Wicked New Orleans Sit-Down

[TMedeiros17]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 4:22am

Wicked is finally coming to New Orleans to the Mahalia Jackson Theater after 4 years of a broadway absence due to the damage of Hurricane Katrina. The city has been in talks of having a sit down production later in 2011 at the Saenger Theater, but I think it could possibly be Wicked. Do you think New Orleans could keep Wicked here for atleast 6 months, or maybe longer? Only about 500k people live here, but with the amount of tourists we get during Mardi Gras and the summer and special festivities, sporting, etc.. It just may work. What do you think?

[BwayTday]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 4:38am

ehhh, I don't think it would work, not enough people, unless they opened right before summer

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 9:27am

I couldn't see New Orleans hosting a sitdown production. Sitdowns can't open on tourism alone, there has to be a local market to keep it afloat during non-peak seasons.

[winston89]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 11:23am

No, I do not think that New Orleans is a good city for a sit down production of Wicked. I think that it would bomb there.

[snowskittle]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 3:50pm

Have some of the touring companies returned to New Orleans yet? I know a bunch of them cancelled planned stops and wondered whether this had begun to pick up again.

I always thought they should have gone anyway, and donated their proceeds to Katrina recovery.

[inick122492]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 4:25pm

If anything, I think they need to see how the run will do FIRST. If it isn't filling the house on at least 60-80% of the run, a sit-down will fail. It might profit but it's not worth a sit-down. What was the last sit-down there? I think they could possibly pull of a 2-3 month run on the tour but we'll see.

[TMedeiros17]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 7:45pm

The Newly Renovated Mahalia Jackson Theater has many free time, so the theater and city decided to let it host traveling shows, a first for the theater, while touring shows and sit downs were generally hosted at the Saenger Theatre, Loews State Palace, and the Orpheum, due to their location and seating capacity.

Mayor Ray Nagin said in the news yesterday that when the Saenger Theatre reopens in fall 2011, which no work has been begun to restore any of the theatres besides the Mahalia, the Saenger is planned to host a sit-down production of a major broadway show. Rumors around town are it will be wicked, while others say the Color Purple, due to the large amount of the african american population. I could see Wicked playing at the Saenger, due to how beautiful and wide the walls are on the side of the stage, enough to have scalfholding.

I could see Wicked working for around 6-9 months, it deffinetly has the potentials.
New Orleans only has 500,000 people, but the metro. area is in the 2million range.

I could also see the Color Purple, as indicated. The Summer is the worst tourist season, I would know, my dad works at the largest hotel in New Orleans (Royal Sonesta) and they have very low room capacity believe it or not.

If Wicked were to work, they would have to see how it grossed here, and then move from that. The show would have to start after the summer, which involves VooDoo Fest, Mardi Gras, Family Gras, French Quarter Fest, ETC...

More than one million people visit New Orleans each year, and with Wicked here, it would boost the tourism very much, I can see it working.

I could also see Irhma Thompson or however u spell it in the role of Madame Morrible, she is a louisiana local, and is a fantastic singer.

Local actors would also draw more tourism, due to whenever there is a local performing here, the crowds go nuts.

The season kicks off with a special engagement of Cats October 27th-November 2nd; Color Purple December 1-8th?; Mamma Mia february 2-8th; Wicked March 24th-April 11th; and Avenue Q June 1-8th.

We are getting the First National Touring production of Wicked, I have talked to many of the 2nd tour's cast and have told me that it is the first, and how bummed they are they won't get to hit up bourbon. LMFAO.

Updated On: 6/28/09 at 07:45 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 8:45pm

The Newly Renovated Mahalia Jackson Theater has many free time

Good that theater many free time has Wicked potentials lol

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 10:02am

It would be really nice to have a sit down that's NOT Chicago or the West Coast. Why not Altanta, or Miami? Those are both cities with some of the greatest theatre scenes outside of New York. They are both heavily populated with strong tourist seasons (especially Miami) and they both have the best touring companies in the market sit down there for fairly long engagements.

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 10:15am

Irhma Thompson may be a fantastic singer, but Madame Morrible doesn't sing much or at all, if the actress chooses to do so. I think it would be nice to see another production sit-down somewhere though :)

[Fosse76]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 11:40am

"It would be really nice to have a sit down that's NOT Chicago or the West Coast. Why not Altanta, or Miami? Those are both cities with some of the greatest theatre scenes outside of New York. They are both heavily populated with strong tourist seasons (especially Miami) and they both have the best touring companies in the market sit down there for fairly long engagements."

Chicago and the West Coast are the only markets that can support any sit-down productions. Neither Atlanta nor Miami have the tourism that Chicago or San Fancisco and LA have...and they definitely don't have enough local support to house a long-run show. Chicago is the largest theater market outside New York, and LA has a larger tourism industry than Miami, Atlanta and Chicago combined. But sit-downs not only rely on tourism, but the local market as well. Chicago has a population of 3 million and L.A. 4 million (not counting suburbs...which adds a couple million more to each count). Atlanta and Miami COMBINED wouldn't have 1 million, and in no way could they support a sit down.

