Will “ Ballroom “ ever be revived?

Since Marilyn Bergmans passing last week, I’ve read a lot about the Broadway musical “ Ballroom “ which debuted in 1979 (?) based on the television movie “ Queen of the Stardust Ballroom “ which aired in 1975. I believe it had a decent run on Broadway. About Friday fifteen years ago there was talk of remaking the movie with Streisand to star, and new songs by the Bergmans and composer Marvin Hamlisch were to be included. But that didn’t happen with MH’s passing in 2012. Then there was talk about a revival on Broadway which lasted a few years. Do you think it will ever see a revival? Seems like something tourists and locals would like to see especially with the right stars in the lead. Thoughts?

Love this score so much. Fifty Percent will always make me tear up. Doubt it comes to Broadway, but would love an Encores production with a star-studded cast.

My first thought was 'flops don't get revived." On second thought, we've had revivals of Pal Joey, Candide, and some Sondheim classics that didn't make money the first time around. Chess is coming back, too. So there's a precedent.

But Ballroom as a title doesn't mean anything to many people, unlike even Pacific Overtures for example. I think Encores would be a great venue for it.

Ballroom received a revised production under original title Queen of the Stardust Ballroom in 1998 at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre in Chicago. The original authors were involved in the production.

https://www.playbill.com/article/queen-of-the-stardust-ballroom-opens-in-chicago-on-aug-5-com-76792

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-08-02-9808020290-story.html

Jerry Mitchell did a workshop in 2010 with Tyne Daly.

It would need a mega-star (bigger than someone like Bernadette or Tyne) to work on Broadway...and most mega-stars who would be right for this show would prefer to do an original musical, a more famous musical, or no Broadway at all.

The other problem –– in my opinion –– it only has one REALLY great song, plus a couple of pretty good songs.

So no, I don't see it ever being revived on Broadway, but perhaps for one week at Encores.

Agree about the one great song post. The score in its entirety doesn't have enough distinction, though it's all workmanlike and well crafted. A bigger problem: it's really a period piece, whether it's reset in current times or not (making the ages more problematic to cast; characters in that demo today -- boomers -- speak a different language). Hard to fathom the target audience. And it's just not a memorable enough piece overall.

I saw the original production twice but remember very little about it other than all the choreography was done in a circular pattern (as it was taking place on a dance floor) and "Fifty Percent"--which is a great song but I never felt Bea Archer was the kind of woman who would belt out a tune like that.

Sorry I don't remember more.

Auggie27 said: "Agree about the one great song post. The score in its entirety doesn't have enough distinction, though it's all workmanlike and well crafted."

Popping back here to say I gave the score another listen, and I stand by my "one great song" opinion! There is so much "filler" in that score.

"A Terrific Band...," "I Love To Dance," "I Wish You A Waltz," and the instrumental opening are enjoyable, but nothing comes remotely close to "Fifty Percent," one of the all-time great torch songs. (Fifty Percent is also helped greatly by Jonathan Tunick's orchestration and Billy Goldenberg's arrangement of his own song, which makes sense, since he started as a dance arranger.)

Updated On: 1/20/22 at 03:42 PM

I saw the out of town tryout in Connecticut. I was so so soooooo terribly young (was I even wearing big boy pants at the time?) but I went in hoping it was going to be the next developmental leap from the Chorus Line genius with a big star turn by a bona fide Broadway superstar in the lead woman role. Somehow I thought it might be a piece that jumped off from "Dad would take mom to Roseland/She'd come home with her shoes in her hand" and open up and expand from there.

Demitri2 said: "I attended the last preview before opening night. Loudon was wonderful, as expected, but I was disappointed in the show and her lack of solo numbers. I enjoyed the TV movie it was based on and expected a similar reaction watching its stage adaptation. What I most recall was one ballroom dance number after another which quickly became tedious. I wanted more character numbers instead of Bennett's centering most the show on dance. Instead of focusing on the "Queen" of the ballroom he chose to make the show more about the ballroom itself and its dancers. An okay take on the piece I guess but not, I feel,what the audience expected especially since many were familiar with the story line. It also had high expectations after A CHORUS LINE.

Years later I saw the west coast premiere of the show starring Tyne Daly in a Long Beach, CA production. It obviously had been worked on and played so much better than the original. The central role is a good one and Daly did not disappoint. For Lainie Kazan fans, she was scheduled to replace an unexpected "under the weather" Daly at the performance I saw and supposedly rehearsed non-stop the evening before. However, Daly decided to go on after all. Though she was extremely hoarse (much like the way she sounds on the GYPSY original cast recording) she still pulled it off nicely. "

Was the Tyne Daly production ever intended to hit Broadway? If yes, what stopped it?

Audiences don't want to watch a bunch of old people.

Unfortunately that's true. Saw the original Ballroom and liked the cast and score but tastes change.

joevitus said: "It's always baffling to me that the whole idea of Ballroom was to reassemble the team that made A Chorus Line and strike gold again--but without retaining composer and lyricist of that show. I don't know of Hamlisch refused or he had been difficult to work with and so Bennett didn't want to work with him again (I've heard a rumor that Jonathan Tunick did a lot of the heavy lifting for that show, have no idea the veracity of it). Ballroom has basically one good song: 50 Percent. It's a beloved song. But one song doesn't equal a strong score. And what's the point of reviving a musical with a forgettable score?"

Maybe that's why the Bergmans and Hamlisch had gotten together to revive the musical in 2011-12, before he passed away ? Maybe they intended to drop weaker songs and replace them with new tunes written by these three ?