Scottsboro Boys A Hit On Broadway?

[SLeo]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 9:42pm

For those of you who have seen the show, do you think that the show will be successful on broadway? From what I have seen so far, it looks brilliant.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 10:47pm

I haven't seen the show, but based on what I know of it, I would be surprised if it were a hit.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 10:52pm

Agree with Kad, BUT I said the same thing about Next to Normal and of course it's been very succesful. You never know . . .

[bjh2114]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 10:54pm

The difference being that Next to Normal got positive notices off-Broadway and at Arena. The Scottsboro reviews off-Broadway were fairly negative.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 11:01pm

"Agree with Kad, BUT I said the same thing about Next to Normal and of course it's been very succesful. You never know . . ."

N2N has a certain mass appeal in its story (after all, it's the sort of story that has been making Lifetime a fortune for years, not to deride N2N), coupled with Ripley's rave reviews. Scottsboro Boys has a more difficult story (the account of justice miscarried due to racism) and a more difficult concept (the very much taboo minstrel show).

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 11:40pm

The article I saw yesterday mentioned that the creative team was disgruntled to see empty seats at the Guthrie opening. I was surprised, and it also made me a bit sad. They've done tons of interviews.

This is an important musical, in that it's a new book, lyrics and music and it's about a tough topic, with complicated choreography. It's not "familiar" and it's not "dumbed down."
It's a real old-school musical.

I hope it makes it, but I'm worried for them. Regardless, Strohman is on course to win the Tony for choreography.

Updated On: 8/8/10 at 11:40 PM

[Pippin]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 11:43pm

I love the show, but I know a hard sell when I see one. This is a definate hard sell for the bridge and tunnel crowd, which is so important. It's a great piece of art, but I see it going the same route of Caronline, or Change unfortunately. However, it is a Kander and Ebb score, so that may be one of it's saving graces. I wish it a long and prosperous run.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 11:45pm

I feel like this show, like Ragtime, was extremely popular in its initial run and the diehards will be out in full force rushing or lottoing but I'm really afraid of the probable cold truth that it will fail to find an audience and shutter.
To quote BroadwaySpotted, "The Lyceum is where little shows go to die"

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 1:36am

I hope that this show can succeed. Just saw it last night, and it was remarkable in so many ways. I think it will definitely struggle to find an audience, but I guess only time will tell.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 2:10am

"It's a real old-school musical."

The basic framework of The Scottsboro Boys is that of the minstrel show, a racist entertainment consisting of white actors wearing black face and perpetuating African American stereotypes for comedic affect, which has no real importance or significance in the history of musical theatre. It is a shameful footnote in American entertainment history.

And while the music has a clear Kander and Ebb sound to it, nothing within The Scottsboro Boys remotely resembles that of an "old-school musical", whatever that really is, anyway.

To address the original topic , I'm very curious to see what changes have been made. I enjoyed it at The Vineyard, but the book is very problematic and occssionally verged on pretentious. I can see the right changes swaying the more skeptical critics to write more favorable reviews for Broadway.

Still, that score is a beauty and one of Kander and Ebb's most daring. I wish them great success on Broadway, but I think it's going to be an uphill battle finding an audience.

It's not easy stuff to sit through and may proove too confrontational for some audiences that aren't ready to look at a low point in American history (both the minstrel show itself and the Scottsboro trials) or be confronted with their own potential prejudices.

I think this may be one of those shows that is revived many years from now and hailed as a masterpiece by the same people who panned it. Assassins anyone?

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 2:21am

^
Perhaps the spirit of my comment re "old-school musical" wasn't clear. I'm aware that The Scottsboro Boys framework is unique.

However, it is a musical with a new book, lyrics and musical score that tells a difficult story, asks difficult questions, incorporates complicated choreography and doesn't reach for the lowest common denominator. It challenges the audience by putting something entirely new in front of them. This used to be a common occurrence on Broadway. That's what I meant.


Updated On: 8/9/10 at 02:21 AM

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 7:37am

I liked it a lot at the Vineyard but will be curious to see the changes.

I think for the show to succeed, they really need to play up the similarities to Cabaret and Chicago, and sell it as sort of the "last great masterpiece from Kander and Ebb."

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 9:37am

We do tend to go through this with every Off-Broadway to Broadway transfer - especially with some of the offbeat musicals that have made the trip in the last 15 years.

Theatre message board clairvoyants also predicted failure for the Broadway transfers of Rent, Bring in 'Da Noise, Urinetown, Avenue Q, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Spring Awakening, In the Heights and Next to Normal, all of which found audiences and recouped, despite not seeming like a sure thing for Broadway. Yes, there are the examples of Caroline, or Change, Grey Gardens and [title of show] for Off-Broadway transfers that didn't succeed financially, but well... it wasn't my money in any of them and I was grateful for the producers who took the chance on them.

Also, to correct a few things above: Scottsboro Boys at the Vineyard received a number of raves from sources like AP, New York Post, Bloomberg News, Variety, while other outlets were not as enthusiastic, although every review was respectful of the show's considerable aspirations. That's not a "negative" reception, it's a mixed one. Having seen the show at the Vineyard and now at the Guthrie, it's coming to town a greatly improved show - not dissimilar to the path that Next to Normal took when the show first opened at Second Stage and was not quite the show it later became. Whether Scottsboro Boys can find an audience on Broadway is a fair question, but some other quirky or difficult musicals have already made it possible for a show like this one to attempt a transfer. It makes Broadway a far more interesting place. Welcome it and wish it well, instead of predicting failure for it.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 10:54am

Amen.

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 11:00am

Double AMEN.

[Brick]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 12:13pm

After NEXT TO NORMAL recouped, I stopped trying to predict success. Who knows?

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 1:55pm

And lets not forget, folks: The true measure of a show's SUCCESS is how much MONEY it makes and how POPULAR it is.

Remember the formula, now: SUCCESS = MONEY + POPULAR

And live by it, dammit!

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 2:23pm

Maybe I missed it, but what changes have been made to 'Scottsboro Boys' since the Vineyard? Any new songs? Has anything been cut? Can anyone who's seen both, compare & contrast? Thanks!

[doombuggy25]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 2:58pm

I really hope this show the best. I didn't get a chance to see it Off-Broadway, but am very much looking forward to seeing it this fall. I heard nothing but good things from the people I know who saw it, and they said with a few changes it could truly be a masterpiece. So thank goodness for this Guthrie run, I think it will come to Broadway an extremely strong show.

If they market it right, it could definitely prove to be a hit.

[suttonfoster]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 11:13pm

have yet to see the show. but is do you think it's just emotional as next to normal or more or less?

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 11:31pm

It has nothing in common with Next to Normal.

[suttonfoster]

Posted: 8/9/10 at 11:40pm

I'm not talking about the subject. I'm talking about the emotions you through while watching the show

[Pippin]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 12:43am

No. It's apple and oranges. I didn't realize Next to Normal was a litmus test.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 6:29am

I found it more emotional than Next to Normal (which I didn't really find emotional at all), but they're different emotions. And as the previous posters' replied, they are not alike at all so I don't really understand why you would compare the two.

[April Saul]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 9:39am

Saw it at the Vineyard and really enjoyed it...but sadly, few straight plays or musicals with African-American themes succeed on Broadway without the likes of Denzel or Puffy. Would love to be proven wrong on Scottsboro, however; it's innovative and deserves to be seen!