What shows will close before Tony time? — Page 2

I think Company will be around as long as Sweeney Todd was. I say it'll close Labor Day weekend.

And I really hope Beauty & the Beast will close by the time The Little Mermaid opens. For Disney to have 5 shows on Broadway is insane. B&TB should close sometime late next year. Then Tarzan the year after.

---

We have yet to see LEGALLY BLONDE, CURTAINS, or LOVEMUSIK, but if Best Musical were between SPRING AWAKENING and GREY GARDENS, the *obvious* winner is going to be SPRING AWAKENING. This isn't an issue of which is a better show (I think they're both fantastic). It's an issue of which show has a life beyond Broadway and which does not. For all of the pop-culture infused TV watchers to see Duncan Sheik accept a Tony Award for Best Score followed by his show winning the Tony Award for Best Musical (along with a kick-ass rock-pop cast performance on the telecast), this show will easily become the next RENT, in that it will tour and tour and tour and tour for years to come, head into other countries, and make road folks lots and lots of money for many, many years. In that respect, SPRING AWAKENING can have GREY GARDENS for breakfast and still have a forever expanding lifespan. GREY GARDENS is very limited. Again, I think they are both *fantastic* -- but for the road voters, SPRING AWAKENING is a no-brainer, especially up against something as unique and specific as GREY GARDENS. I have a sense that CURTAINS and LOVEMUSIK will fall into the same category as GREY GARDENS in that they will be very artistic, beautiful pieces of theater, but will not have much of a commercial lifespan. Regardless of what the reviews turn out to be like for LEGALLY BLONDE, in order for it to have ANY life beyond the Tony Awards, it needs to land a Best Musical NOMINATION so it can perform on the telecast. Now the nominating commitee is made up of 25 artistic New York theater snobs, and they have the first say. This makes me believe the Best Musical nominees could very likely end up being SPRING AWAKENING, CURTAINS, LOVEMUSIK, and GREY GARDENS, with SPRING AWAKENING coming in an obvious first place. LEGALLY BLONDE loses the opportunity to perform on the telecast, and dies a quiet death over the summer. GREY GARDENS has the Tonys for Christine and Mary Louise in the bag. And those two Tonys will be *the* great tribute to the show, as these ladies are the heart and soul of that piece. Direction and Orchestrations are a toss-up, but the two awards that SPRING AWAKENING can easily win are Best Score and Best Musical, both of which will be key publicity tools for its great, long future ahead.

---

Updated On: 12/13/06 at 10:40 PM

MR ROXY -- I don't think Blonde will necessarily suffer the same fate as HiFi just because neither are "high art." I direct your attention here to Hairspray, Spamalot, and The Producers, none of which can really be considered "high art" (although I think all three were quite well done), and ALL of which are successful movie-to-musical adaptations. I'm not saying that Blonde will sweep the awards like any of those (although I HOPE it will!), but I think it has a decent shot at finding its niche audience and enjoying at very least a healthy run.

~JJJ

---

I don't think saying a "healthy run" has anything to do with money. If a show is a flop, it lost money. If a show is a hit, it recouped.

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE had a healthy run. It did not recoup.

---

Well I guess we have different definitions.

---

"Since the Wedding Singer is closing this month, after a shorter than expected run"

How can you possibly say THE WEDDING SINGER has had a shorter than expected run? If you told me in April that this show would last for eight months I would have told you you were out of your mind. I think it had an extremely healthy run, regardless of how much money it lost.

Updated On: 8/31/11 at 12:20 AM

I feel Grazie will raise the stakes and make the Queen reign.

Updated On: 8/31/11 at 01:03 AM

^ agreed. I am very excited for it.

---

I know there wasn't as much of competition last year, but if THE WEDDING SINGER can get a Tony nomination for Best Musical, I'm sure LEGALLY BLONDE can.

You answered yourself in the first part of your statement. There was no other viable competition last year, which was the only reason THE WEDDING SINGER got *any* nominations. Just filler. Let's see how LOVEMUSIK and CURTAINS are received. Because as of now, SPRING AWAKENING and GREY GARDENS have sure spots in the Best Musical category.

---

"So enough with all of the badmouthing on TWS.... "

I didn't think anyone was badmouthing TWS. Just because someone thought it had closed already, or didn't think it would last as long/or as short as it did, does not constitute bad mouthing. While I know there has been "bad mouthing" done on the site towards the show, I think everyone has been fair on this thread at least. Statements like you made are calling more attention to possibly "bad mouth" the show if anything. The show was not for everyone, no show is. Just my thoughts.

---

We really should not underestimate Harold Prince. This man is the definition of 'big hitter'. Delighted as I am for GG and SA, they have some very tough competition coming.