Shuffle Along previews — Page 9

Sally, with all due respect that is not what I'm debating. What I am debating is Kad saying "A preview period on Broadway is treated, for all intents and purposes, the same as regular performance"



To which I replied that if the audience doesn't know that the show is in previews then they aren't being attentive, because as you can see in the examples I clearly posted it is being advertised as such.



I never mentioned anything about them thinking twice about buying tickets or even knowing that the preview version might differ from the final product.



None of that came into play in my post.

Updated On: 3/16/16 at 02:51 PM

I am hoping that my gut feeling is correct in that Wolfe and the cast are very much aware of the shape the show is in right now. That he wanted to throw it all up there in front of an audience and guage responses. My thought is that he already knows what he might cut and by opening night the show will be in great shape and garner good reviews.



With that said, it could go completely the other way. As brilliant as this man and this cast is, it is possible that this won't happen but will end up being a show that people can say they were there to see and will be discussed for years to come. I hope my gut feeling is right though! Just my opinion.

I'm pulling for this show to be a success. It's a great idea and the creatives and cast are top-tier all the way. I just hope it does not turn out to be another "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown".

I'll be seeing the show next Saturday evening. While some of the reviews have been a little worrisome, nothing in this world could bring me down. I won't mind terribly if there are still plot issues because it is seriously a once-in-a-lifetime kind of cast/creative team.

Your issue is with the producers and the economic landscape of Broadway. Yes, it was a long performance. No, that is not unprecedented or obscene.

I have absolute faith in the creative team involved, but I frankly (and sound like a broken record here ) find it irresponsible and perhaps inappropriate to present an audience with a first preview that is 3 1/2 hour long, in which everything is being "thrown out there."



wow! probably one of the most dramatic statements and overreactions i have seen on here since joining last year. it is a new musical in previews - they are making changes, editing, cutting and what not. there is no rulebook or set of guidelines that says the musical MUST BE LESS THAN 3.5 HOURS! if someone thought they were there for far too long, they can always get up and leave... i mean, come on. let us tone down the rhetoric a bit -- we're not at a campaign rally here.



it is clear that you felt there should have been an out of town tryout. i don't disagree. but there wasn't and so this is what you have. it is what it is. it doesn't actually negatively impact anyone... especially if they were not even in attendance. sheesh

Scarywarhol said: "Our beloved King & I revival was nearly that long when I first saw it. And that was an actual revival of a show that is constantly done.



"



you are better off using examples of new musicals because i think the queen is conflating two issues. he/she is suggesting that if there were an out of town tryout, as he/she feels there should have been, this wouldn't have been 3 and a half hours. but the two have nothing to do with each other and it is an irrelevant hypothetical because it is just that. a hypothetical. they are opening cold on Broadway and that's all there is to it. we cannot change or control that...

I'm not being over dramatic. Like I said, I love watching the creative process unfold. My point is really more about perception and indeed what is "appropriate" use of the preview period. And this is a debate I put forth for discussion that is indeed tied to the current economics of Broadway. Audience members are paying large amounts of money for tickets, and social media gives everyone a rampant, far reaching way to spread opinions that can become instantly damaging to a show (look at Hughie) that investors may have collectively pledged more than 10M To get in front of a "Broadway audience"



My question is: does the director and creative team, given all this, have some obligation to fine tune their vision before opening it up to audience scrutiny. I am harping on the length, because yes, as a new musical, most people are going to observe the show has a running time that indicates something potentially problematic and that instantly causes the beginning of bad press and word of mouth.

Updated On: 3/16/16 at 03:53 PM

I really can't name any 3.5 hour musicals, except Les Miserables, which was cut from that length a long, long time ago. I agree in principal quality isn't tied to length, but I can't name any current quality musicals that needed 3.5 hours to tell their story successfully.

FYI, for those interested, the show's up at TKTS for 40% off.

I see. Having seen the show, I just think it would have been far more irresponsible, damaging, and probably morale-killing for Wolfe to have made large cuts before seeing it with audiences and measuring what's working. It isn't a case of a show arbitrarily throwing a bunch of crap onstage. This isn't Spider-Man (which started just as long). I never wondered why he wanted a scene in there. I also haven't heard many severe complaints about lengrh--more just noting that it is a long show.

Thanks Warhol-- and I'm glad to hear that. And at this point I'm sort of pondering what the preview process means in general in this day and age. If the Internet had existed back then, I wonder if things like "Hello Dolly," "Camelot" "The Wiz" and "Grand Hotel" which were in bad shape when they started out would have been able to really make the turn arounds they did, or if social media word of mouth would have just killed them before they had a chance to make the changes they needed.

Updated On: 3/16/16 at 04:55 PM

It's a good question, and we don't see a lot of that. Again, there was Spider-Man, which while not a creative or commercial success ran for almost three years after a complete overhaul. But normal rules don't really apply to any aspect of that show. I hope that this show proves to be an example of what can be done with a preview period today, and the fairly strong pre-sales probably help. I'd point again to the scheduled downtime as evidence that this has always been the plan in a show that probably could not have tried out of town with its main selling point--the cast. We'll see.