What Went Wrong with HONEYMOON IN VEGAS? - Page 2

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 9/4/17 at 5:38pm

I loved this musical but had a feeling it would flop based on the lack of buzz combined with the January risky opening... it's just such a long time to go before tourist season starts again and tony nominations come out. 

Another thing I noticed about the show and the word of mouth going around was that it lacked razzle-dazzle. Most people expect over-the-top extravagance when they think of Las Vegas, and yet the show's sets and costumes looked so small and cheap. The cast was relatively small so the casino scenes felt weirdly small also... 

the book and score to me are wonderful and all the performances were wonderful. I think a great big budget revival of this was a star could do very well in a few years. I'd also transform the lobby and theatre into a casino... give people something to talk about.

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 12:12am

I can't recall the last time seeing a marquee has really led me to buy a ticket to something. And that location didn't seem to curse Rent or Newsies?!?

Seems like a lot of excuses for a bad show.

The biggest problem it had is that a lot of us who saw it told other people they didn't need to see it.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 1:38am

haterobics said: "I can't recall the last time seeing a marquee has really led me to buy a ticket to something. And that location didn't seem to curse Rent or Newsies?!?

Seems like a lot of excuses for a bad show.

The biggest problem it had is that a lot of us who saw it told other people they didn't need to see it."

As I recall, the producers couldn't GIVE away tickets. It's always fun to read excuses; I often wonder who believes them as they come off their lips. 

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 1:50am

Agreed. I don't think real estate is big an issue as people believe. If Hamilton was playing Stage 42 there'd be no issues. 

[newintown]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 9:16am

The January opening argument is, I think, a non-starter; plenty of shows have opened in January and run much longer than Honeymoon, including Fosse, The Scarlet Pimpernel (although it closed at a loss after a few years), Ragtime (also closed at a loss, but due to producer fraud), The 39 Steps, Porgy & Bess, The Humans, and a little show called Beautiful, the Carole King Musical.

Anyway, although the show did technically open in January (granted, a usually quiet month), it had already been playing for almost two full months, and had acquired its reputation before the reviews came out.

Many want to think that beloved shows fail because of arcane circumstances not connected to the show itself - marketing, geography, weather, etc. But shows fail almost always because they can't attract enough ticket buyers, and that's almost always due to the content. That's not to say that all flops are inherently bad - but I'd say that a show like The Scottsboro Boys, which I think is excellent, also failed because of itself - it was just too dark and deep to find traction with the tourist audience needed for a show to be profitable.

Updated On: 9/5/17 at 09:16 AM

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 9:41am

I actually think a lot of what makes flop vs hit comes down to hotel concierges either having "deals" with certain shows or just know the tourists coming in from wherever just want to be told "See The Wicked! You'll love it!" I know when I worked front of house people would ask me what else to see and they only wanted to hear Wicked, Jersey Boys, and Hairspray, even when I picked fun and upbeat family shows they'd say "What about the Jersey Boys? Is that good for kids?" 

I think there's also "bridge and tunnel" word of mouth. Someone comes into the city, sees Scottsboro Boys, and I'll assume they enjoy it. They get home to their church/women's group/book club/whatever and say "oh, it's so serious! it's so good, but wow it gets dark!" A good review, but they'll scare the person off most likely.

Now, Honeymoon wouldn't have gotten the "dark" word of mouth, but I think a show needs a selling point--a big big star, a "star-making" performance, an already-hit score, or just a superior "wow" production. Honeymoon had a sorta star, McClure giving a charming performance, a good but not great score, and an average production. It had nothing more than a "well, how was it?" "Oh, it was cute. I liked the mom!" word of mouth. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 9:55am

newintown said: "Many want to think that beloved shows fail because of arcane circumstances not connected to the show itself - marketing, geography, weather, etc. But shows fail almost always because they can't attract enough ticket buyers, and that's almost always due to the content. "

I agree that content (and that's a good neutral word that doesn't make a judgment on quality) is a big factor, but I think marketing is not on an equal plane with location and dates, etc. Pitching a show wrong can kill it. And that does not mean choice of theatre, time of year etc do not contribute to the demise of some shows. Every good producer will tell you that everything matters, and one ignores any factor at one's peril. Some shows fail miserably but nowadays most just fail. And at the margin, there are dozens of factors that affect the bottom line. 

