#126
Posted: 12/14/24 at 7:04pm
PLEASE change the title of this thread.
'Swept Away’ to Close on Broadway December 15 — Page 6
#127
Posted: 12/15/24 at 9:14am
It really does look like they have overestimated the demand for this extension. My honest perception is there is a tiny minority of cult-followers of this show - I inform my claim also because someone with connections to the show (or so they claimed) asked me when I saw it why I was there and if I was a fan of the Avett Brothers etc. the guy was manically happy and impressed with the show you could feel the genuine love - BUT the size of the cult is just not enough for the scale of Broadway.
I just wish I could see the show one more time though :(. I have that kind of slightly tugging missing feeling of experiencing those melodies/harmonies, watching those actors and the staging etc. that I know I just won't see much outside of New York City. I'm listening to the title song right now from the "Mignoette" album and while it may be a jukebox musical I'd take the magic of that melody/harmonies any time over an 'original' but generic musical score ironically lacking originality.
Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.
#128
Posted: 12/15/24 at 1:27pm
I caught this yesterday with an incredibly enthusiastic crowd. The set, lighting, art, and the direction are all fantastic. I don't think anyone needs to be familiar with the Avett Brothers to enjoy this show, the music is beautiful but generic. Everyone here is right saying this show is not for everybody and I personally thought the smaller space in DC worked better. The cast is working their asses off and they were clearly grateful for all the love they received. The extension was poorly handled though and the cast somehow blaming the audience reminded me of Billy Eichner screaming at straight people for not "showing up" for his movie Bros. How'd that work out?
Since Covid, unless a show is a hit RIGHT out of the gate, it's closed in weeks to just a few months for the most part. But, Some Like it Hot started off slowly and then numbers improved and it ran for a year. But, there are a handful of shows I can think of just this year that shut down so quickly, people weren't even given a chance to discover them. Shows (especially new works like Maybe Happy Ending) need some time to pick up steam and I know most people involved don't want to lose more money, but shutting them down in a matter of weeks to a few months seems wild to me.
Anyways, congratulations to this cast and crew. This has been in development for many years and I'm glad people in three cities got to experience it.
#129
Posted: 12/15/24 at 6:09pm
I’ve heard that the big demand for the original closing week came from Tony voters who needed to get in. A lot of those tickets were comped, but people trying to buy tickets couldn’t access them, which gave a false sense of demand.
It is never the audience’s fault a show doesn’t catch on. It’s on producers to pay attention to trends. Oh Mary!, Stereophonic, Hells Kitchen, etc. have all proven that building an audience and demand in 2024 starts Off-Bway for original pieces. Swept Away got a theatre, but had no buzz. That’s the producers fault, not ours.
#130
Posted: 12/17/24 at 1:35pm
majority of balcony seats are now $59
#131
Posted: 12/17/24 at 11:55pm
I was at tonight's show, which I guess was the first post initial cancelation performance, and from my vantage point in the mezzanine it looked like a full house.
There was a lot I liked about the show: John Gallagher's random Delco accent, I was really impressed with Adrian Blake Enscoe singing, the set was really cool if functionally limited, and The Avett Brothers songs generally worked for me.
But man, John Logan who is a super accomplished writer really frustrated me with the book. Every change he made in this fictionalized story is less interesting than what happened with the real Mignonette crew. The second half of show show is largely confined to sitting inertly in a life boat, when in real life they were fighting off a shark attack, hunting a turtle, and drinking their own urine.
Most importantly thought the death in the real life boat was straight up murder, which raises far more interesting moral questions than saying the cannibalism was an act of love and self sacrifice.
I'm glad I saw this but also get why the show didn't catch on more with audiences.
#132
Posted: 12/29/24 at 3:46pm
Anyone going to the final Broadway performance tonight?
“I am furious, but I am sailing.”
#133
Posted: 12/29/24 at 4:44pm
I'm sure this show will have a life in certain regional theaters down the road.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#134
Posted: 12/29/24 at 7:59pm
EDSOSLO858 said: "Anyone going to the final Broadway performance tonight?"
this show had its 15 minutes of fame when they decided to extend it by two weeks
there was some random actress on social media freaking out about the initial closing announcement
judging from the poor attendance of the extension it wasnt warranted
while it lost even more money as a result the upside is those involved got two extra paychecks for the holidays
this one ends not with a bang but a whimper
#135
Posted: 12/29/24 at 8:06pm
I didn’t want to kick it while it was down but now that it’s closed I can say that it was absolute torture to sit through.
#136
Posted: 12/29/24 at 10:17pm
Per a video from one of the fan pages on Instagram, post-show speeches were delivered by Stark Sands and Michael Mayer (who eloquently quoted from ANYONE CAN WHISTLE). The entire band was name-dropped and they started the exit music as the full company took their final bow.
Looking forward to giving the cast album a first listen.
“I am furious, but I am sailing.”
#137
Posted: 12/30/24 at 9:02am
TotallyEffed said: "I didn’t want to kick it while it was down but now thatit’s closed I can say that it was absolute torture to sit through."
Wish you would have said something sooner 🙄
#138
Posted: 12/30/24 at 9:27am
What are you talking about? It was mostly sold out the last 3 weeks of the run.
If the extension wasn't warranted they wouldn't have been at almost 100% or 100% capacity, which they were.
#139
Posted: 12/30/24 at 9:31am
This is always going to be one of the more interesting shows I’ve ever seen. If you read back here, I truly disliked it when I saw it early in previews but I did go back a couple weeks later and for whatever reason, I just loved it. Nothing in the show had changed, but for some reason I just saw it completely differently. I’m sad I never got a chance to see it one last time but I’m very much looking forward to the cast recording.
