The Scottsboro Boys will play the Lyceum...

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 6:46pm

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/scottsboro-boys-to-begin-performances-in-october-at-the-lyceum/

Is opening in the Fall a good idea for a musical with no names? Look at Ragtime and Finian's Rainbow.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 6:48pm

On the other hand, look at Fela! and Memphis...

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 6:55pm

This is a brilliant, brilliant show that deserves to take home a boatload of Tony Awards. I hope it finds an audience. The Lyceum seems to be a bit of a graveyard lately with so many notable flops taking residence there.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 6:56pm

Star casting doesn't matter when your show can make a bunch of white people go cause they feel guilty about what their ancestors did to the characters in the play.

Updated On: 5/18/10 at 06:56 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 7:02pm

Also, Brandon Victor Dixon is doing the Ray Charles musical. So they'll have to recast the lead role. Should be interesting.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 7:02pm

This thread is racist.

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 7:04pm

Here's to Corbin Bleu continuing his Broadway stint...

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 7:12pm

I would just have to live with my lovely memories of seeing it off-Broadway if Bleu did this show.

Seems odd they recorded the show if Dixon isn't transferring. He really was wonderful. I hope they find a suitable replacement.

I worry that Barry and Fran will try to star cast.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 7:16pm

I think Corbin could do well. Yes, he would be totally different, but that isn't a bad thing.
There is nothing wrong with Star Casting as long as they are talented, and Corbin has proven that he is.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 7:19pm

Do you know Scottsboro Boys? It's a difficult role to sing and it requires more emotional complexity than a rapping narrator.

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 7:26pm

Well, that was a joke. And to Corbin's credit (though I yet have to see him in IN THE HEIGHTS), I've heard from many that he's wonderfully grown from singing sidekick (in HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL) to rapping narrator.

And yes, something tells me a big name might be drawn to portray Haywood Patterson.

Hmmmm. Here's to a healthier 2010-11 season on Broadway!

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 7:30pm

Very exciting! A show I'm dying to see in a theatre I've never been to before.
And is this somewhat unusual route to Broadway becoming a trend? Off-Broadway---> Regional Tryout---> Broadway...first next to normal, now this. Seems to have served next to normal well.

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 10:34pm

The balcony at the Lyceum is death, but otherwise I'm very excited to hear the show has a home.

I liked the show (didn't love it), but I must admit that I think a white guilt factor has played into its success.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 10:38pm

I think Dixon made what theatre historians will surely refer to as a "D'Arcy James' Choice" after Brian D'Arcy James' decision to leave the cast of the artsy, Tony-bait indie (Next to Normal) for the big-budget commercial juggernaut (Shrek). Unfortunately, Shrek tanked and Next to Normal is still chugging along, weighed down by its boatload of Tonys (which would probably have been one greater if D'Arcy James was nominated for that show.

I think Dixon made the wrong choice.

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 5/18/10 at 11:18pm

I saw LOOPED right after I saw THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS. I was thinking the entire time how perfect the Lyceum would be for the latter.

[julesboogie]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 12:23am

"I liked the show (didn't love it), but I must admit that I think a white guilt factor has played into its success."

I think alot of things contributed to the success of SB Boys. But "white guilt" doesnt strike me as one.

Maybe because its the last Kander and Ebb Score, or Susan Storman having the midas touch, or the fact that its a pretty talented cast, maybe even that its an all black show. But most people dont even know what to expect when seeing the show....let alone that theyll feel guilty. On that note i dont remember feeling gulity...just sad that this had to happen to someone.
Updated On: 5/19/10 at 12:23 AM

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 1:12am

Perhaps white guilt is the wrong term. The show obviously has a lot going for it, but I think it falls into the same category as Ruined did: An all-black show patronized by (from the two times I saw Scottsboro) an entirely white audience about a serious topic in (sadly) recent history.

I think it's one of those shows that some people are afraid to dislike because it's supposed to be important. Again, not the fault of the show or its creators, but definitely something to consider.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 8:45am

Can't wait!!!

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 9:07am

I think I must be the only person in New York (other than the critics) who hated this show. I was bored from start to finish. I thought the choreography and direction were fine on Stro's end, but I was really let down by the writing. It was like a jukebox of old Kander and Ebb songs converted into new songs. And I LOATHED the guy who played opposite Coleman Domingo.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 9:14am

Here are the performance dates and pricing from Telecharge:

First Preview Date
October 7, 2010

Opening Date
October 31, 2010

Orchestra: $131.50
Mezzanine Rows A-G: $131.50
Mezzanine Rows H-J: $99.00
Bacony: $39.50

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 9:55am

That's a lot of money for mediocre theater.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 10:45am

They are going to need MANY discount codes.

[Pippin]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 11:34am

tell us how you really feel bjh2114.

out of curiosity, what didn't you like about Coleman's opposite (whose name is Forrest McClendon)? I thought he was fantastic, and his 11:00 number was one of the high points of the show.

Sorry you didn't enjoy it. I think you're missing out, but to each his/her own.

Updated On: 5/19/10 at 11:34 AM

[angelplays]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 11:44am

"Star casting doesn't matter when your show can make a bunch of white people go cause they feel guilty about what their ancestors did to the characters in the play."

Assuming your ancestors were here at the time. I'm pretty much second generation - one third, but that great great came over as a teen - so none of my ancestors were here. :P

[BobRandomGuyMan]

Posted: 5/19/10 at 11:47am

On one hand, I'm excited to see this show because I missed it at the Vineyard and am curious about the "lost" Kander and Ebb musical. But on the other hand, I saw Curtains. Wah wah.