Guys & Dolls either needs stars (who would commit to a year) or STELLAR reviews after its last revival bombed so hard. Honestly, I wouldn't hate to see Jerry Zaks re-revive his 1992 revival with a fresh cast.
Similarly, Mame needs a major star to sell tickets. Even if it opens in the Spring and is a critics darling and sweeps the Tonys, I don't think it's the type of show that grosses 800k+ per week, even with a semi-star like Toni Collette.
With most of these shows, it's a matter of getting past Month 3. As we've seen with recent commercial revivals of old chestnuts (Carousel, Saigon, Fiddler, On The Town, Annie, Porgy and Bess, JCS, La Cage), they start out strong with New York theatergoers and groups, and then they dip somewhere between the 10th and 20th week. And in most cases, the running costs were so high that they couldn't be sustained to recoup, even if some could eke out a year-long run.
Updated On: 1/14/20 at 06:43 PM