Why so few play revivals this season

[Robbie516]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 8:16pm

With only three…Purlie, Doubt and An Enemy of the People…why do you think that they’re are so few play revivals for this season…I know more could come….but even last year we only had 6 and one was done out of a whim!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 9:13pm

I’m still sad we’re never going to get the Dustin Hoffman “Our Town”. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 9:45pm

Don't forget Prayer for the French Republic.

 

But yes, straight plays seem scant!

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 10:26pm

dramamama611 said: "Don't forget Prayer for the French Republic.



But yes, straight plays seem scant!"

Prayer for the French Republic isn't a revival.

[JoeW4]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 10:45pm

It's an interesting question because you'd think, in theory, that producers would be more attracted to revivals than to new plays, because they're more likely to bank on title recognition. And because, in the case of some of the older classics, they're in the public domain, which saves money. Plus, bankable stars might be more drawn to roles that are already in the canon, because they may be more familiar with them.

But I think part of the answer to your question lies in the fact that the majority of the plays confirmed for this season are being done by non-profits, and the non-profits tend to favor newer works. Roundabout favors revivals, but even they're also doing a new play on Broadway this season.

Why are most of the plays being done by non-profits? Well, SO many of the for-profit plays in the past couple seasons have flopped commercially, so maybe there's some hesitation there. But also remember we're talking about ANNOUNCED productions, and the non-profits announce their shows earlier, to sell subscriptions. So the announcements are more likely to front-loaded with non-profit plays.

Incidentally (and maybe it's worth mentioning this in the 2023-2024 Season thread too, or even a thread of its own) I have to wonder about Appropriate. Will it be considered a revival? Between Riverside and Crazy premiered in 2014 (the same year as Appropriate), and it was considered a new play at the Tonys. But I'd argue it was right on the cusp, and this production of Appropriate is obviously a year later, making the gap 9 years instead of 8. PLUS (and maybe more importantly) that was more or less a remount of the original production, whereas Appropriate will be a brand new production. Yes, the same was true of Thanksgiving Play and Straight White Men, but those plays were only 4-5 years old at the time of their Broadway productions.

Blackbird is a recent precedent that I often go to in grey area cases; the Broadway production was 9 years after its Off-Broadway premier (same as Appropriate), and it was considered a revival. And unlike Appropriate, Blackbird wasn't an entirely new production (not identical - but same director, set designer, and lead actor).

[Skip23]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 11:07pm

Robbie516 said: "With only three…Purlie, Doubt and An Enemy of the People…why do you think that they’re are so few play revivals for this season…I know more could come….but even last year we only had 6 and one was done out of a whim!"

 

TICKET ARE TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE!!!!!!   FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!

[jagman1062]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 11:10pm

I pondered the same question and hope that we get some exciting surprise announcements very soon. I still lament the loss of Laurie Metcalf in ...Virginia Woolf? to the Covid pandemic and still hold out hope that somehow it finds its way back to us.

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 11:25pm

I wonder if the recent West End revival of The Crucible will transfer. It was an incredible production. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 12:17am

Broadway61004 said: "dramamama611 said: "Don't forget Prayer for the French Republic.



But yes, straight plays seem scant!"

Prayer for the French Republic isn't a revival."

Sorry, I totally missed that key word!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 2:33am

Laurie just did Grey House so I’d assume she’d bring back Virginia if she wanted to do it but maybe she felt like she did that. She’s doing a new show at Steppenwolf this year so she could get it produced if she wanted to. 
 

 But I think Broadway is going to see a huge downturn. I don’t think anything new is going to be a hit unless it’s marketable or has a star. The fact that Kimberly and A Strange Loop have been so up and down. We shall see. If winning Best Musical isn’t profitable then what’s the point of the entire thing right? 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 2:53am

“Laurie just did Grey House so I’d assume she’d bring back Virginia if she wanted to do it”

it ain’t up to Laurie to bring it back, it’s up to the producer coughing up millions. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 7:17am

Except she's s big enough name that she could get it to happen.

[quizking101]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 7:42am

dramamama611 said: "Except she's s big enough name that she could get it to happen."

Plus also THE CONNERS is still in limbo. It’s on strike with everything else, but also the possibility of cancellation has been looming, but never confirmed - so she may end up going back to that at some point, this year, even if it’s only an abridged season.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 7:46am

dramamama611 said: "Except she's s big enough name that she could get it to happen."

