Why Aren't These Shows Revived?- Page 3

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 12:23pm

The 1980 Mame revival failed because it was completely mishandled by the producers. It was a cut-down, touring version of the show that, when an out of town engagement was canceled, was rushed prematurely into New York during the dog days of summer with zero advertising, publicity or advanced sales. It also made the mistake of going into the vast Gershwin theatre which dwarfed and swallowed up the production.

The revival's failure was a case of bad timing and incompetent producing, not a rejection of the show itself which is still a very viable product.

[gymman]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 12:30pm

I never understood why they brought the show in that way; I do remember it was summer, which made no sense. Also, I think I recall some critics (other than Simon) complaining that Lansbury was too "old" for the role (this makes far less sense in theater than in films, where the illusion of reality is probably more important). I remember feeling really bad for Lansbury, a great Broadway star.

Are any of the early Gwen Verdon shows ever revived (New Girl in Town, Redhead)or were these solely tailored to her particular talents? I cannot recall ever seeing productions of these done anywhere. I know she won Tonys for both of these.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 12:41pm

I've heard that the ONLY reason those shows ran and won awards was due to Fosse and Verdon. Verdon was at the height of her powers and Fosse created some of his greatest choreography for those shows (which you can see snippets of in FOSSE). Without them involved, the shows don't work. "Redhead" has a weak score and incoherent book, and NEW GIRL IN TOWN had a better score (that didn't really match the story, though) and a book by George Abbott that defanged O'Neill's "Anna Christie", removing the symbolism and turning it into what Hal Prince calls "a real dumbbell musical." They're both probably unrevivable today in the professional theatre.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 12:58pm

I feel like this thread should be called "ASK MARGO."

Perhaps you should have your own column on here.

[keggss23]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 1:08pm

I know she isn't a name, but Tari Kelly, the current Audrey on the Little Shop tour, would make one hell of a Fanny Brice.

[gymman]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 1:13pm

Yes LOL!

There are so many shows like this--tailored to a particular star's talents (some of Channing's stuff, like "Showgirl")and also Anthony Newley's shows (saw these as a mere child, and can't imagine them today.)Probably think the same way about "Boy from Oz" someday--simply undoable without Jackman. Ditto "High Spirits"--tailored for Bea Lillie!! (Thank God I had an aunt who took me to all these when I was a kid...)

There are lovely shows that are more ensemble based, however--110 in the Shade (I think Lincoln Center revived it not too long ago), certainly Dreamgirls (hey--bring it back after the movie, and like Chicago, people will want to see it).
Updated On: 6/14/05 at 01:13 PM

[sipos]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 1:15pm

MAME, yes.

And ... what gym are you at right now? Just curious.

[brdwaybaby17]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 1:17pm

Question - Has "Hello, Dolly" been revived? Wait, 1994 with Carol Channing, right? Gah...

[gymman]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 1:21pm

Hi Robert:

Bally's Fort Lauderdale...
In NYC next week, visiting family and seeing shows--yeah!

[gymman]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 1:28pm

Oh--I just remembered "Ballroom"-I know the original was not a success, but it is such a lovely show, with 2 great leads for mature performers...a wonderful score, and dances by Bennett

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 1:33pm

I always wished I had seen Ballroom, just for Loudon and for Bennett's staging and choreography (which won the Tony). I'm guessing that it couldn't be revived -- if Bennett couldn't get it right, then nobody can. Maybe Encores could do it.

[gymman]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 1:54pm

Loudon broke my heart, and it doesn't break easily..."Fifty Percent" is beyond great. When I think of her real singing (as opposed to the American Idol performer-types so popular on other threads,) I wonder, really, if we will ever have this type of show again.

Here again, I don't get the commercial failure of the show? Was it too sad? Not a "happy ending"? Maybe not promoted correctly?

[OtherDaryl]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 2:07pm

I would adore seeing Ballroom revisited and revised. The story is so wonderful - I found a clearance VHS tape of the Maureen Stapleton TV movie it was adapted from and it is just lovely. The music is certainly passable, often lovely and 50 Percent is one of the great numbers. Years ago I read the libretto considering it for a theatre I was working with and it just seemed to lack that gentle, ballsy touch of the teleplay. I've always wondered if Bennett wasn't too pre-occupied with following up A Chorus Line and keeping it running to give Ballroom his complete attention across the board. From every report, the dancing was stunning and did receive the Tony.

[gymman]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 2:51pm

That's a pretty good guess; following up "A Chorus Line" with anything had to be tough; I remember so vividly the phenomenon of "Line"--way big. I had forgoton that the book was soft--maybe my memory is mixing it up with the film you mnetion, which I also remember.

[OnTheAisle]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 3:06pm

I'm going to wade into this extremely interesting and educated discussion to ask a potentially dumb question...

I agree with earlier posts that On the Twentieth Century would be a wonderful show to revive... has there ever been a revival of Mack & Mabel? It seems that this show has a particularly loyal following.

Thanks, all!

[gymman]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 3:12pm

Good question--I don't remember one, though I'll bet lots of people would love to see "M & M"--great score. Here again, as with "Ballroom" I wonder if the "downer" factor was a problem. This is pretty bleak from Jerry Herman.

[OnTheAisle]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 3:18pm

The music is so good, though... maybe times have changed and there's more acceptance for musical drama (from Jerry Herman).

On that topic, I'm sure that somewhere there is an official list of composers who have had the most/least revived shows - that would be interesting...

[CastAlbumFan]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 4:01pm

What about IRMA LA DOUCE? It had a decent run and a pleasant score.

