Why didn't Honk! make it to Broadway?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/7/19 at 3:29pm

What happened to Honk? It won the Olivier Award for best musical in 2000, beating out The Lion King and Mamma Mia! for the top prize. That same year there was a notable US production at North Shore Music Theatre starring Gavin Creel with most of the UK creative team on board, and then it seems any plans to bring the show to Broadway fizzled out. Did it just not have the backing for a transfer or was there some other reason?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/7/19 at 4:19pm

It's a pretty slight show. Nice for Theatre For Young Audience groups and middle schools, but I can't imagine it would have had a much better run than A Year With Frog & Toad (under 100 performances).

Still sort of baffling that it won the Olivier, but the Oliviers are known for doing weird things like that. But perhaps the English preferred its quaintness over the larger-than-life Lion King and Mamma Mia.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/7/19 at 4:31pm

I think it's a delightful show. I wish it was staged more often by some of the prominent regional theatres in the US and performed by adults for children rather than by children for their parents in a youth theatre setting.

[BwayLB]

Posted: 9/7/19 at 4:43pm

During my sophomore year at Long Beach Poly, my drama buddies did the show as their Spring Production

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/7/19 at 4:57pm

One of my least favorite directing experiences ever.   The message, of course, is lovely - but lordy it's dull.  (The only song I even remotely remember likely is the bullfrog's song?)

[trentsketch]

Posted: 9/7/19 at 7:03pm

It's a show for a younger audience and those just don't have the best track record on Broadway. I don't know the specifics on why Honk didn't transfer, but it did run in London around the same time Seussical ran on Broadway. That was a family friendly show with a name that failed to find an audience. I can't imagine the ugly duckling musical seemed like a great investment if the Seuss name couldn't sell tickets to families.

I quite like Honk's score, but I think it's one of the few shows that was actually improved by releasing a Jr version. The revised lyrics clearly make it a tya show and it mostly feels in tact with all the cuts. It winds up being a sweet little show about a mother and her child trying to find out where the child actually fits into the world.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/7/19 at 7:38pm

That’s a good point about Seussical running around the same time. That could have very well factored into any decision making.

[stoptheworld38]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 2:11pm

I was in that show in a community production back in middle school, and I agree - it needs more appreciation! That said, I do have to say that the British accents on the cast recording I used really do add a lot. Also, it seems to me to be more popular as a show for community youth/school theatre, but who knows...

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 4:16pm

stoptheworld38 said: "I do have to say that the British accents on the cast recording I used really do add a lot."

I agree! I’m not sure why they decided to Americanize it. It’s very charming with the British accents.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 5:11pm

Awwww, I love HONK. I did it twice. It's just so much fun to do.

As much as I would love to see it on Broadway, I don't think there is a real audience for it. It's "The Ugly Duckling" on Broadway, not a worldwide appeal or a brand name like Disney, Shrek, or even Seussical and YWTAF. The time to hype it up with "HONK beat Lion King & Mamma Mia for Best Musical" has pass. It had its chance to be successful on Broadway in the early 2000s, but now it's too late.

It is having a good life with schools and community theater. Just keep it there for now. 

 

EDIT: Oh. Turns out producers did offer Broadway, but Drewe and Stiles said no. 

"We've turned down two Broadway offers. We don't rule it out as a possibility, we just don't want it to spoil what, at the moment, is happening and which we're rather enjoying, which is seeing all these productions around the world now — some at schools, some at community theatres and some at big professional theatres. There are dozens."

http://www.playbill.com/article/musical-honk-continues-its-web-footed-path-across-globe-with-chicago-preem-jan-23-com-103545

Updated On: 9/8/19 at 05:11 PM

[JennH]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 6:03pm

^^ I've also done it twice funny enough! It's a real charmer, I have a special place fin my heart for it! Yeah I can't see this working on Broadway as its target audience is young ones, which is interesting considering it's a fully fledged, full length, two act show and its vibe is VERY much "children's theatre". Usually shows with a target audience of children, are short. I hardly ever listen to it anymore since "done it twice", BUT whenever I hear songs from it in auditions, my ears totally perk up : These songs are quite underdone at auditions, which is damn shame.

 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 6:19pm

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "EDIT: Oh. Turns out producers did offer Broadway, but Drewe and Stiles said no.

http://www.playbill.com/article/musical-honk-continues-its-web-footed-path-across-globe-with-chicago-preem-jan-23-com-103545"

Thanks for tracking down that article! That pretty much explains what happened.