SHUCKED will close January 14, 2024; TOMMY rumored for the Nederlander

Noooooo! Loved this show and am hoping to see it again - definitely sad to see it go, especially as a new, original comedic musical.

Could this potentially transfer off-Broadway, like to New World Stages or something? I feel like this show feels very in line with a show like Avenue Q that was able to find great success with its brand in a smaller theatre.

It strikes me as unusual that Paulson noted the TOMMY possibility, heretofore unreported, in the hallowed pages of the NYT alongside the closing announcement for this show.

Updated On: 10/12/23 at 10:25 PM

BorisTomashevsky said: "Will Tommy sell any better…?"

Well they're very different shows. But TOMMY's music is classic and beloved by a wide range of people, and it may be catnip for the demographic that's currently keeping BEAUTIFUL NOISE afloat. With luck it will be a great production, too. The original ran more than 2 years (30 years ago).

Saw it yesterday afternoon and loved everything about it, frequently funny, a delightful joy from start to finish. Happy to hear they have announced an Australian production.

bear88 said: "Stop clause, I assume. (Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.)"

The stop clause is very rarely used. Instead, it was probably a frank conversation between Mike Bosner (the producer) and Nick Scandalios (the person who actually makes everything happen for Nederlander) saying "you're treading water, the winter will be bad for you, we have another show for this house, you've had more than 6 months to try to find an audience, it's time to pack it up."

A producer is only as strong as their relationships, so it's beneficial for them to bend to a theatre owner for the sake of ongoing relationship. And Nederlander doesn't have many midsized houses. If it were making ~700K a week at, say, Shubert's Lyceum Theatre, it might be a different story (they have a lot more theatres, and many play-sized houses).

Updated On: 10/13/23 at 01:13 AM

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "bear88 said: "Stop clause, I assume. (Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.)"

The stop clause is very rarely used. Instead, it was probably a frank conversation between Mike Bosner (the producer) and Nick Scandalios (the person who actually makes everything happen for Nederlander) saying "you're treading water, the winter will be bad for you, we have another show that wants a house, you've had more than 6 months to try to find an audience, it's time to pack it up."

A producer is only as strong as their relationships, so it's beneficial for them to bend to a theatre owner for the sake of ongoing relationship."

Interesting. But if that’s the case, isn’t it a distinction without much of a difference? If the producer takes the hint, even though he doesn’t want to close, isn’t that kind of the same thing? Unless Bosner takes the show off-Broadway, it probably doesn’t find a theater in the spring.

DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "Not completely surprised. More surprised that HLL hasn’t posted closing"

There's a report on the Washington post about its struggles - they will announce a closing date soon

bear88 said: "Interesting. But if that’s the case, isn’t it a distinction without much of a difference? If the producer takes the hint, even though he doesn’t want to close, isn’t that kind of the same thing? Unless Bosner takes the show off-Broadway, it probably doesn’t find a theater in the spring."

The show does not have to be in stop clause territory for these convos to occur.

The Stop Clause is a legal move, and in an industry where everything happens in the phone or in the bar at Sardi’s, legal action often isn’t necessary. Not between producers & landlords at least.

I was somewhat surprised to see this news so soon but I like the idea of this show potentially moving to New World Stages. Maybe that will be a better fit in terms of theater size. I'll have to try to see this one more time before it closes.

ACL2006 said: "This now leaves just & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo and A Beautiful Noise as the only remaining new musicals left from the 2022-23 season(unless one of them announce a closing date soon)."

Wow. You're right, of course, but I hadn't realized this.

I’m shocked Here Lies Love only has a $700,000 weekly running cost with that insane theatre setup.

Nearly all new musicals that open on Broadway post-COVID seem to run 9-10 months in a best-case scenario. Entertainment habits have changed, ticket prices are obscene, and even if audiences eventually return in pre-COVID numbers sometime these next few full seasons, they’ll gravitate more towards old favorites that have been in excellent shape for many years. Longevity has become a pre-pandemic sensation.