SHREK WILL be Sucessful- Page 2

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 12:01pm

I haven't seen the show yet and I'm in no hurry to do so. However, while most (though not the NYT) were positive, I didn't see any of the reviewers raving to the high heavens about it -- I sensed a "Well, it's not that bad" attitude -- hardly money reviews, hinting of the faint praise that damns. I think it's WAY too soon to be talking about "WILL be successful" -- there are just too many factors, economic and otherwise, that are coming into play. And as has been noted, the dreaded months of January and February are looming, after which a spate of new shows will be opening that may garner more favorable reviews.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 12:19pm

did someone just say the Shrek has been consistently sold out? lololoololol

[WOSQ]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 1:18pm

"Three years to recoup"?

If so, that's just bad producing.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 2:17pm

I really like the cast so I hope it does well for their sake. Can I thread jack for one moment to just comment that while she looked gorgeous it looked like sutton was going to fall out of her dress at any moment in the photo coverage pictures. And seriously how not happy did cameron diaz look? - end thread jack (i felt it pointless to start a new thread)

[Fosse76]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 2:50pm

"did someone just say the Shrek has been consistently sold out? lololoololol"

Well perhaps the word "sold" is reaching, but the houses have been full...and while they have done some comping, it has been minimal. But to pretend as if the show has been performing to half-empty houses or entirely comped houses is false...its been pretty full.

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 3:17pm

Legally Blonde was also a "household" name, it made over a million in its first week, yet it only ran for a year and a couple months. I doubt shrek will be a hit

[p.s.]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 3:44pm

When I saw the show (about three weeks ago) the theater appeared to be about two-thirds or three-quarters full --

At the start of the second act, it seemed barely half full.

I don't think people left at intermission. I believe, rather, that they consolidated -- moving down and forward, thereby filling in the gaps, but leaving very empty chunks of space towards the back and sides of both the orchestra and the mezzanine.

Now (after seeing several weeks' Broadway Grosses) I'm going to mention a suspicion: I am sure that there has been a lot of comping and discounting; and I believe nevertheless that the houses were more half-empty rather than pretty-full; but I suspect that [Could this be possible?] full price tickets may have been sold, and torn (scanned), yet not actually used by any patron.


p.s. This is a suspicion that I have pulled out of my a**. I have absolutely nothing to back it up, and can't completely figure out whether that might have helped the producers or anyone else.

[evic]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 4:11pm

Just let this crap die a natural death in the swamp...it has no buzz, got less than stellar reviews and those that gave it positive ones had nothing good to say about the score. Who the hell is gonna see a musical with a lousy score????-If they have the money to advertise, it will be pitiful to watch all that wasted money flushed down the toilet especially in this disastrous economic time. If it is open in January- the numbers will be embarassing. And Charlotte St. Matin can go F**k herself. She is a pig.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 4:16pm

Broadway.com is covered head to toe with Shrek.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 5:11pm

"Well perhaps the word "sold" is reaching, but the houses have been full...and while they have done some comping, it has been minimal. But to pretend as if the show has been performing to half-empty houses or entirely comped houses is false...its been pretty full."

The night I saw it, the theatre was very far from full. Perhaps two-thirds of the seats were occupied, perhaps less.

That week it played to 72.6 percent of capacity. I saw it on Wednesday night. I'm sure the weekend performances played to bigger houses than it did when I saw it.

Of course, it's in a big theatre, as Broadway theatres go.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:43pm

I want to know where I can get some of the hallucigens that prompted Fosse76 to state "it has been consistently sold out" !

Latest box office report has it at 52.3% of capacity, the LOWEST percentage of any show on Broadway. Additionally, the fact that it has slipped for two weeks in a row does not suggest good word of mouth.