Sad to see Honeymoon go...and this disturbing trend — Page 2

This is a "trend" like NYT trend pieces are about trends.

Yet most hits didn't even get instant acclaim from critics like The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Pippin, Beauty & the Beast, Aida, Mamma Mia!, Wicked, The Color Purple, Mary Poppins, Rock of Ages, Memphis, Motown, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, etc.

Updated On: 4/3/15 at 10:10 AM

I'm one of those "old" people, being over 65. I saw HONEYMOON and didn't care for it. I saw AMERICAN IDIOT 4 times and thought it was the Best Musical of that season, far better than the Tony winner MEMPHIS, which I also enjoyed. So I don't think you can categorize OLD PEOPLE. At least not me.

What old people bring to the theater is sometimes a perspective of theater history - one of my favorite shows ever was SHE LOVES ME which ran under a year, lost money and has never really made money in any major production. Yet it is, by some, considered a classic. Time will tell about HONEYMOON.

I'm not a fan of LES MISERABLES, and yet it continues on. I hold no grudge against it! Just don't categorize these sections of people - old people, gay people, blue collar, white collar - they don't all have the same taste in a group. Except everyone loves HAMILTON, as do I !!!

Interesting thought about the word HONEYMOON, but personally I think the word VEGAS helped to kill it.

And as others have stated, it was NOT an abrupt closing. Everyone, pretty much, in the theater and business community saw this coming for months and months. It was only this unique circumstance of people throwing money at it that made it seem abrupt... because one day they woke up and said, OY! We can't do this anymore! It's not working and nothing, even Tony nominations, is going to get this up over $500K a week.

Updated On: 4/3/15 at 10:55 AM

As I recall, FIDDLER did not get instant acclaim in it's pre-Broadway phase but it certainly did after opening night on Broadway. It was an enormously acclaimed show the day after it opened.

"The target audience for these types of shows -- 20 - 40 somethings -- just don't make it out to the theater all that much, in large measure because it's too damn expensive."

Hey! 20-40 something here! While I agree that tickets are expensive without discounts, if it's something I want to see I find a way to make it work. I didn't want to see Honeymoon in Vegas or Rocky. It's not that I was desperate to see these shows but just priced out.

"But most of humanity doesn't want to, have the patience to, or the flexibility in their schedule to wait until the last minute to maybe, possibly, get tickets to the show they want to see. Most potential customers want the comfort and convenience of being able to select tickets for the show they want to see well in advance. TDF/rush is not on their radar."

People who have discount tickets on their radars... people with the patience and flexibility to wait for rush or TKTS or other discounts... you're describing a lot of 20-40 something's there. These people are going to the theatre. They don't mind seeing revivals. But if you want to get them to see a new musical you have to actually try and make that new musical something they'd want to see.

I saw the show, and I very much enjoyed it. Am I sad that it is closing? Yes because I would like the people who work on the show to be able to continue to have a place to go to work. I wish for all of them to find another show and sooner than later. The thing that I am upset about is that Jason Robert Brown has not had a hit on Broadway. That man is a genius, and for some reason his shows just don't sell well. I would love to see him have a bit hit-- but not at the cost of his integrity. Even more than that, I am appalled that Phantom is still open. Yes, I would feel just as bad for the out of work employees, but I can't even with that show. Enough is enough is enough is enough. THAT'S ENOUGH! I have fantasies about winning the PowerBall, and spending all of my winnings on buying that theater so that I can kick that show to the curb. #irrationalhate

re "genius"...

I agree this is one of those silly words but not because of some present tense individual assessment of someone's work. It's like "classic" and other similar labels: none of them are meaningful without looking through a lens that by definition cannot possibly exist in a non-historical context. As long as their are people living who can relate to the original work, these terms are inherently inapt. Calling someone "gifted" seems much more reasonable.

Many geniuses were not acclaimed in the own time, and many who were acclaimed have been tossed into the dustbin of history. The Catholic Church gets a lot of things wrong, but in this area, they get it right: the notion of beatification and canonization has death as a prerequisite.

It is also foolhardy to assess genius in relative terms. The label cannot be separated from its place and time. And only history can judge the true significance of any intellect.

It wasn't a revival or a London import, but neither are Fun Home or Something Rotten, and they're off to great starts. Hamilton has an enormous advance, and like the other two I mentioned, it's also not an adaptation of a second tier movie a la the named Honeymoon or Bridges. Some shows work. Others don't. And sometimes something you think is great will be derided and sometimes it will close "too soon." I was a big fan of Rocky and The Last Ship. Critics hates them and they didn't find audiences. It happens. I'm sad when it happens to shows I live, but it's th reality of the business. You can't say it's a sign that new musicals are all ranking in the face of so many that are actually working very, very well at this exact moment.