Water for Elephants’ to Close on Broadway, Dec 8th

[lopside]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:27pm

'Water for Elephants’ to Close on Broadway

[Kad]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:30pm

Always odd when shows close just before the very busy holiday weeks. Is there perhaps a new tenant lined up that wants the theatre asap?

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:36pm

Whoever the next tenant is I hope it’s a SMASH

Updated On: 10/1/24 at 05:36 PM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:37pm

Who is next?   Suffs seems possible.

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:42pm

Kad said: "Always odd when shows close just before the very busy holiday weeks. Is there perhaps a new tenant lined up that wants the theatre asap?"

Hasn't the going theory been that Smash has the Imperial? If so, maybe they're looking at a February preview period and a March opening? I can't imagine producers want what happened this past season where April was flooded with new show openings.

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:43pm

CoffeeBreak said: "Who is next? Suffs seems possible."

BTTF imo!

 

Suffs is rumored to close in early Jan 2025!

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:48pm

Wishing for Cats. Oh well

[The8re phan]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:50pm

certainly saw this coming, but still sad to see it pack up the tent -- I really enjoyed it much more than i expected to

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:54pm

WldKingdomHM said: "Wishing for Cats. Oh well"

CATS is aiming for Summer 2025 so as not to compete with SUNSET. 

It’s also entirely too big of a theatre 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:55pm

Kad said: "Always odd when shows close just before the very busy holiday weeks. Is there perhaps a new tenant lined up that wants the theatre asap?"

It is odd timing, but after the insanity of last season, perhaps Bob Wankel is trying to do his part to reduce the number of April openings by encouraging current shows to close earlier than Dec 29 or January 5th? Which means the new tenant can start previews in Feb and open in March. Could also be a scheduling matter with the director/writers of the next show going into the Imperial.

As of now three shows are opening in the second half of March (Mincemeat, BVSC, and Othello), and three others will open in the first week of April before things get really crazy (Old Friends, Boop, Last 5 Years). Last year, by contrast, 5 shows opened in March, NOTHING opened between March 28 and April 11, and then 14 shows opened between April 11 and 25th.

This is where the theatre owners have leverage over the Broadway schedule (to a certain extent).

edit: looks like AKarp2013 and I have the same thinking!

Updated On: 10/1/24 at 05:55 PM

[Sauja]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 5:55pm

I loved this show, and I’m sad to see it go, but we did all see this coming. Maybe they’re hoping for a little boom in interest giving them a chance to postpone actual closing until the new year? I agree it’s surprising to see something close just before the holidays.

[witchoftheeast2]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 6:00pm

Kad said: "Always odd when shows close just before the very busy holiday weeks. Is there perhaps a new tenant lined up that wants the theatre asap?"

I saw on one of these boards that someone said Smash wants the Imperial?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 6:01pm

This lasted a lot longer than some of us were expecting it to.

Now Benzini Bros. can finally live up to their reputation, as a traveling circus (where it should do solid business on tour).

 

 

 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 6:05pm

This was my favorite show by far this season. Glad I saw it twice, but sad that more people won't get to see this fabulous show that truly captures the musical theater essence and it's story telling. 

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 6:25pm

witchoftheeast2 said: "Kad said: "Always odd when shows close just before the very busy holiday weeks. Is there perhaps a new tenant lined up that wants the theatre asap?"

I saw on one of these boards that someone said Smash wants the Imperial?"

Um, yeah -- a few posts before yours. But also long been rumored. (And with other shows, too.)

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 6:50pm

I thought Water For Elephants was solid but not amazing. This seems like an appropriate run for the show. It definitely seemed to pick up some momentum around Tonys time with the somewhat surprising Best Musical nomination but that started to evaporate over the summer.

I think it'll do well on tour but I'll be interested to see how it does in the long run with the amateur/HS/community theater circuit. It'll be a hard one to pull off in that arena with the circus stunts.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 7:42pm

Well in a perfect world, Sara Gettelfinger will be back in another new musical by Spring. 

[Voter]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 8:11pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Well in a perfect world, Sara Gettelfinger will be back in another new musical by Spring."

 

I am glad she is getting more recognition and work. Any hints?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/1/24 at 10:32pm

It would be quite apropos for this show if the Shuberts executed the stop clause and “red-lighted” them, technically speaking. 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 12:41am

Very strange that both Notebook and Water for Elephants--two big tourist draws--would close up shop weeks before the busiest time of year in NYC for this sorta thing?

Its not like anyones going to be getting to work on bringing in new shows over those last 3 weeks of December for quick January openings, assuming new tenants are already lined up. 

[inception]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 2:06am

The problem with "tourist shows" is that the tourists need to have heard of them.  I will guess that there wasn't much advance.  Compare that to last X-mas when I visited, and by this time of the year Back to the Future was already well sold for the week of the holidays.  I just checked seating charts for about 10 shows over the X-mas week, and only Outsiders, Romeo + Juliet, & Oh Mary! look like they are well on their way to be sold out by the time the holidays get here.

Edit: Sales at Stereophonic look very strong as well.

Updated On: 10/2/24 at 02:06 AM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 5:09am

I don’t get the timing of both this and notebook for posting closing dates.  Why dump the busiest time? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 9:45am

I mean I’m sure it’s for a reason but I don’t know what.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 9:57am

rosscoe(au) said: "I don’t get the timing of both this and notebook for posting closing dates. Why dump the busiest time?"

Someone said this in another thread, but it seems the theater owners are attempting to perhaps lessen the surge of April openings by allowing the spring shows to begin previews/open earlier in 2025. Both this show and THE NOTEBOOK have certainly had enough weeks where the landlords can opt to give them the boot based on their agreements.

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 10:09am

I'm surprised the Shuberts would boot these shows out before the holidays. That means Shuberts won't get any rent for those busy weeks and a lot of front of house folks out of a job during the holidays.