THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#2THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:24amNM
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Updated On: 8/24/11 at 07:24 AM
#2THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:26amSomehow you are reading a different article...the current one quotes the producers.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#3THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:32am
Ah.....there must have been a problem with the link. NOW I see the closing announcement.
Thanks, Gol. (I went back and read the article 3x, I thought I was crazy!)
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
addamsfamily#1fan
Chorus Member Joined: 12/9/10
#4THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 8:15amNo! Its the best show ever!!! Catch the show while you can!
#5THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 8:18amBut addamsfamily#1fan did you like the show?
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#6THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 8:32am
Not too tough a battle to GET that title, was it?
Best show ever....bwahahahahahahaha!
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#7THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 8:47amAnother free house for the season!
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
frazer
Understudy Joined: 5/6/11
#8THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 8:48amcritically panned - yes. But it was always going to be. It wasnt sophisticated musical theatre, but i thought it was a real fun night out, especially with the original cast. A hard working cast, and some fun music, even if the plot was lifted straight from La Cage! Also, I would say it has one of the best scenic designs of a production I have ever seen.
#9THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 8:49amSo this is most probably where GHOST will go.
#10THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 9:14amwow, Is this official? Do we need a full diclosure?
#11THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 9:18amIt was announced by the producers--how much more official can it get?
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#12THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 9:52amIt's not really for true official until a swing tweets it before the official announcement.
#13THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:01am
I guess Sheilds and Rees couldn't make a go out of it.
It is a shame because the concept was great but the execution was poor.
Once Nathan left, it wasn't worth watching.
Not to be confused with Dave19.
#14THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:12amIt will have lasted ten months without Lane by closing, and the numbers have been consistently up since Shields joined the cast. It's had a very respectable run--much longer than the material deserved.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#15THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:41amNo big surprise. Nathan and Bebe kept the show open and they got about as much mileage as possible out of it.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
landryjames2
Leading Actor Joined: 5/17/06
#16THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:44amI actually think it would be a really fun way to spend New Year's Eve. I certainly didn't hate the show like I thought I would (in fact, I really did have a lot of fun). And I love going to final performances on Broadway anyway. I would probably do this if I didn't already have plans.
#17THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:45amPeople will always pan a musical like this, that I get. A few of you have stated that this is not a sophisticated piece of theatre which is absolutely true but I also think this show brought a lot of joy to people. No, it didn't start a phenomenon but it is an absolute fun night out full of comedy and spectacle. I loved tho show and it will be missed! Cant wait for the tour!
#18THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:16amActually, inick, I don't think that's the case. Many people, like myself, were greatly looking forward to this. I'm a huge Addams Family fan. But the material didn't do justice to the great source material. There was so much potential there, but the weak story they chose paired with those bland Lippa songs just didn't live up to the magic of the source material. Missed opportunity for something truly special. I think it's more a case of disappointment at what could have been than vulture circling.
"Broadway...I'll lick you yet!"
#19THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:20amDid they recoup?? No surprise about it's closing as Sheilds was only contracted through Dec. 31 and I guess the producers couldn't find another "star" to play Morticia to keep the show alive through the winter.
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.
philly03
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/07
#20THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway December 31
Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:35am
I agree - I was also very much looking forward to this. This could not have been more un-Addams-y, let alone the score which is a travesty. Andrew Lippa was entirely the wrong composer for this. The only songs I felt were "Addams" style were "Just Around the Corner" (which I do love this one) and the cut "Clandango."
That being said, I did enjoy it with the original cast, but haven't dared to go back since they left!
#21THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway
Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:46am
frazer wrote: Critically panned - yes. But it was always going to be. It wasn't sophisticated musical theatre, but I thought it was a real fun night out, especially with the original cast.
A show doesn't have to be "sophisticated" to be critically acclaimed. It just needs to be brilliant at what it does. THE ADDAMS FAMILY just isn't.
AC126748 wrote:It's had a very respectable run--much longer than the material deserved.
True that. But isn't being mediocre-average all you need for a long run these days? More and more is seems like having a long-running show actually be good is a bonus rather than a necessity!
Musical Cyberspace: a tribute to the musicals of Broadway and beyond.
Updated On: 8/24/11 at 11:46 AM
AKarp2013
Broadway Star Joined: 7/25/11
#22THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway
Posted: 8/24/11 at 11:51am
Well all of those who say the musical is bad, it's just your plain opinion. I happen to enjoy the entire show! I loved the score and I thought it was hysterically funny! I am going to miss the show, as I loved every moment of it, but I will say, I'm not all that surprised that it's closing. I am surprised though that Priscilla is still open running and that's even doing poorer business! Addams actually had a couple of sold out houses over the Summer. Priscilla did not.
The Addams Family is a great show, in my opinion, and I'm going to miss it dearly.
#23THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway
Posted: 8/24/11 at 12:04pm
I really didn't understand the change from Clandango (which I saw in Chicago and was the best number in the show) to When You're an Addams, which only tells you the one thing everyone already knows about the source material. The sense of wit is completely squashed by the pedestrian and sophomoric lyrics explaining to the audience step by step the concept behind The Addams Family. Were they really afraid there were too many people buying tickets to the show who had NO IDEA who they were or what they were about? As much as people talk about the "dumbing down" of material on Broadway, this was the best example of it I've ever witnessed. The story was a contrived rip-off of You Can't Take it With You and the score was as sophomoric and forgettable as I've found Lippa's previous scores. The sets, costumes and cast were the only reasons I found to spend any money seeing the show.
A show doesn't have to be "sophisticated" to be critically acclaimed. It just needs to be brilliant at what it does. THE ADDAMS FAMILY just isn't.
Precisely. Xanadu, Mamma Mia and Rock of Ages received better reviews because critics judged them for what they saw, not what they wanted the shows to be. The funny thing is, Addams Family could have been sophisticated, witty and entertaining. With a different book writer and composer, it could have been all those things. But either the team they had couldn't make it happen, or the director and producers wanted the end result. These things happen.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
blaxx
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/05
#24THE ADDAMS FAMILY to Close on Broadway
Posted: 8/24/11 at 12:13pm
Wasn't this the "critic proof" show of the decade? The one that showed that reviews are obsolete? The one that would run 250 years making a quazillion dollars on its way?
Is the marvel of high quality entertainment which gave critics the middle finger closing...a flop?
Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE
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