What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
romgitsean
Broadway Star Joined: 4/7/08
#1What 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.
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM
#2What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:39pmNew musicals or revivals? Does 'successful' mean turning a profit?
#2What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:46pmI 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)
romgitsean
Broadway Star Joined: 4/7/08
#3What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/16/10 at 11:08pmOriginal musicals that were finanically successful.
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM
SahDu
Leading Actor Joined: 3/22/05
#4What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/16/10 at 11:10pmFirst that comes to my mind is Rent.
#5What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/16/10 at 11:30pmRent started Off-Broadway.
SahDu
Leading Actor Joined: 3/22/05
#6What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/16/10 at 11:35pmTechnically it began at NYTW for workshops...should fit the OPs categories outlined in the post.
#7What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:00amDid A Chorus Line tryout out of town?
#8What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:12amThey didn't, but they did a pre-Broadway run at the Public.
#9What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:13amSweeney 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.
#10What 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.
winston89
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/18/06
#11What 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.
philly03
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/07
#12What 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!
pinoyonbroadway
Understudy Joined: 8/4/07
#13What 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.
chrissydee
Featured Actor Joined: 2/21/07
#14What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/17/10 at 6:44amDoes 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!!
#15What 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.
#16What 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.
#17What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/17/10 at 11:35amNine 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.
#18What 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.
#19What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/17/10 at 12:53pmDidn't the original production of A Little Night Music open without a tryout?
winston89
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/18/06
#20What musicals have been sucessful on Broadway without out-of-town tryouts?
Posted: 1/17/10 at 1:06pmI wonder if the Sydmonton concerts/productions count as an out of town try out or just a reeding etc?
#21What 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.
husk_charmer
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/19/06
#22What 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.
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