Shows that Toured For a Pre-Broadway Tryout

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 6/1/09 at 10:47pm

I know for a fact that Sweet Charity did it, and Jekyll & Hyde did it. If I'm not mistaken didn't Gypsy do it as well?

Updated On: 6/1/09 at 10:47 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/1/09 at 10:48pm

Annie revival too.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 6/1/09 at 10:49pm

Why don't more shows tour for a pre-broadway tryout. Tours make a whole lot of money.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/1/09 at 10:53pm

THE ODYSSEY toured for a year in 1975. Then the title changed to HOME SWEET HOMER and it opened and closed on Broadway at the Palace Theater on January 4, 1976.

I think the show is great and (with the right stars as Odysseus and Penelope) it should be revived at Encores or the York Theater.

[winston89]

Posted: 6/1/09 at 11:53pm

I know that Martin Guirre sp? and Dirty Dancing both billed their tours as a pre Broadway tour but never ended up going to Broadway.

I would think it would end up costing more money for a show to tour. What with having to pay to move the sets from city to city and paying and room and board for the cast plus renting a space etc etc. I would think that if you do all the math tours can be more pricy then a typical one city out of town try out.

[jejr]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 12:02am

I saw Odyssey in Toronto, Boston, Chicago and during previews in NYC when it had the new title of Home Sweet Homer. For some reason it did not get better in the tour, but worse. It was still a fun show, but if it had opened in NY with the version in Toronto, it would have been much more successful.

One of the BIG problems was Joan Diener (sp?) as the female lead. she was not good, but since her husband directed the show, she got away with murder being the ultimate HAM actress.

Yul Brynner and Russ Thacker were wonderful. Some audience members were not happy that Yul played an old man for the first part of the show and only became the "King" in the second part. However, it showed the depth of his talent that he could do something completely different than the king of Siam.

The score was great with some really wonderful songs.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 12:13am

Mamma Mia! toured a few cities in the US before going to Broadway.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 12:23am

1980 WEST SIDE STORY revival
1979 PETER PAN revival (with Sandy Duncan)
1974 GYPSY revival with Angela Lansbury
1989 GYPSY revival with Tyne Daly
FOSSE
MAMMA MIA!, but aside from Louise Pitre and Tina Maddigan from this US Tour, a entirely new cast opened on Broadway

[StageManager2]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 12:32am

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the 1999 national tour of EVITA (starring Natalie Toro, Raul Esparza, and Raymond Jaramillo McLeod) was intended to go to Broadway, but for whatever reason it never made it. I seem to recall reading about the possible Broadway-bound transfer in my Playbill.

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 12:34am

On The Record toured with hopes to make it to Broadway. It's a shame, because those arrangements are awesome

[philly03]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 1:21am

Yes -- the EVITA tour in '99 with Natalie Toro et al was supposed to go to Broadway ... don't know why it didn't? One of my favourite casts of EVITA ever!

Also: Looks like WONDERLAND: ALICE's NEW MUSICAL ADVENTURE may as well -- or is playing atleast two out of towns back to back (and if this one goes to Broadway!).


Let's not forget WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND's 2007-8 National Tour that got cut extremely short with the lovely Andrea Ross that was "maybe" for Broadway (but the producer def wanted to bring it here).

[nyubroadwayboy]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 9:56am

State Fair toured the country for almost a year, starting at the Iowa State Fair, before coming to Broadway.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 11:22am

Prior to the mid-70s, MOST shows did a pre-Broadway tryout in more than one city. "Hello, Dolly" was in such bad shape in its first stop in Detroit, no one thought it would make it to Broadway. In DC, "Forum" was DOA. "La Cage" opened in Boston to no advance whatsoever in the dead of August. But these out-of-tryouts gave the creative team the ability to fix and hone their shows away from the glare of the NYC press.

Then, in the mid-70s, as costs started to escalate, the new economic model was to produce a show that toured the country for about a year before going to NYC, thereby paying off its costs and insuring a "hit" even before arrival. "Lorelei" with Carol Channing and the aforementioned "Home Sweet Homer" were the most notable of these -- and proof that model did not work.

"Sweeney Todd" was one of the first really high-profile shows to do its complete preview period in NYC ... mostly because the set was so big it couldn't be moved.

Now, even if shows wanted to emulate the old models, it wouldn't work the same. The Internet has changed all that.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 11:30am

Fosse didn't tour before Broadway. It had its premiere in Toronto...I'm not sure if that production ran concurrently with Broadway or if they moved it, but the production on Broadway was not from a tour.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 11:54am

Its a common thing here in the UK

We dont have out of town try outs as such (i think the last ones was Mary Poppins and Imagine This, the latter was a huge flop) even though we used to a lot.

Now shows will tour and always have 'Prior To The West End' and the posters etc.....but of course not all make it there.

Footloose toured the UK in 2004 with the west end tag on but never made it, then reworked the show and toured in 2006 and it went in.

As is Flashdance and as did Calender Girls, Shout many others.

Yet shows like Jekyll and Hyde, Godspell, Wedding Singer all closed on the road.

Of course many West End shows just head straight in to London

Updated On: 6/2/09 at 11:54 AM

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 12:22pm

My favorite out of town tryout story is "My One and Only". During it's out of town tryout it was directed by Peter Sellers. There was such friction between Tommy Tune and the director that Tommy would come out in front of the curtain before the show satrted every night and apologize for what they were about to see.
Between the tryout and the Broadaway run they changed books, sets, costumes and Tommy Tune took over as director.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 1:40pm

FOSSE did a small pre-Broadway tour after it World Premiered in Toronto. At that time the show's full title was FOSSE: A Celebration in Song and Dance. I have a few friends who were involved with FOSSE since its workshop period so I know quite well the show's progress en route to its Broadway arrival in late December 1998.

