There Ain't No Justice On Broadway

Cats stays forever & despite killer reviews WAOVW will close prematurely

Unfortunately,it shows what people want & that is sad.

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WAOVW?

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(Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)

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Women Against Overweight Vanna White?

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Ah OK, Virginia Woolf.

Who goes to see a play besides us theatre patrons? New Yorkers, maybe. Tourists generally look for musicals.

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DENZEL WASHINGTON!!! was in a play and it bombed!

THAT tells you something...

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Still, didn't it close because they couldn't fill the seats?

And was it really a million profit? I thought I read it barely got its money back...?

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Hmm. Perhaps I am thinking of another recent play with big name?

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It's got nothing to do with justice. People will not spend money and go to revivals like VIRGINIA WOOLF and GYPSY when there are equal or superior versions available to them on video or on cable 24/7.

TheEnchantedHunter
Ted Hunter, Cane, NH

Updated On: 7/24/05 at 02:34 PM

But GGR hasn't been around the block in various incarnations for 40 or 50 years or, despite its Oscar nod, a standard-shattering, notoriously well known film like WAOVW. And by contemporary standards, it's considered "high art."

TheEnchantedHunter
Ted Hunter, Cane, NH

I hold that the reason VIRGINIA WOOLF was not as successful in this revival is Bill Irwin. Despite his TONY win, the guy has no sex appeal and animal magnetism. He and Kathleen display no sexual chemistry and tension between them. That is a crucial component.

It's a superlative play, a terrific production. The casting of each of the four leads is a critical component.

It remains my opinion that Irwin was the weakest link, and when that weak link is one of the two major links on which the play is grounded, the play just doesn't get the support it needs to survive.

Updated On: 7/24/05 at 03:04 PM

I really liked Irwin. He's not Richard Burton but I think his interpretation is just as valid.

I think, sadly, the reason that Virginia Woolf didn't catch on with audiences is that it's not a fun, entertaining evening out. It's a difficult play. Superficially, it's four complicated but irritating people arguing all night. Of course, there's way more to it than that (failure! impotence! ambition! parenthood!) but I think that it requires a lot more effort on the audience's part to find its deeper meaning than say, Doubt (which I also liked). Several audience members around me left after Act II because all they saw was four people yelling at each other. I don't think this is the fault of the production; audiences unfortunately just aren't exposed to this kind of play often and it often lacks direct appeal to them or they don't know how to respond to it.

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Updated On: 7/24/05 at 03:32 PM

Not getting really off topic - but I think regardless if Gypsy dosen't bring a big crowd nowadays (basically because all the teenies flock to Wicked/Rent and probally don't know a thing about Gypsy) I think Gypsy will be back every decade or so. Look how much it's been revived already - I definitely think there will be another Gypsy revival 8-10 years from now. It's a show that is always fresh and ejoyable each time it's on Broadway.

Updated On: 7/24/05 at 07:09 PM