As for New Orleans, the population is barely above 200,000, and the tourist industry isn't enough to support a long engagement.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 11:53am

I only go by Metro Area Population. Atlanta's Metro area is 5 million, while Miami's is 7 million. I really don't wanna say anything about tourism because I don't have any numbers to back that, but as someone who has lived in the southeast my entire lifetime, Miami is THE hot-spot vacation area of the southeast. I lived there, I saw tourists like you would not believe. I currently live in Tennessee and everyone LOVES driving to Miami for vacation. I've never lived in Atlanta, but I know that Atlanta has a very strong theatre market. Lots of Tennesseans go there to see shows, and my relatives in North Florida and Even North Carolina enjoy seeing shows in Atlanta as well. The Miami/Ft. Lauderdale metropolitan area has always gotten the best tours in the market to sit down for a little while (usually around a month) and sell to high capacity and sold out audiences ONLY, so locals love seeing shows. Atlanta easily has a much better theatre scene, it's basically like Boston in the south, but it doesn't have the strongest tourist market. Miami is great with tourism, it's easily the most visited city in the southeast and has a local crowd that enjoys going to shows (but not quite as much as Atlanta). I think Miami would actually surprise everyone with how well it could house a sit-down.

ETA: From my personal experiences in living in Miami, I can tell you that the tourists are from EVERYWHERE and not just the south east. I used to meat tourists from Europe, Asia, Canada (Canadian tourists seemed to be very popular), And people from pretty much every other state in the country.

Updated On: 6/29/09 at 11:53 AM

[snowskittle]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 12:51pm

Why don't they just bring the tour there first and see how it sells. Since there are 2 Wicked tours now, seems like this would be an easier and less risky option.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 1:18pm

Chicago Metro Area Population - 9.5 million
Tourism - 44 million

Los Angeles metro Area Population - 12.9 million
Tourism - 24.9 million

Atlanta Metro Area Population - 5.7 million
Tourism - 37 million

Miami Metro Area Population - 5.4 million
Tourism - 12 million

I'm a bit surprised with the LA tourism numbers...though I believe that the those numbers don't reflect business travelers, which the Chicago and Atlanta numbers do reflect. But aside from population, producers look at what's been successful and what hasn't. Atlanta nor Miami have ever had an open-run production. Chicago has had at least 10. It seems to me that the LA and SF sit-downs are heavily hyped shows that rely more on the local market than on tourists, whereas Chicago seems to rely on both, and being the largest theater market outside new York, it does a very good balancing act. Neither Atlanta nor Miami have a strong enough local market or tourist market to support theater. Could Wicked run a long time? But it wouldn't take too long to exhaust the market. The tourists going to those locations probably aren't looking to the theater industry as a reason to visit.

[TMedeiros17]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 3:15am

this is exactly what they are doing. The 1st Tour comes here March 12-April 11th for a trial run, to see how it sells.

[TheatreDork2]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 3:38am

I doubt New Orleans will get a sit down. There big time of year is comprised of drunk college kids, not exactly Wicked's market. Of course it's going to sell out the tour stop, they sell put at every tour stop.

[Gobstopper]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 1:39pm

I don't see why Wicked has to open EVERYWHERE. They are like the Starbucks of musical theatre.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 1:42pm

Fosee, Ft. Lauderdale gets a lot of tourists as well...and that's literally minutes away from Miami.

[zoraksferal]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 1:51pm

The clear solution... have a Wicked sit down at every city that the tour sells out in! That way, every city ever visited will have its own Wicked production, and think of all the jobs available for aspiring actresses! :P

[The Boy From Ohio]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 3:02pm

Wicked or not. I'm glad New Orleans has Theater again. 4 years is a long time.
http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/New%20Orleans

[TMedeiros17]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 4:40pm

New Orleans has nearly three million people in surrounding areas, The only reason it has 400,000 people in the city is because the city mostly relies on tourism. Mardi Gras is not our only main tourist season, we also have Jazz Fest, and etc.. Wicked will bring people to see it as well.

[TheatreDork2]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 4:43pm

Wicked would last 2 months if they had a sit down there.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 4:49pm

You're starting to sound very familiar, TheatreDork. Unfortunately, I think you may be right. The Saenger wasn't wasn't doing gang-busting business before Katrina.

I'm glad they're trying it though, and I hope the best for them. That city needs its theater back.

[inick122492]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 4:53pm

I don't think people would have the money to keep it running.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 4:53pm

TO be fair though, HAiR had 9 (or 11, both numbers stick out) sit-down productions when it opened. Heck, even "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" made a sit-down work in Houston.