#140
Posted: 12/30/24 at 9:41am
This had been one of the shows that I was most looking forward to until the NYTimes released a giant spoiler at the beginning of the season which tempered my excitement. I finally got to it in December and loved it so much that I went back the following week. I found it quite moving and am also looking forward to the cast recording. It feels like I spent a lot of time at the Longacre this year between this and Lempicka. I really hope Dead Outlaw reverses the theater’s trend.
Updated On: 12/31/24 at 09:41 AM
#141
Posted: 12/30/24 at 11:04am
Melissa25 said: "I spent a lot of time at the Longacre this year between this and Lempicka. I really hope Dead Outlaw reverses the theater’s trend."
Dead Outlaw is magnificent and, honestly, it’s another Yazbek hit. However, I hope it doesn’t fall toward the trend of the weird art getting the short end of the stick again. Also, the more I think about it, the more that I think Adrian Blake Enscoe would be a PERFECT Elmer standby.
I went last night and, although there was a bit more playing to the audience that would’ve maybe bothered me a little if it was my first time (it was my 8th), it was a very, very strong performance by all and the audience openly embraced every minute of it.
Personally, the gravity of the finale never fully hit me until last night when the ghosts of Captain and the brothers are telling the Mate that he can be free now because he told their story. At that point, it felt like I got shot in the heart in the best way - a remarkably poignant ending. JGJ even seemed to struggle to get through it and there were a LOT of tears from him.
Stark’s curtain speech was also absolutely note-perfect in that he spoke to the impact the show has had and the journey it took, and how proud the company was of what they accomplished. They indeed closed a hit.
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#142
Posted: 12/30/24 at 11:26am
This was a beautiful show. Everything about it really. The lighting, the set, cast, music and their key art. Just stunning. I hope it will have a long life in the regional space.
Congratulations to everyone involved. Bravo!
Updated On: 12/30/24 at 11:26 AM
#143
Posted: 12/30/24 at 1:06pm
I had no idea what to make of this show when I first saw it. Didn't hate it at all, but didn't love it (couldn't even tell you if I liked it or not). I loved the staging and production itself but as far as the material is concerned, I couldn't tell you exactly why I enjoyed my time with it. As days passed, I found myself constantly thinking about it. The story, characters and music all grew on me the further away I got from the performance. I wish I could have gone back to see it again before it closed but at the end of the day, I'm so glad I saw it, and when the cast album comes out, I will listen and look back on this show with much fondness.
Updated On: 12/30/24 at 01:06 PM
#144
Posted: 12/30/24 at 6:49pm
quizking101 said: “I went last night and, although there was a bit more playing to the audience that would’ve maybe bothered me a little if it was my first time (it was my 8th), it was a very, very strong performance by all and the audience openly embraced every minute of it.”
Can you elaborate on any specific moments? I was there last night but it was my first time - I had been on the fence but figured I’d get a last minute ticket as best-case scenario I’d love it and worst-case scenario the energy of a closing night is always worth it. Obviously the audience was super into it - I’m sure I wasn’t catching the reason for a lot of the mid-song applause but it’s fun to be around that. The woman in front of me was a MESS lol - having the best night of her life and then full on sobbing for the second half through the post show speeches. I can only hope to ever love a show that much!
FWIW I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected - I’m not sure the story was my cup of tea and there were a couple of individual elements I wasn’t crazy about, but the design of the shipwreck was so cool, and I LOVVVVED the music. I didn’t really know the Avett Brothers but I walked out of there an instant fan and can’t wait for this cast recording.
#145
Posted: 12/31/24 at 2:45am
I still want to understand what the logic was in adding a 14 person ensemble to a show that was clearly written as a four person chamber piece.
this easily added 20-30k a week to the run cost for no real reason.
also this show was clearly under-capitilized
really bad producing strikes again
#146
Posted: 12/31/24 at 6:10am
Something I've been wondering about but unsure about: did the Avett Bros being so involved in marketing hurt things a bit? I noticed in most of their morning show performances and such the Avett Bros performed, sometimes making up most of the performances. This to me suggested they weren't really letting go and letting the actors show off. You weren't really getting a teaser for the show so much.
I don't think this was marketed well. FWIW I discovered this in DC mid run from a friend's recommendation and I didn't see much marketing for the Broadway run.
#147
Posted: 12/31/24 at 7:41am
There is a minimum number of musicans required for a Broadway show based on the size of the theater...
BoringBoredBoard40 said: "I still want to understand what the logic was in adding a 14 person ensemble to a show that was clearly written as a four person chamber piece.
this easily added 20-30k a week to the run cost for no real reason.
also this show was clearly under-capitilized
really bad producing strikes again"
#148
Posted: 12/31/24 at 8:10am
yyys said: "There is a minimum number of musicans required for a Broadway show based on the size of the theater..."
They're not talking about the musicians, theyre talking about the 14 ensemble members...
#149
Posted: 12/31/24 at 8:11am
oops. I misread...lol
#150
Posted: 12/31/24 at 8:20am
Someone on Reddit that claims to be a wife of the A1 on the show has been spouting off in different threads about the show being undercapitalized and it not being given a fair shot… I mean, this was a clear case of a stop clause being enacted (and for good reason)
Another show shot by shoddy producing. Not surprised we’re going to see more shows fail because of them in addition to what already has. (And not to be insensitive, but I do look at some shows and wonder sometimes “What Would Scott Rudin Think Of This Mess?)
I'm just here so I don't get fined
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