The show ended its World Premiere run at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in Toronto on August 29, 1998.
The tour then played Boston's Colonial Theatre starting in September 8, 1998.
After Boston the tour played its final spot (where most of the show's changes took place) at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from October 9 thru December 6, 1998.

Numerous cuts to the show were done during the show's Los Angeles run, especially the 2 show-stoppers: "The Alley Dance" (from MY SISTER EILEEN) and "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (from BIG DEAL).

The show began previews at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City on December 26, 1998 and opened on January 14, 1999. The show also endured additional trims and cuts during its entire run on Broadway before it closed on Saturday August 25, 2001.

The original FOSSE Broadhurst Theatre marquee on Broadway and before the logo changed:

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 2:00pm

I would think that if you do all the math tours can be more pricy then a typical one city out of town try out.

Obviously, it depends on the show, but for the most part, a producer and presenter split the costs and risk with a touring show, while the producer of a Broadway show is responsible for everything.

So while tours might not make much more money than Broadway, you're much less likely to lose money, if that makes sense.

Some shows negotiate a different agreement, but that split is more or less standard in touring.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 2:10pm

I really wouldn't call that a tour, though. When I think tour, I think several cities. Did Fosse play Boston and LA simply to wait out a Broadway house or was there some other reason for it? With a production in Toronto, it seems rather odd that it played a few cities before Broadway.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 2:22pm

FOSSE: A Celebration in Song and Dance did this pre-Broadway tour as a tryout for the material. In each city they kept changing the show, mostly the transitions between numbers. The heavy modifications took place in its last city (Los Angeles). As is expected, most of these cuts were a surprise to many in the cast who felt these cut numbers were some of the show's highlights.

When FOSSE: A Celebration in Song and Dance was announced, this entire tour itinerary was already set as was the Broadway theatre's name (the Broadhurst Theatre) that the show would be playing on Broadway.

With a production in Toronto, it seems rather odd that it played a few cities before Broadway.

Toronto wasn't a separate production -- this Toronto production (and cast) is the exact same one that played/toured Boston and Los Angeles then opened on Broadway (aka the original Broadway cast).

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 2:31pm

MAMMA MIA!, but aside from Louise Pitre and Tina Maddigan from this US Tour, a entirely new cast opened on Broadway

That's odd. When I saw the pre-Broadway tour in Chicago, it starred Dee Hoty.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 2:51pm

The 1st US Tour of MAMMA MIA! toured the following cities in late 2000-2001: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and then Boston. As stated above, Louise Pitre played Donna Sheridan (a role she originated in the North American Premiere in Toronto) and Tina Maddigan. Both were the only 2 principals from this tour who became part of the original Broadway cast.

Dee Hoty replaced Louise Pitre when she left this tour to join the cast that was going to open MAMMA MIA! on Broadway.

Dee Hoty would once again replace Louise Pitre, when Pitre left the Broadway production on October 22, 2003.

NOTE: that 1st tour wasn't a pre-Broadway tour. That tour continued playing throughout the US while the Broadway production became its own separate production.
Updated On: 6/2/09 at 02:51 PM

[Demitri2]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 6:02pm

The original production of OLIVER not only toured first but also recorded and released the original cast album way before the Broadway opening making the score familiar to many in the NY audience.

The revival of GOOD NEWS with Alice Faye wisely toured extensively before opening on Broadway where it got poor reviews and only played a few weeks. Actor John Payne opted to do the tour only and his role was played by Gene Nelson on Broadway.

I believe LEGENDS with Mary Martin and Carol Channing was slated to end its tour on Broadway but folded after Martin decided not to play it in NY. One of the funnier parts in the book written about the perils of the production was when Ann Miller volunteered to replace Martin which prompted Carol Channing of all people to reply, "Not Ann Miller, she's such a joke!".

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 6:17pm

And don't forget, the same Oliver! tour also had a cast change for Broadway. A young Davy Jones replaced the original Artful Dodger, and is, sadly, not on the recording.

[ggersten]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 10:23pm

I saw this in Los Angeles, (part of the Civic Light Opera season) and concur that Diener was not good. Ok, I was a teenager at the time - but my memories of the show -- limited as they are -- are not favorable. There was some song like "tomorrow, tomorrow" which had a riff that stuck in the head. Diener has some line about Odysseus wearing a wig like "Where did he get that hair?" which was supposed to be funny because Brynner was famous for having a shaved head. I remember reading the program notes by Erich ("Love Story") Segal, who was at the time credited with the book, about having had the first part of the Odyssey in the show and there was a Cyclops puppet/set somewhere in Philadelphia. The version I saw started with Odysseus leaving Circe and his sailor/pigs.

This was a Mitch Leigh/Joan Diener production trying to recapture the LaMancha magic and not succeeding.

I think Mack and Mabel also had some out of town tryouts in either Los Angeles or St. Louis. My parents saw it in one of those places. And the San Diego Old Globe has been premiering musicals and transferring them to Broadway for probably 20 years.

Of course, Broadway plays seem to routinely open elsewhere. Sam Shepard had lots of early versions of his plays at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Mamet's plays would start in Chicago.
Updated On: 6/2/09 at 10:23 PM