TOO Many Shows on B'way or yet ANOTHER reason JCS failed

[sabrelady]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 9:38pm

I Know -stick a fork in it- but this apologia is just too ludikris to pass up:

The Direktor ' 'splains

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 10:02pm

That’s stupid.

Like straight up ignorance.

I love people. Updated On: 6/30/12 at 10:02 PM

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 10:06pm

"“I think when we opened, there were 40 shows on Broadway,” said McAnuff. “I can never remember, in my whole career, 40 shows playing at the same time on Broadway.”"

I'd have to double check this but I'm pretty sure this wasn't true.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 10:12pm

Currently as of 7/1 there are 30 shows running, including JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, which closes today obviously. Add to that GODSPELL, VENUS IN FUR, OTHER DESERT CITIES, DEATH OF A SALESMEN and LEAP OF FAITH, and you still only have 35.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 10:44pm

There were too many better shows open.

[HBP]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 11:16pm

^ This.

[Bwaydide92]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 11:21pm

The week JCS opened there were 30 shows open and the last week of the season there were 39 shows open. And I think there was at least one week where there were 40 shows open. Not that that justifies anything. But he was kinda right.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 11:44pm

No, he actually wasn’t in the right. Yes, between almost and every Broadway house was full. That’s what happens in the midst of a season, with new shows coming in.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 11:47pm

Just too many shows about Jesus, guys.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 6/30/12 at 11:48pm

Many other shows opened up when there were tons of other shows opening and still made money.
This show failed at attracting an audience. The reason why could be debated, whether it was bad timing in terms of having a religious show on Broadway, if it was bad production of a good show or if the show itself is bad. But one thing that cannot be debated is that it did NOT close because "too many shows were going."

[bdn223]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 12:16am

I think the "too many shows" argument can only be applied to new shows, if any at all for the sole reason that it cannot attract a initial audience to build up a word of mouth. Also one can also only really use the argument in the Fall since there are no "nominations" to help build buzz. Shows like Lysistrata Jones and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson can somewhat use the reasoning for their failure since they were critically respected shows, but just never found an audience.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 12:57am

JCS has a cult following. It will ALWAYS attract people who might not ordinarily attend another Broadway show because it's JCS. Unfortunately, this revival didn't really break past the cult. It wasn't good enough to really attract attention from the rest of the world. This was different from the other revivals of JCS, yes, but not groundbreaking. It could also be overexposure. Do people really want to see another JCS, even if it is Broadway? (Same could be applied to Godspell).

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 1:26am

I like Des. He hazards a guess, ("there were too many shows running when we opened") and then says he wouldn't hazard a guess as to why the show couldn't attract audiences.

[keb2]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 1:31am

Ok, I've legitimately heard this quote (from Des McAnuff, in the article above): “Once we get people into the audience they love the show — it’s just a matter of getting people there to see it.”

about THREE different shows this season (Bonnie and Clyde, Godspell, and Jesus Christ Superstar). All of them were shows I wanted to enjoy and did not enjoy, because they were really flawed.

There will be people who like and dislike every show. But if you only pay attention to the people who like your show, and entirely dismiss those who don't, especially when they make up the majority of your audience (or, at least, are powerful enough to dissuade people from seeing your show), you come off as delusional.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 2:05am

You've legitimately heard that?

[keb2]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 2:09am

yes—from non-bastard children! :) No, but I remember something along those lines being said by the cast & creative team of B&C in a video interview right after they announced closing, and Davenport (not very subtly) alluding to the same thing about Godspell.

And hey, at least I didn't say "legit" like so many of my peers!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 2:11am

Literally.

[keb2]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 2:19am

oh no, I can't use "literally" incorrectly—that one's a pet peeve of mine, and I've been known to call people out on it (they just LOVE me when I do that). I'm more lenient with "legitimately," because it has more wiggle room (I was going for the "able to be defended with logic or justification" definition when I used it above).

/linguistics chat

My opinion on why JCS failed? Poor reviews, no big-name star, no buzz, expensive tickets, plenty of better shows to see. So yes—part of the reason why it failed is because there were a lot of shows on Broadway. A lot of shows that people wanted to see. JCS was not one of them.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 8:41am

I stand that unless you’re a musical about a chubby dancing girl, the Neil Simon Theatre will swallow you up.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 9:00am

Too many shows. Right. That's why Once closed.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 10:37am

>I stand that unless you’re a musical about a chubby dancing girl, the Neil Simon Theatre will swallow you up.<

It's had a string of losers lately, but it was also the home of some excellent shows like Elaine Stritch at Liberty, the '96 King and I, the superb Anthony LaPaglia View from the Bridge, Biloxi Blues, Brighton Beach Memoirs, the original Annie, Shenandoah, Company ...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 11:54am

What b'way houses can boast more successful runs than unsuccessful? Comparing NUMBER of shows rather than length of the run, to be specific. (You folks are so good at that kind of info.)

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 11:55am

If that's the case, lets just have a Hairspray revival in about 10 years and put it in the Neil Simon. Nuff said.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 12:08pm

2 words. Astronomical prices

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/1/12 at 12:22pm

>What b'way houses can boast more successful runs than unsuccessful? Comparing NUMBER of shows rather than length of the run, to be specific. (You folks are so good at that kind of info.)<

I've always heard the theatre that has held the most hits is the Imperial. For a theatre built in 1923, the list of shows that played there is shorter than most of the other Broadway theatres of the same age, which attests to the longer runs of most of its tenants.