What shows will we never see again on broadway

New Faces of 1934

If/Then

Goddamn, what horrendous garbage that was.

In the post-COVID future, when the only Broadway theatre-goers are upper-middle class Gen X'ers from Long Island and New Jersey, Gettin' The Band Back Together will finally get it's due.

Princeton2 said: "Actually shows like South Pacific, King and I and even My Fair Lady may not be revived much in future. Not because of current events so much, more that their core audiences are dieing out. Similar to how shows from pre-1950 are done less and less. They are big expensive shows to put on and the two most recent revivals really didnt last that long. Outside of theatre fans, future generations of more casual theatre goers arent exposed to the classics as much. They will likely be drawn to shows that either pull on their nostalgia or have more contemporary scores. It's a shame as I think South Pacific is especially relevant now."

There is always going to be an audience for the classics, that's part of the reason why they're classics. Part of keeping them alive is reviving them. It all goes in cycles, and it works hand in hand with reinvention or sometimes even casting. There will always be an audience.

The other thing to take into consideration is the scope. Here we are talking about Broadway. The 2008 revival of South Pacific was the first production since the original on Broadway. I think that was because it is so cemented in our culture, its done everywhere, so what can a Broadway production add? Much like "The Sound of Music". There was 1 revival on Broadway in the late 1990's, and in between that, everyone and their dog see it in community theatre, and the movie. It seems to almost be better to do a big national tour, than a Broadway production.

Also, I think that a lot of the shows based on movies, we'll never see. Not that some aren't good, but I just don't see a revival of "9-5", "Legally Blonde", "Rocky", "The Little Mermaid", "Shrek", "Waitress", "School of Rock", etc.

fashionguru_23 said: "Also, I think that a lot of the shows based on movies, we'll never see. Not that some aren't good, but I just don't see a revival of "9-5", "Legally Blonde", "Rocky", "The Little Mermaid", "Shrek", "Waitress", "School of Rock", etc.

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What I think will be interesting about some of these shows based on movies is whether they find a resurgence 20-30 years from now when folks who loved them now start sharing them with future generations. For example, in 25 years, will every kid who loved Frozen now want to share the movie with their kids? And will enough of those kids be interested enough in it that it could potentially warrant a Broadway revival? So in the immediate future, no, I can't see any of those shows having a second life, but potentially down the road there could be interest generated in them again.

In terms of the economic impact of the shutdown, it is less likely than ever that shows that didn't turn a huge profit their first time around are getting revived. Like, we'll get an Into the Woods revival eventually, but something like Merrily We Roll Along isn't going to get the same chance. A radical reimagining isn't going to be enough to get investors on board for shows that haven't proven their ability to turn a profit on Broadway.

I imagine we're going to see more musicals adapted from movies on Broadway, but the ones that didn't do great their first time around (9 to 5, Wedding Singer, Rocky, etc.) have little chance of being revisited. Like, I'll be shocked if Disney doesn't get that Beauty and the Beast revival going within a year or two of theaters reopening (that poor, poor Aida revival isn't going to happen anytime soon, though).

I imagine we are going to get some big classics revived when the theaters can reopen again. I will not be surprised to see something like The Sound of Music appear out of nowhere. I'll also be surprised if we getting a revival anymore serious than The Sound of Music being pushed anytime soon. We're not getting something upsetting and provocative like Parade or Ragtime. We're going to get happier shows that will draw the widest audience possible.

Plays aren't going to be impacted as hard, but open ended commercial play runs on Broadway aren't exactly the business model right now. We get limited runs that extend or not for profits slotting in a potentially electric but under-performing productions because they can. We're probably not going to get anything as provocative as Slave Play or Gary anytime soon, but those were already unexpected (but welcome) arrivals on Broadway.

trentsketch said: "In terms of the economic impact of the shutdown, it is less likely than ever that shows that didn't turn a huge profit their first time around are getting revived. Like, we'll get an Into the Woods revival eventually, but something like Merrily We Roll Along isn't going to get the same chance. A radical reimagining isn't going to be enough to get investors on board for shows that haven't proven their ability to turn a profit on Broadway.

I imagine we're going to see more musicals adapted from movies on Broadway, but the ones that didn't do great their first time around (9 to 5, Wedding Singer, Rocky, etc.) have little chance of being revisited. Like, I'll be shocked if Disney doesn't get that Beauty and the Beast revival going within a year or two of theaters reopening (that poor, poor Aida revival isn't going to happen anytime soon, though).

I imagine we are going to get some big classics revived when the theaters can reopen again. I will not be surprised to see something like The Sound of Music appear out of nowhere. I'll also be surprised if we getting a revival anymore serious than The Sound of Music being pushed anytime soon. We're not getting something upsetting and provocative like Parade or Ragtime. We're going to get happier shows that will draw the widest audience possible.

Plays aren't going to be impacted as hard, but open ended commercial play runs on Broadway aren't exactly the business model right now. We get limited runs that extend or not for profits slotting in a potentially electric but under-performing productions because they can. We're probably not going to get anything as provocative as Slave Play or Gary anytime soon, but those were already unexpected (but welcome) arrivals on Broadway."

I agree with you re a commercial run of Merrily; however, particularly given the strong reviews for the Maria Friedman version which played in London and was performed several years ago at the Huntington in Boston, I am surprised that Roundabout hasn't already done that. I have every expectation that we will see a revival of Merrily one of these days.

Re something like Gary, I assumed it was a given that big flops (mainly in terms of critical response or briefness of run) were never going to be revived on Broadway. So I don't expect revivals of Kelly or Dr.Jazz or Moose Murders or Buck White or Passione or Children Children or Maggie Flynn or Marilyn or Her First Roman or 1000- 2000 other productions in the past 80 years) or any of the modestly successful musicals that ran most of a season in the 50s and 60s, e.g., Bajour, Here's Love, How Now Dow Jones. Walking Happy,etc.

Urban said: "In My Life"

That show was so bizarre and hilarious, I'd sit through it again anytime!