[RYANWOODS]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 4:37pm

What about

NO NO NANETTE
THEYRE PLAYING OUR SONG
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
THE RINK

These havnt been done for a long time

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 4:40pm

A Little Night Music is supposedly coming in 2006 with Glenn Close.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 4:43pm

Mack & Mabel was done in by its book (and no there's never been a revival). Jerry Herman and various show doctors and book writers have been revising and revising Mack & Mabel for the last 30 years, but still haven't quite fixed the problem. There have been several major regional productions that Herman hoped to move to Broadway, but the critical reception has always been mixed so it's still a no-go. Maybe someday.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/6/05 at 10:12pm

I was just having a conversation about play and musical revivals -- why, contrary to common "producer think," a known title doesn't guarantee success since most of them fail financially, what the prospects are for some of the announced upcoming revivals and whether there are any shows of the past left at this point that could potentially appeal to a 2005 audience.

I just did a bit of research of the past 5 seasons on Broadway. I omitted shows that were limited engagements and/or produced by not-for-profit theatres (MTC, Roundabout and Lincoln Center) since it's impossible to determine whether their shows were flops or hits financially. The only commercial musical revival that managed to turn a profit was Kiss Me, Kate. The only plays to recoup were Julius Caesar, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, A Raisin in the Sun, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Our Town, The Best Man, The Real Thing, Private Lives, Dance of Death, Noises Off, and True West.

Every other revival flopped financially (correct me if I'm wrong on a couple of these). Here's the list:

Musicals:
La Cage
Little Shop
Wonderful Town
Man of La Mancha
Nine
Gypsy
La Boheme
Flower Drum Song
On Mo' Time
Oklahoma
Into the Woods
Rocky Horror
Bells Are Ringing
42nd Street
Jesus Christ Superstar

Plays (takes a deep breath):

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (not official yet)
The Glass Menagerie (not official yet)
Steel Magnolias (not official yet)
'Night Mother
Sly Fox
Jumpers
I'm Not Rappaport
Medea
Ma Rainey
Salome
A Thousand Clowns
Hedda Gabbler
The Crucible
The Elephant Man
Macbeth
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
The Price
Amadeus
Waiting in the Wings
A Moon for the Misbegotten

Whew.

And that's just the last five seasons. Not much success in terms of box office.

Now as for upcoming musical revivals, there's Sweeney Todd, Pajama Game (at some point, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall), The Wiz (maybe -- it's been talked about for some two years now and nothing official has been announced), Threepenny Opera (at Roundabout, so not-for-profit) so far for this season and A Little Night Music (with Glenn Close), A Chorus Line, and maybe West Side Story for next season. And there are rumblings around Mantello and Bourne reviving Pal Joey (we'll see).

Play revivals include Odd Couple (already a mega-hit), Barefoot in the Park, and a few titles from the not-for-profits (Absurd Person Singular, A Touch of the Poet, Fool For Love, et al).

Are there any shows left to be revived that COULD be successful? I'm going to leave out play revivals for the moment since the only ones that seem to work feature MAJOR stars in the lead roles of VERY famous canonical works (Denzel Washington, Paul Newman, Vanessa Regrave and Brian Denehey, etc...). I have ideas, but it all starts with the casting and not the play (though I should mention that I think Equus is ripe for a major revival; so many major names would kill to play Dysart).

Here are a few of my thoughts for musicals that MIGHT work with a first rate director who has a bold innovative concept for the material:

-- Hair (it flopped in the last revival and the book is messy, but I think it could work with a really great concept and staging)

-- Promises Promises (great score; smart, but dark book; would love it if they recreated the Michael Bennett choreography)

-- Pippin (just please keep the damn Fosse staging and choreography; PLEASE no Cilento)

-- Carmen Jones (if Audra McDonald would like to do it; though it may be too expensive to mount)

-- Barnum (Hugh Jackman, maybe?)

-- Ain't Misbehavin (with a cast with some real names)

On The Twentieth Century? (is there enough of an audience for this?)
Oliver? (too expensive? too large a cast?)
Bye Bye Birdie? (dated?)
They're Playing Our Song? (the score annoys me personally, but with two great charismatic leads...... maybe?)
A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (could be done on the cheap; or is this more Off-Broadway now?)
Raisin? (the last revival of the play was a hit; maybe with the right cast?)
No Strings (starring Vanessa Wiliams and with a new book?)
I Love My Wife? (probably too 70s and dated now; Encores maybe?)

Updated On: 7/6/05 at 10:12 PM

[Pinguin]

Posted: 7/6/05 at 10:17pm

Margo: that is FASCINATING information -thanks for all the research!

It's amazing to me how many of those failed and how few succeeded! huh.

I think a Promises, Promises revival would be FAB. Even a Pippin one may be good if you put the right people on the project.

(um...and yeah, no Cilento. I don't know how that man gets work)

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/6/05 at 10:20pm

I really think Bye Bye Birdie should be revived. But I feel many revisions should be made. The book should definetly be updated in some spots. They should definetly include the new songs from the 95 movie.

-Bye Bye Birdie Medly - Ursula and Girls
-Let's Settle Down - Rosie
-What Did I Ever See In Her? - Albert
-A Giant Step - Albert
-A Mother Dosen't Matter Anymore - Mae

I think if these updates were made BBB could be a great revival. Even though this is probally one the most produced shows among Community and High School Theatre - but if they really updated the book and score as I mentioned - it could truly shine above those cheap productions seen in HS and Communty Theatre.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/6/05 at 10:25pm

I remember thinking when I saw the Encores production of Bye Bye Birdie last year how fun and light and entertaining this show is (I'd forgotten) and how with a great director and design it might have the sort of family audience appeal that Grease and other seemingly dated period shows have had in revival.