I love her on stage, but I don't think she alone can do this.  Her box office draw hasn't matched her acting skills as numerous productions have demonstrated.  Woolf though seems like it could attract producers given that other stars might also want to be in the show.

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 7:58am

You forgot Roundabouts revival of “Home” by Samm Art-Williams, first on Broadway in 1979. Tony nominated for Best Play. 

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 8:42am

"But I think Broadway is going to see a huge downturn. I don’t think anything new is going to be a hit unless it’s marketable or has a star. The fact that Kimberly and A Strange Loop have been so up and down. We shall see. If winning Best Musical isn’t profitable then what’s the point of the entire thing right? "

It used to be that a Tony Award win for "Best Musical" would guarantee you a show would run at least 2-3 years. It is sad that recent winners have barely run more than a year and not profitable. If a show is a "hit" just because of a "star" being in it, what happens when that star leaves after 6 months-1 year?

Updated On: 9/5/23 at 08:42 AM

[DoTheDood]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 8:43am

bigbelterbaby said: "You forgot Roundabouts revival of “Home” by Samm Art-Williams, first on Broadway in 1979. Tony nominated for Best Play."

jkcohen626 noticed this in the "2023-2024 Broadway Season" thread, but since Roundabout announced Home to start performances in May, it would then be a part of the 2024/25 season

 

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 8:59am

Still not the moment for spending precious resources on the works of Dead White Men, I would think... even if they are radically re-thought. 

Updated On: 9/5/23 at 08:59 AM

[MysteriousLady]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 10:11am

sinister teashop said: "Still not the moment for spending precious resources on the works of Dead White Men, I would think... even if they are radically re-thought."

I'm for judging a work based on content, not on the author's race or if they are living or dead.

 

[MysteriousLady]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 10:13am

Revivals of plays are usually my favorite part of any Broadway seasons so I hope more are announced.

Updated On: 9/5/23 at 10:13 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 10:15am

sinister teashop said: "Still not the moment for spending precious resources on the works of Dead White Men, I would think... even if they are radically re-thought."

The flip side to this is that those works are not only the ones that audiences know and will reliably spend money on, but also ones that draw marquee names. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 12:00pm

dramamama611 said: "Except she's s big enough name that she could get it to happen."

Is she really?   She is very talented and particularly loved by members of this board, but does she sell a lot of tickets?  What is the track record?  Glenda Jackson's return in 3 Tall Women (coupled with its reviews) was what sold tickets for that IMO.  

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 12:46pm

Jarethan said: "dramamama611 said: "Except she's s big enough name that she could get it to happen."

Is she really? She is very talented and particularly loved by members of this board, but does she sell a lot of tickets? What is the track record? Glenda Jackson's return in 3 Tall Women (coupled with its reviews) was what sold tickets for that IMO."

People –– producers and posters here –– need to stop pretending that Laurie Metcalf means anything at the box office. GREY HOUSE's numbers were abysmal, as were HILLARY & CLINTON. DOLL'S HOUSE only started selling after those glowing reviews and Tonys (and it still didn't recoup). She, like Nathan Lane and Audra McDonald, must be paired with a significantly bigger star if the producers want any chance of people actually paying to come see these shows. And for all of the above shows, she was at the absolute peak of recent knowability following the LADY BIRD Oscar nom and the continued success of THE CONNERS. And now she's overexposed on Broadway. Buyers simply don't care.

LADY BIRD, DOLL'S HOUSE, THREE TALL, HILLARY, and VIRGINIA WOOLF all felt like an attempt by Scott Rudin to "build" a star. (All were produced by him.) And it worked perfectly well for the few of us who actually saw those shows, but it was a financial belly-flop

Updated On: 9/5/23 at 12:46 PM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 2:07pm

Play revivals count on stars to make their money back during the slow fall months. With Hollywood in limbo, probably didn't even want to try in the case of false starts

[JSquared2]

Posted: 9/5/23 at 2:58pm

dramamama611 said: "Except she's s big enough name that she could get it to happen."

 

Is she though?  Besides possibly 3 TALL WOMEN, all of her Broadway shows have been box office flops.