 

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 9:59am

I'm going off the cast album here since I didn't see the production, but part of the word of mouth may have come down to issues with the score as well. Seems like most of the best shots are in the first act and most of the clunkers in the second. The title number at the finale is pretty ho-hum. And some of the lyrics are kind of sloppy. The leading lady's I-want song boils down to a fantasy of a house with a white picket fence and contains lyrics like "with a rusty old swing set for our baby to ride". A) You don't "ride" a swing set, and B) Does she want her baby to get tetanus? Why does she want the swing set rusty? The songs weren't good enough to overcome a property that just didn't generate much heat.

I do love the orchestrations, the overture, and the entr'acte, though.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 10:01am

I think it was the property itself. Nobody had any interest seeing that movie in musical form. No amount of marketing could have fixed that.

[bdn223]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 1:41pm

I saw the show and  remember liking the show and thinking it was a solid B show. I just remember how cramped the show made the Neaderlander feel, yet simultaneously feeling way to small for what they were advertising. They used very large set pieces, but they were all relatively plain, and didn't  wow me. I just thought the show was much smaller then expected. For a show that sold itself on the glitz and glam of Vegas it just seemed very plain. I think part of that has to do with JRB's score, which like most of his scores are smaller and more introspective and didn't scream chorus numbers, and thus the production followed  suit.  I think that was what many felt going in that they were seeing a glitzy and glamorous stage adaptation along the lines of Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots, Sister Act,  or The Wedding Singer, and  instead ended up seeing a smaller, smart, and witty musical along the lines of Xanadu. 

I'd honestly compare it to having the exact opposite problem of Catch Me If You Can, where there were too many big chorus numbers and not enough character/plot driven numbers. I'd honestly wonder what would of happened if JRB scored Catch Me if You Can  and Shaiman and Wittman scored Honeymoon in Vegas.

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 2:01pm

bdn223 said: "I'd honestly wonder what would of happened if JRB scored Catch Me if You Can and Shaiman and Wittman scored Honeymoon in Vegas."

 

That's a fascinating notion. The introspective/character numbers in CMIYC tended to become too big ("Someone Else's Skin", be dull ("The Man Inside the Clues", or not be properly motivated ("Fly, Fly Away". JRB would probably have focused these more, and Wittman/Shaiman might have captured more of the silly Vegas pizzazz in Honeymoon. 

 

[bdn223]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 2:50pm

carolinaguy said: "bdn223 said: "I'd honestly wonder what would of happened if JRB scored Catch Me if You Can and Shaiman and Wittman scored Honeymoon in Vegas."



That's a fascinating notion. The introspective/character numbers in CMIYC tended to become too big ("Someone Else's Skin", be dull ("The Man Inside the Clues", or not be properly motivated ("Fly, Fly Away". JRB would probably have focused these more, and Wittman/Shaiman might have captured more of the silly Vegas pizzazz in Honeymoon.

"

My point exactly, but better worded.

[stevie3]

Posted: 9/6/17 at 12:14am

I also think the number one reason why it didn't attract audiences was that the movie was Boring Boring Boring and if people didn't like the movie they certainly weren't going to spend $ 150.00 for a Broadway Show. Its such a shame that the movie was such a clunker and the Broadway show was such a treat. A Real Gem of a show from the Overature to the closing number. Will Never forget it. BTW  The CD is spectacular. 23 songs that are all memorable

[Kad]

Posted: 9/6/17 at 10:33am

It was at best a third-tier show based off of a property that no one remembered or cared about with a plot that seemed decidedly old-fashioned...in the sort of casual misogyny and racism way. Had Danza not been attached, it would never have transferred and been one of countless shows to die on the regional vine.

When the comedic highlight of your comedy is a second-act filler song about having your flights routed through Atlanta, I think that says it all.

[raddersons]

Posted: 9/6/17 at 10:42am

Kad said: "When the comedic highlight of your comedy is a second-act filler song about having your flights routed through Atlanta, I think that says it all."

Oh my goodness I forgot about that song......... blech.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/6/17 at 10:57am

This was all dissected in real time, and remains true. Looking back on it, it is easy to say that there really was nothing about this show that drew people in. There are shows that have weak elements, but here there was no strong element. Come From Away, as an example, has pretty pathetic songs, but it tells a story people have been interested in hearing. Honeymoon has a story that, even in the best light, is not a compelling one. Quite a few people here like JRB's songs, but he has never appealed to a broader audience and, as others have said, the songs in Honeymoon are out of his wheelhouse as well. Finally, while there are those here and beyond who might have enjoyed Danza's tap-dancing, the broader audience would prefer to avoid that sight at all costs. So what's left? Nada.