Mambo Kings has booked the Broadway this summer.
As far as the Gershwin, it has never had a hit with the staying power evidenced so far by Wicked. The size of that theatre has proved too daunting for most shows. With the show's reported $30 million advance and strong replacement casting for the leads, I imagine Wicked will be at the Gershwin for a number of years to come.
Shows can transfer if the economics are right. Beauty and the Beast moved from the Palace to the Lunt-Fontanne in a somewhat downsized version, and has been at the Lunt now since 1999. The Chicago revival started at the Richard Rodgers, was forced out by Steel Pier and moved to the Shubert, where it was forced out by Gypsy, and moved to the Ambassador, where it is unlikely to be forced out by anything. At the time, it looked like Chicago was winding down, but the movie only seemed to bolster the show's box office. The show's relatively simple physical production makes a move economically feasible.
In the past couple of decades, the phenomenon of shows moving to other theatres has happened less and less, as shows became more technologically complicated. But still, there are examples. Annie moved three times, from the Alvin (now Neil Simon), to the Anta (now Virgnia) to the Eugene O'Neill and finally to the Uris (now Gershwin). The original 42nd Street opened at the Winter Garden, but moved to the Majestic and then across the street to the St. James. And Les Miserables originally opened at the Broadway and moved to the Imperial.
"Gif me the cobra jool!"
Updated On: 12/28/04 at 11:23 AM
