Why Isn't She Loves Me a Monster Hit

i know it has never been a monster hit in the past, but the reviews were mostly love letters, citing a great story, score, cast, and production values. Yet it did 91% in a week in which so many shows did better. I would have expected it to sell out for at least awhile, based on the critical reception.



I actually have have not seen the show yet, but have tickets for late May, and can't wait. The reviews only made me more excited.



So, what it the issue?

It's been doing very well, given the show's low-key old-fashioned appeal and the absolutely pathetic marketing campaign Roundabout has put behind it. Also, worth noting that the grosses have a lower ceiling than commercial shows because of the subscriber base.

I can't say for sure, but here are a couple of my thoughts. Let me start by saying I ADORE the score and play both recordings all the time.

1. It's a charm show, not a blockbuster. The original production ran 300 performances, which wasn't bad for a small cast musical opening on Broadway within the same 12 months or so of HELLO, DOLLY!, FUNNY GIRL and FADE OUT, FADE IN. (The latter was actually the biggest grosser of the three in its day and closed because its star, Carol Burnett, left abruptly, not because audiences weren't buying tickets.)

Even those of us who like Jerry Herman and Jule Styne might well argue that SHE LOVES ME's score shows more skill, but the evening as a whole doesn't generate the same excitement that sends people home to call their friends and scream, "You MUST see this show!" It will be interesting to look back in a few years, but I think we will be able to make the same comparison of FUN HOME and HAMILTON (I write, having seen neither show). FUN HOME is obviously a hit, but I doubt it will be the mega-hit that HAMILTON is proving to be.

2. Nobody likes to hear this, but I think SHE LOVES ME has some subtle second-act problems in its book. Once George sings the title song, the main plot is over; we know he and Amalia love each other and can only wait for the fact to be revealed to her. Meanwhile, there is the winding up of various subplots, none of which carries anything like the emotional weight of George/Amalia. And no matter how much we admire the brilliance of "A Trip to the Library" and "Twelve Days to Christmas", the one time I saw an actual production, I could feel the excitement of the audience deflate as they waited for a play to conclude when it felt, for the most part, already over.

(Other shows I love, including CARMELINA and THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY have similar problems: they don't quite end; they end and end and end. INTO THE WOODS would be another example if it didn't have that catchy title tune as a final reprise.)

The deflation of SHE LOVES ME's last 30 minutes only increases the feeling among many spectators that the show makes for a pleasant evening, but not an unforgettable one.

Obviously, all of the above is IMO only and let me reiterate that I am a SHE LOVES ME devotee (it is by far my favorite Bock and Harnick show) and I LOVE the songs at the end of Act II. It's the story that peters out erratically, not the quality of the score.

(ETA I agree that the show isn't dated, unless one thinks every score that isn't hip hop is hopelessly old-fashioned.)

Updated On: 4/4/16 at 07:48 PM

I'm pretty sure the reason why the show isn't selling extremely well is not the book.

TerrenceIsTheMann said: "I'm pretty sure the reason why the show isn't selling extremely well is not the book.



"

Oh, good. Yet another argument with no explanation or support.

As I understood the original question, it wasn't just about the current revival, but about ALL Broadway productions of a much-beloved--but never quite a smash hit--show.

Has there been any sort of advertising?

Has anyone seen a tv spot?

"(And if you answer "Ribbons Down My Back", you're just wrong.)"



Aren't we told here all the time that an opinion is neither right nor wrong, just an opinion?

Good point, Mark. And the title song isn't the standard it was in the 1960s.

Fantod,



Of course I'm a fan of She Loves Me. I love it.



Just pointing out that fans of other composers might like their scores more.



That doesn't seem unreasonable to me.



Why must the slightest observation raise such a ruckus around here?

After Eight said: "Fantod,



Of course I'm a fan of She Loves Me. I love it.



Just pointing out that fans of other composers might like their scores more.



That doesn't seem unreasonable to me.



Why must the slightest observation raise such a ruckus around here?



I didn't doubt it, just saying that your only comment was incorrectly assumed by me to be negative towards the show.

Same reason why Honeymoon in Vegas wasn't. Today people don't want something traditional, they want controversy, they are people who are very unhappy and difficult, good times they cant understand. Too many drugs, and too much fast money came their way

After Eight said: ""(And if you answer "Ribbons Down My Back", you're just wrong.)"



Aren't we told here all the time that an opinion is neither right nor wrong, just an opinion?



"

We may be told that but it's absurd. I may opine that the world is flat and I will be wrong if I do so. Millions have opined that Trump is qualified to be president and they are all mistaken.

I'm not asking for scientific proof of questions of taste, A8, but when you post only in brief snarks, it's impossible to engage with your opinion or even to really understand it.

After Eight said: "Fantod,



Of course I'm a fan of She Loves Me. I love it.



Just pointing out that fans of other composers might like their scores more.



That doesn't seem unreasonable to me.



Why must the slightest observation raise such a ruckus around here?

"

Because my use of the conditional "might" inherently allowed that others "might not".

So one had to wonder why you felt it necessary to repeat what I had just implied. And to do so in a snippy manner that made it seem as if YOU were trying to "raise a ruckus".

But no harm done.