What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

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What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:36pm

Or smaller staged productions (i.e, doing productions Off-Broadway or at NYMTF and then transferring to Broadway, etc.) for that matter?

I can't think of any.

Recent Broadway and Off-Broadway:: Carrie, Merrily, Ionescopade
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:39pm

New musicals or revivals? Does 'successful' mean turning a profit?

Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:46pm

I can think of Titanic and City of Angels off the top of my head. Both ran for twoish years (though Titanic was a financially flop)

I'll take the wind and soar.

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/16/10 at 11:08pm

Original musicals that were finanically successful.

Recent Broadway and Off-Broadway:: Carrie, Merrily, Ionescopade
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/16/10 at 11:10pm

First that comes to my mind is Rent.

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/16/10 at 11:30pm

Rent started Off-Broadway.

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/16/10 at 11:35pm

Technically it began at NYTW for workshops...should fit the OPs categories outlined in the post.

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:00am

Did A Chorus Line tryout out of town?

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:12am

They didn't, but they did a pre-Broadway run at the Public.

When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain. -Kad

#10

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:13am

Sweeney Todd opened directly on Broadway. And I believe it is now considered a financial success, although IIRC, that isn't all because of the original Broadway run. That's the biggest I can think of.

#11

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 4:25am

I don't believe either "Titanic" or "City of Angels" was financially successful at the time they closed, though the latter is one of my favorite shows.

Interestingly, in the same season (1997), "Titanic", "The Life" and "Steel Pier" all opened without the benefit of an out-of-town tryout or a prior production (to my knowledge). Sadly, none of them could be called a "hit".

I'm unsure about these, but did one or more of the following have out-of-town tryouts or major workshop productions pre-Broadway (interestingly, all Tommy Tune projects): "Will Rogers Follies", "Grand Hotel", "Nine"? Someone please chime in because I am by no means certain if they did or didn't.

"No matter how much you want the part, never let 'em see you sweat." -- Old Dry Idea commercial

Updated On: 1/17/10 at 04:25 AM

#12

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 4:56am

SahDu, regardless of Rent's starting point at NYTW, NYTW is considered to be an Off Broadway house. So, therefor it didn't have an out of town try out etc. Hell, according to Every Little Step, A Chorus Line was having readings and workshops etc at The Public eventually culminating in the original off Broadway production.

Would that be thought of as an out of town try out as well? No, of course not.

"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear" Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll

#13

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 4:59am

"Interestingly, in the same season (1997), "Titanic", "The Life" and "Steel Pier" all opened without the benefit of an out-of-town tryout or a prior production (to my knowledge). Sadly, none of them could be called a "hit". "

Jekyll & HYDE when it reached Broadway was NOTHING like it was out of town, so I guess they had some benefit of the tour/world premiere years before, but nothing immediately before! Ran for four years, but like all the '96-'97 New musicals: Flop!

#14

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 5:12am

To average,

Not sure about Will Rogers or Nine but Grand Hotel had a Boston tryout.

Everybody's Playing The Game But Nobody's Rules Are The Same Nobody's On Nobody's Side

#15

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 6:44am

Does the Lloyd Webber/Cameron Mackintosh collection of shows count?! They obviously started in London, but I believe opened in the US directly on Broadway with no out of town try outs!!

#16

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 6:52am

Ye, I would class that.

Billy Elliot and We Will Rock You didn't try out of town, neither will Love Never Dies.

#17

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 9:52am

Yeah, SahDu but RENT also did an off-Broadway at the same theater in addition to the workshop.

For those who thought NEXT TO NORMAL wouldn't have a life outside Broadway, well it's now playing in 4 cities, 9 different countries and has been translated into 6 languages.

Updated On: 1/17/10 at 09:52 AM

#18

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 11:35am

Nine opened without a tryout. In fact, Nine just made the Tony deadline that year (it opened on the last eligible day), while opening directly on Broadway. Also, I'm pretty sure City of Angels was financially successful.

"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.

#19

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:51pm

ChrissyDee/MarkE -- I think what the original poster was searching for is shows that truly opened "cold" on Broadway and still managed to be successful. The ALW shows or "Billy Elliot" essentially replicated their London predecessors so those would not qualify. "We Will Rock You" played a healthy run off-Broadway before transferring.

Pinoy -- thanks for the knowledge.

Wickedfan -- I did a bit more poking around this morning and you're right, it does seem like "City of Angels" closed on Broadway at a profit. Interestingly, I had thought that "Will Rogers" -- which ran a bit longer than COA -- ultimately recouped on Broadway and the published articles from around that time suggest that it didn't quite make it.

"No matter how much you want the part, never let 'em see you sweat." -- Old Dry Idea commercial

#20

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:53pm

Didn't the original production of A Little Night Music open without a tryout?

#21

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 1:06pm

I wonder if the Sydmonton concerts/productions count as an out of town try out or just a reeding etc?

"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear" Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll

#22

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 1:09pm

With Billy and Love Never Dies I meant they didn't have an out of town production when they opened in London.

"We Will Rock You" played a healthy run off-Broadway before transferring."

Um, WWRY never played Broadway or Off-Broadway, again I was on about London.

#23

What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?

Posted: 1/17/10 at 1:53pm

Didn't Titanic try out in Chicago?

Les Miz ran at the Kennedy Center before opening on Broadway.

givesmevoice-
The original Night Music played Boston before New York.

http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer

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