SIDE SHOW closing January 4th- Page 2

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:12am

"What I don't understand is, WHY didn't the producers show a little more faith to the Show and tried to keep it open, in the hope that it would find an audience"

They did try. They have been playing since Halloween. Every week they're open is more money they're losing. The advance sales must be abysmal. They didn't pick up enough money from the rave reviews or the Thanksgiving Parade so they're cutting their losses.

[Huss417]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:14am

@neonlightsxo

Why would they continue to pour more money into a show that wasn't making any? They tried it didn't do what they hoped it would do.

Years ago if a show wasn't making money it would have closed a lot sooner than what shows try to do now.

Updated On: 12/12/14 at 09:14 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:22am

This one won't even run as long as the first time it flopped (but it'll close on the same day!).

It makes you wonder why anyone thinks reviving a mega-flop will result in a different result than the first time - it's such an incredibly unlikely scenario, so why not throw all that money at a new show instead? Give a new young writer a break instead of wasting your cash and effort on trying to resuscitate a corpse.

Unless, of course, this production was a just Producers-style tax-write-off scheme or something.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:35am

Unsurprising- though I have to say, its marketing was some of the most bland and unengaging I have ever seen. It absolutely did it no favors.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:35am

Has it ever happened, a flop show revived to much greater success?

[Up In One]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:38am

Newintown this production was its own unique experience and deserved to be seen and given the accolades it received. I'll be heading back to see it again, a theater experience and memory I will never forget. This Sunday it makes The New York Times best of 2014 lists. Anyone involved including investors should be proud, the postmortem will go on forever but anyone who has not seen it should make a point to get there by January 4th.

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:42am

MysteriousGrowl..... look at Chicago for that answer!

[Kad]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:43am

The original production of Chicago ran for just over two years. It wasn't a flop.

Updated On: 12/12/14 at 09:43 AM

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:44am

^Right. That's what I'm talking about. You know, a flop.

[newintown]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 9:58am

No, it has never happened.

Up In One, I understand your point, but even though they fiddled with the piece (as they did with Carrie, to no commercial avail), it's still basically fine-tuning a show that people clearly don't want to pay to see. All the essential original elements were still there, and the basic idea of the show was unchanged.

And that's my point - instead of hacking away ineffectually at a piece that failed (unless you can start from scratch and make it truly different, rather than cosmetically so), move on - create something new. Learn from your mistakes and move forward.

Updated On: 12/12/14 at 09:58 AM

[musicalfool]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:02am

It drives me nuts that everyone keeps blaming the failure of this show on the marketing. If people don't like it, they don't like it. It's as simple as that. I know there are ardent fans, but a handful of superfans does not keep a show open - and it never did.

[James885]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:12am

Unfortunate, but the writing was on the wall with this one. It was a big risk moving the show to NYC from DC where it wasn't even selling out at the Kennedy Center and I'm sure everyone involved knew what an uphill battle it was going to be.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:16am

sorry, but I called this even before it arrived in NYC. There simply isn't a large enough audience for Side Show regardless if it even got great reviews.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:16am

In other sad news, the lovely Martin Massman, one of the lead producers of SIDE SHOW passed away last weekend at 67. He was a great spirit and supporter of the theatre in New York and in Los Angeles and will be greatly missed.
Martin Massman obituary

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:22am

I'm not entirely surprised to hear this but I'm sad for everyone involved! I saw the show last night and while it wasn't my favorite, I enjoyed everyone's performances, especially Emily Padgett's.

While broadway is my first love, i think the reason I didn't enjoy the show itself so much was that i felt it was very "been there done that" after currently watching this season of AHS freak show. I realize they're two entirely different entities, and Side Show obviously came first, but AHS has been focusing on Bette & Dot - the twins who want different things, one falls in love, one wants to be separated, one wants to be famous, they were "rescued" by someone. it's all very much the same as side show with daisy and violet. so I'm not even sure it would have a positive reaction from someone who never goes to a broadway show but watches AHS because people might think its all too similar.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:23am

It's the subject matter more than anything else. The story. A musical about Siamese Twins surviving, living, and loving in a freak show isn't going to sell top-dollar tickets to the general public. Fans of musicals, sure, but there aren't enough of them to sustain a big-budget Broadway musical anymore. You have to have a much wider appeal.

If Side Show was a straight play, with a limited run, it would have stood a much better chance of being a success. (ala Elephant Man)

I don't think it's the marketing, the cast, the direction, the timing, etc.

It's the subject matter. The story.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:26am

A show like this belongs off-Broadway. It's just not mainstream Broadway. If you can't get business over the Christmas holiday with a plug on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then you're going to flop.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:34am

A shame if it happens but it looks like Honeymoon may be next on the chopping block

Last season 4 big musicals flopped one after the other. Is history repeating itself again?

[Up In One]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:43am

Newintown for me, someone who saw the original and was not taken with it - it was a whole new ballgame. A completely different and richly rewarding experience. Adventuresome theater goers at these prices just aren't around in the numbers necessary to support shows like this anymore. Revivals always have a harder road to travel

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:44am

Too bad. At least Condon has the live-action 'Beauty and the Beast' film to focus on next.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:47am

Without a big names star,it was doomed to failure. If it opened with a big name for 6 months it has a fighting chance. This was a show doomed to failure.

[newintown]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 10:49am

Up In One, I think we'll need to agree to disagree on this; I admit I only saw half of this one, but I didn't see anything essentially different from the original. It still seemed to be unable to find a coherent tone, veering between grand guignol camp to show-bizzy razzle-dazzle to pure cloying schmaltz. It wasn't quite as big as before, and the girls had entirely different singing styles, but the show itself still felt unsure of what it wanted to be (and I think always will, with these writers).

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 11:14am

"It's the subject matter more than anything else. The story. A musical about Siamese Twins surviving, living, and loving in a freak show isn't going to sell top-dollar tickets to the general public. Fans of musicals, sure, but there aren't enough of them to sustain a big-budget Broadway musical anymore. You have to have a much wider appeal."

I agree with Best.
People have limited disposable dollars and want a 'sure thing'. They are familiar with Disney, they know Abba, Frankie Valli, etc

It is sad. Is the fate of future new original musicals without the name brand association (Disney or a familiar artist).

[Kad]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 11:34am

The failure of Side Show is not a litmus test for the "fate of new original musicals."

It's a mediocre show with a story that would be a tough sell regardless of the era it was being produced AND it has the stigma of being a terrible flop.

[After Eight]

Posted: 12/12/14 at 11:36am

"It makes you wonder why anyone thinks reviving a mega-flop will result in a different result than the first time"


Morning's at Seven was a flop in its original production, and a hit in revival.

Several Broadway flops had successful off-Broadway revivals: The Threepenny Opera, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Moonchildren.

Updated On: 12/12/14 at 11:36 AM