of the real world. A little something for when you're feeling blue. You know?"
That’s not a rumor about why the Kennedy Center production was unable to transfer, that’s just the fact of it.
Who knows if it’ll transfer but if it does, God I hope it doesn’t go into a large theater like The Broadway. What’s great about the show at The Bridge is that everything is right there there in front of you, really no matter where you are (save for the top section) and that will be lost in a normal Broadway house where more than half the capacity will be a million miles away upstairs.
Kinda wish they'd just mount this in another type of space to lean into the immersiveness. Ziegfeld Ballroom? Gotham Hall? Knockdown Center in Queens? Some warehouse on a pier or an empty retail space? Is there someplace in The Shed big enough to handle this revival?
But that means you don't get the "prestige" of Broadway and the Tonys.
It's easy to see how this could go into Circle in the Square this Spring after Melissa Etheridge's limited engagement. The question will be if they can make money in CITS on this show.
I don’t care when it comes or where it goes, so long as Marisha Wallace is coming with it because that was one of the top performances (if not THEEEE top) that I saw on my recent West End trip.
They did just extend that production through next February
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I don't understand why people would want this in CiTS for the same reason I don't understand why people want Here Lies Love there; where are people supposed to stand?
Circle in the Square is not big enough to accommodate the set for this show. It would either need to be in a renovated Broadway house, or an off-broadway venue that's been built to accommodate an immersive show.
The idea is to work and to experiment. Some things will be creatively successful, some things will succeed at the box office, and some things will only - which is the biggest only - teach you things that see the future. And they're probably as valuable as any of your successes. -Harold Prince
jkcohen626 said: "I don't understand why people would want this in CiTS for the same reason I don't understand why people want Here Lies Love there; where are people supposed to stand?"
I think when some people think "immersive," their minds immediately go to "in the round." But as we know they're very different things, and CITS doesn't have a big floor space.
Every day I grow more frustrated that Broadway doesn't have a massive blackbox or convertible space for productions like this and HLL and other shows.
quizking101 said: "I don’t care when it comes or where it goes, so long as Marisha Wallace is coming with it because that was one of the top performances (if not THEEEE top) that I saw on my recent West End trip.
They did just extend that production through next February"
Um, if this does come over, Cedric Neal needs to be attached as well! His Nicely Nicely as well as Marisha's Adelaide were the best performances from my time in London!
The idea is to work and to experiment. Some things will be creatively successful, some things will succeed at the box office, and some things will only - which is the biggest only - teach you things that see the future. And they're probably as valuable as any of your successes. -Harold Prince
Circle in the square is actually intimate. To disagree with others on this board, I don't think this production is right in front of you. It's cavernous in that room. There were several scenes all the way on the other corner of the "stage" with their backs facing you. Meanwhile platforms are constantly going up and down, they're moving around scenery, audience members are constantly walking around, it's beyond distracting. I think it would work beautifully on a thrust stage like the Beaumont. Intimate, and grand and immersive at the same time. I either don't see this transferring, or don't see it being done the way it's done in London, like Bad Cinderella didn't have the special effect that they had at the Lynn Theatre. I wouldn't be surprised if they restaged G&D, and let's hope they do. maybe Andre Bishop will scoop it up.
For anyone who's seen this at the Bridge and is familiar with the stalls, is there much difference between first, second and third rows and is sitting along the sides better than at either end?
SisterGeorge said: "For anyone who's seen this at the Bridge and is familiar with the stalls, is there much difference between first, second and third rows and is sitting along the sides better than at either end?"
I would say stick to the sides and not the ends because then you will have a longer horizontal view of the changes of stage, as well as the choreography. If you're on the end, you'll miss some of the bigger numbers. I didn't notice any real difference in the rows themselves.
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There is absolutely no space that I am aware of in NYC that could accommodate this production, at least as it is currenlty staged in London. A theatre like Circle in the Square, in addition to not being large enough for the physical production, does not hold enough seats to be commercially viable for a show with this large a cast, crew, and orchestra.
Also, the staging is fun, but what really makes the production soar is the cast, especially the actors playing Sky and Sarah, who I'm guessing wouldn't be brought to NYC with a transfer.
It should be left where it is, and yes, it would be brilliant if NYC eventually built a flex theatre space like the the Bridge.
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SisterGeorge said: "For anyone who's seen this at the Bridge and is familiar with the stalls, is there much difference between first, second and third rows and is sitting along the sides better than at either end?"
I sat in the seated stalls on the side. Probably the best seats you can get if you prefer not to stand. Plus, you can mingle with the standing people just from your seat!
The idea is to work and to experiment. Some things will be creatively successful, some things will succeed at the box office, and some things will only - which is the biggest only - teach you things that see the future. And they're probably as valuable as any of your successes. -Harold Prince
This all just goes to show that Broadway. needs to diversify it's theater offerings. If the SHED had a space that sat 500 and could do this show I feel like things like that should be allowed to qualify for tony awards. It ridiculous that multi-purpose spaces have to be created at such a high cost from these theaters that we already don't see to get enough of.
RippedMan said: "But the Bridge theater isn’t really a flexible space at all. It’s a big thrust like LCT so it is not like it couldn’t work."
What!? The Bridge Theatre was built SPECIFICALLY to be a flexible space. I've seen shows there done in the round, three quarter thrust, end stage and immersive standing.
Just saying looking at pictures - it might be similar to the new chicago Shakespeare theater that can be transformed but for guys and dolls it looks to be a typical thrust stage just from pictures! This is where Newsies was too yeah,