Too bad about GEM OF THE OCEAN woes; an omen?

This whole production has been a mess, TTTT. The producer has been putting more effort into keeping BROOKLYN afloat, and, as the article cited on the home page notes, Wilson plays just dont make money. The revival of MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM with Whoopi Goldberg (again, a production that should have been foolproof, from a PR point of view) lost everything. And when you're depending on one investor for nearly half your budget, that's just asking for trouble.

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It's really too bad -- I've seen everyone of Wilson's plays on Broadway and it's sad that this one may not happen. Perhaps he should be going the not-for-profit route -- 8 to 10 week limited engagements at LCT's or MTC's Broadway eligible spaces. That way he and the cast, director and designers would still be eligible for the Tony, but there wouldn't be any pressure on him or his investors financially (and I'm sure either theatre would be happy to include an August Wilson play in their seasons). I think August exhausts most of his potential NYC audience in two to three months anyway (how many new straight plays, not including one person shows, run longer than that anymore on commercial Broadway these days?).

As for the the immediate problems for Gem, Mordecai needs to shift his focus away from Brooklyn entirely and spend the next week raising enough money to make sure that Gem can load in, have a marquee and get the run it deserves. If the Riedel article is correct (and he usually is with his insider producer scoops) then "Mordecai has enough money in the till to keep [Brooklyn] afloat for about three weeks." Frankly Brooklyn isn't salvagable, but Gem is and he should focus all of his energies on that.

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I have issues with the "lets take money out of this show cause it sucks and give it to that show" mentality that is on these boards.

I really would love GEM to succeed and think it will. But to say let's take brooklyn's money and give it to GEM when brooklyn is not running in the red seems ridiculous!

I do think the producer needs to focus on getting GEM's money and let Brooklyn run on its on for a few weeks. The times article said that Brooklyn ran in the black last week and, even though it does not have a lot of advance ticket sales it does have some to run in the black again this week. GEM has a lot of advance for a play and he needs to use that to his benefit to prove to backers that it will develop an audience and draw in crowds.

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I have tickets for early November, and pray it does come in. I was excited about it -- a play. A new play. By a respected, award-winning author. With a brilliant African-American cast who don't get such shots at the NY theater often enough. I agree with the post above -- if this dies, it's not a bright day for broadway. I don't want to re-open the P. Diddy conversation -- I think he got a lot of people to see Lorraine Hansbury's work who might not have gone -- but do we need a Sean Combs in a show to get it on? I hope not.

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They usually have a long life in the regionals, so who knows?

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The latest from Riedel:

" A group of top Broad way producers, who have backed some of the most important American plays of the last several years, may throw a lifeline to "Gem of the Ocean."

The producers — Elizabeth I. McCann, Roger Berlind and Scott Rudin — were trying yesterday to figure out a way to get the acclaimed August Wilson play to Broadway this season.

"Gem of the Ocean" is on the brink of collapse because its lead producer, Ben Mordecai, has failed to raise the $2.3 million needed to bring it to the stage.

With just a week to go before the play is scheduled to begin previews at the Walter Kerr, Mordecai has only raised about $800,000, theater sources told The Post yesterday.

The producer, who has a history of financial problems on Broadway, has agreed to step aside and allow the new group of producers to take over the reins.

There are, however, a number of very high hurdles that must be cleared — for one thing, the issue of financial liability.

Mordecai, sources say, owes money to people who have already started working on the show, including the advertising firm, which refused to put up a marquee for the show because of unpaid bills.

The new group of producers and their investors do not want to take over the production only to find themselves responsible for Mordecai's debts.

"We need to get the whole financial picture before this can happen," said one of the producers, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There may be creditors we don't even know about. It is going to take a lot of sorting out."

If the producers can figure out a way to salvage the play, they will almost certainly have to postpone the opening several months while these issues are resolved."
The Post 10/28

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It is too bad if GEM ends up not making it to broadway.
I saw it at the Mark Taper in LA and it was truly amazing. It was a level of quality that should be on the great white way.