Posted: 4/3/15 at 6:27pm
Good choice. It would have gotten killed on Broadway. Sad for the actors though.
Posted: 4/3/15 at 6:44pm
Is this rumor or fact?
If it's fact Disney theatrical is clearly run by idiots. They are too stupid to admit they have a winner on their hands. I'm not saying its perfect, but it's few problems could easily be fixed. The show is simply stunning.
Posted: 4/3/15 at 7:06pm
Both surprised and not surprised. I thought it would have been a safe bet that it was coming to Broadway just because it's Disney and Newsies's pre-Broadway run at Papermill was a huge success. But, I'm also not surprised because the show simply isn't big enough for Broadway. Arden, Renee, and Page aren't big enough to save it. If the show gets a total rehaul, with an EXPERIENCED director and a revised book, this would have a much bigger chance to be on Broadway. But, it's still frustrating that this movie hasn't been on Broadway. I hope we at least get a CD.
Posted: 4/3/15 at 7:10pm
Plus, it also would've been a tough sell because of the subject matter.
Posted: 4/3/15 at 7:12pm
I still think this will eventually come around again. Maybe the reason it's not coming in is because they couldnt get a theatre?
Updated On: 4/3/15 at 07:12 PM
Posted: 4/3/15 at 7:36pm
"I still think this will eventually come around again. Maybe the reason it's not coming in is because they couldnt get a theatre?"
I have a feeling that they want to work on it a lot more before bringing it to Broadway. I wouldn't say goodbye to Hunchback forever just yet.
Posted: 4/3/15 at 11:40pm
To be clear, what was said, was an immediate / fast transfer was not in the works.
Posted: 4/3/15 at 11:55pm
I saw it Wednesday night and thought it was so beautiful. Was not expecting what I witnessed. I plan on trying to go again on Sunday.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 12:57am
Let's not forget: ALADDIN took several major pilot productions before it solidified. Not every show needs to be NEWSIES.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 2:47am
Saw it tonight.
Sorry if this has been discussed frequently, but did anybody else feel that the book and lyrics took a significant step back in many instances from the James Lapine version?
The sound is glorious, Patrick Page is outstanding. Most of the cast is good. Other than that, this is a really upsetting example of what bad direction can do to a good score and story. I just don't even know where to begin. Almost every one of the totally inconsistent, visually stagnant, utterly uninteresting concepts at play felt like something an undergrad would come up with to be clever in a Directing 1 class. If nepotism wasn't the reason for the choice of director, I can't imagine what was. This could have been a very special show. It's now too adult to appeal to families, but not nearly smart enough to justify its darkness.
Several critics have it wrong: there's not a tug-of-war between the "Disney" side and the "Mature" side in this production. There's just a massive dissonance between some remarkable material and some truly amateurish storytelling: something Disney animation has rarely been guilty of.
Updated On: 4/4/15 at 02:47 AM
Posted: 4/4/15 at 6:45am
The show was doomed from the start when the nepotism was announced. The score really does deserve a Broadway opening, but not in this production. I never cared for the whole passion play concept and while it might have been a cool idea on paper, it fell pretty flat. Maybe a more experienced director could have made it work. I still believe Hunchback should be a grand spectacle. The film and music obviously suggest that. Go big or go home.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 9:14am
But the smaller your show is, the more creative you can be.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 9:35am
Small show - nepotism = good result
Posted: 4/4/15 at 9:45am
Well it's unfortunate that it's not going to come to Broadway. I saw it at Paper Mill and thought it was exquisite. Hopefully though they will produce a cast album. This is one score that I definitely believe is one that should be recorded (and with that epic choir).
Posted: 4/4/15 at 10:13am
At the very least, what I would like is some kind of confirmation that this isn't the end of the road for this show. I don't care who's directing it, I don't care if it's too small, I just want to know we haven't seen the last of it. Lord knows, I've waited long enough.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 11:03am
Sorry if this has been discussed frequently, but did anybody else feel that the book and lyrics took a significant step back in many instances from the James Lapine version?
Oh my God, yes. Thank you!
Posted: 4/4/15 at 12:33pm
Mourn all you want, the Lapine version will (in almost all certainty) never be performed again.
Nothing is certain in theater, but yes, there is future life for the project . . . including dates and locations . . . just nothing that can be announced at this time, for a wide variety of reasons.
Unlike other producers, Disney can afford not to be in a huge rush on any project.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 12:40pm
I have no doubt we will see Hunchback on Broadway at some point. I'm glad they dodged the bullet here. It doesn't even have to be the Lapine version, they just need to do a mass overhaul of the book and set design. I think Disney realizes how special Hunchback is and what it really could be with the right book. They don't want to piss it away, they want to get it exactly right for Broadway. I respect that.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 12:48pm
"Nothing is certain in theater, but yes, there is future life for the project . . . including dates and locations . . . just nothing that can be announced at this time, for a wide variety of reasons."
Oooooooooh.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 1:38pm
I know someone from a major musical-producing venue who is driving in to see it tonight. Apparently, they are indeed looking for another shot elsewhere (first). Smart thinking.
Updated On: 4/4/15 at 01:38 PM
Posted: 4/4/15 at 1:39pm
I have no hope of the James Lapine version being dusted off by the company. And I think there's still a great show waiting in there, so long as Schumacher and co recognize that the passion play/story theatre approach was (as I and many others said the first time this version announced a workshop) entirely wrong for the material. I love that style--I love Peter and the Starcatcher, Nicholas Nickleby, etc. It just makes no sense for this story or score, and felt actively insulting throughout. The fact that the staging OF that concept was so incompetent didn't help. That Disney did this show at all is bold, and I applaud them for it, and I I hope they don't give up because of a bad production and weaker book.
Updated On: 4/4/15 at 01:39 PM
Posted: 4/4/15 at 1:48pm
"Mourn all you want, the Lapine version will (in almost all certainty) never be performed again."
Fine move on their part then, breaking rule number one of musical theater: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." You could literally swap out one musical number in Act Two and it would be perfectly fine. Nepotism and bone-headedness killed this version dead. Period.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 2:01pm
Well, who would you like to have direct instead, Bob Crowley after his 'magnificent' work on Tarzan? (sarcasm alert)
Posted: 4/4/15 at 2:18pm
I went on Thursday night and really enjoyed the show. Arden and Page were fantastic and the score was very good and the choir was excellent. There were flaws but overall it was very good. Regarding next run, I heard that they are planning a run in Chicago in the summer and Broadway in the fall.
Posted: 4/4/15 at 2:21pm
I know she is busy but what about Diane Paulus?
