Shows that had their out of town try-out in DC

Has anyone else ever been bummed to find out that a show you are really excited about gets an out of town try-out in your hometown, after you move away? I lived in DC for 16 years. Prior to me moving there, they had the pre-broadway North Americain premiere of "Les Miserables". Now, they are getting the premiere of "West Side Story". Of course, when I lived there...we had "Footloose". Oh yeah...we also got "Whistle Down the Wind". We also had "Martin Guerre"....although this was not a world premiere. The best thing we got prior to its move to Broadway was "Crazy for You". Very similar to the 4th of July Concert on the mall. The whole time I lived there I rarely would have gone to the concert on the 4th. Now, I no longer live there...and they get Idina Menzel and Sarah Brightman. Oh well....guess I'll be visiting DC next February!

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GLORY DAYS!

I'm glad I saw Glory Days at Signature before it tried to move to Broadway. The show worked well in the smaller space.

Years ago I saw Little Johnny Jones with Donny Osmond at the Kennedy Center in DC before it went to Broadway. Didn't that also shut down practically the moment it opened on Broadway? Maybe I'm a jinx for pre-Broadway tryouts.

Don't forget about that huge Broadway smash Hot Feet!

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You used to see lots of shows previewing in DC. The one I remember most was "Chicago" - the ORIGINAL one! Gwen, Chita, Jerry....

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Didn't Show Boat have its first performance at The National in DC?

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I didn't see either, but Hot Feet did last longer than Glory Days.

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In 1959 & 1960 I was stationed in Washington at Andrews AFB. I saw numerous shows at the National and among them were the pre-Broadway tryouts of Irma La Douce, Cheri, Little Moon of Alban and The Good Soup.

I spent most of my theatre money at The Arena Stage when they played at the Old Vat (former brewery). Every month I saw a wide variety of classic and modern plays performed by a resident company of actors that then included Philip Bosco, Alan Openheimer, Joyce Ebert, etc. It was exciting, highly professional and among my most cherished theatre going experiences.

I remember seeing a show that may not have played outside the DC area called "The Gospel According to Fishman' which I loved, and thought that it could have transferred to NY. Recently, there was a show called "Nevermore" that I heard was very good...but never got tickets to see it. Back in the mid nineties I saw "Elmer Gantry" and the Ford Theater...and thought it had a lot of potential. However, I think that Elmer Gantry had been performed elsewhere prior to is run at the Ford Theater.

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The Little Foxes (Elizabeth Taylor)
Peter Pan (Sandy Duncan)

Wasn't the Kennedy Center production of Mame a few years ago supposed to go to Broadway?

During the run there was talk that it should consider going to Broadway but that wasn't the production's original intent when the show was produced. It's possible that the transfer buzz was just hopeful fans speculating and not anyone associated with the production or in any power to make serious considerations.