Tuck Everlasting

[saraeo11]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 10:18am

I've been a fan of this musical for a while, and the book for even longer. I just got cast as Winnie in a local production and I couldn't be more excited. I am trying to figure out why it closed so soon, though. Was it just that it wasn't popular enough/not making enough money? Also, what are some opinions on the show? 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 10:32am

This same question has been asked before: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1110501

 

In terms of opinions, it was one of the worst musicals I've ever seen.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 10:39am

There are a couple of reasons why it closed.

Primarily, the reason was market over-saturation. In the season of and the season just after Tuck, 25 new musicals opened on Broadway. This included both Tuck and Hamilton. In contrast, just 7 new musicals opened this season. The market over-saturation was already a problem, but it didn't help that Hamilton became a cultural phenomenon. With every show fighting for their own survival, against each other and against Hamilton, most of the shows couldn't turn a profit.

The other reason was that Tuck was seen as a children's show, because the main character is an 11 year old girl and the show is based on a children's book. Children's shows get a bad rap, and most people don't have vested interest in seeing them unless they're the parents of children.

 

Personally, I adore Tuck Everlasting. It's score is brilliant, and my third favorite of the season (after Hamilton and Waitress). I personally really wish it had been given a chance, because it is definitely not a children's show. It covers some really heavy themes, like death, mortality, and loss. I'd love to see another major production (maybe in the West End or a revival a few years down the line) that strips it down to a chamber piece. A high school near my hometown also just announced they'll be doing it, and I can't wait to see it in person!

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 10:41am

1. Critically panned show.

2. Terrible word-of-mouth.

3. Audiences stayed away.

4. No audience = no money = producers close show as it takes money to keep a showing playing.

5. Rinse & Repeat

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 11:15am

Critically panned? It was a NYT Critic's Pick

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/theater/review-tuck-everlasting-a-lyrical-meditation-on-life-death-and-immortality.html

[BroadwayForever0914]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 11:17am

I really think this show could have done much better with a smaller treatment at Circle In The Square or a more intimate theatre.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 12:24pm

It was treated like an after school special - really dumbed down in my opinion.   I could have given myself whiplash from my many eyerolls during the show.

 

It's NOT because it's a children's show - so is Lion King and Little Mermaid and Aladdin....etc. 

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 12:27pm

Tuck is a very special show to me. It helped me get out of my depression and really introduced me to theatre, that being said the show was boring. It’s one of my favorite scores, but the book was horrid and I couldnt wait to get out of there.

[GreeneStreet]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 1:30pm

The show was boring. Every number was a big production number and it got boring and tiring. It’s score seemed very promising, but it’s a great example of a cast album that sounds better then the actual show. It was just so so boring.

[GreeneStreet]

Posted: 10/29/18 at 1:32pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "Critically panned? It was a NYT Critic's Pick

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/theater/review-tuck-everlasting-a-lyrical-meditation-on-life-death-and-immortality.html"

Anything is a critic’s pick now