Yesterday's Flops - Today's Hits? — Page 2

SWEENEY TODD closed at a loss. If the show had opened today, do you think it would have turned a profit?

I think there's two different questions involved though:
1. If it opened today, would it have made a profit? And
2. If it opened today, would it have run longer?

Theoretically, if it opened today under the same set/cast, it would have cost more. Shows seem to need to run longer nowadays to turn a profit.

As for the Roundabout, Margot, we'll see how it fares but I think it's a different case. This Sweeney may become *much* more profitable. Simply because the cast is so small, and the orchestra *is* the cast. Also smaller sets... a Teeney Todd would have to run much less time to receive a profit than the original huge production.

Rags, I think they did a production that had a tightened book that actually worked. And this score.... Strouse is the best!

Margo, does that mean we can hope for a bigger Sweeney Todd revival with a REAL orchestra and a larger cast? That would be teriffic.

Word is that they may be scrapping the idea of having the actors double as the orchestra (which apparently worked well in London) and instead may hire a real (though I would assume small-ish) orchestra for this production, though it's just a rumor at this point.

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One little off-broadway show that I think would be very well-received now is ZOMBIE PROM. It really flopped back in the mid-90's, but after the success of things lik BAT BOY and the REEFER MADNESS movie, I think it would have sold a lot of tickets if it had gone up after those shows.

And I think SIDE SHOW flopped because of some really crummy marketing. I think audiences may be a little more ready for the subject matter now, too. I don't think people really knew what to make of it, but if it caught on today (especially with internet communities like this one), word would spread pretty quick that it's worth seeing.

"does that mean we can hope for a bigger Sweeney Todd revival with a REAL orchestra and a larger cast? That would be teriffic.."

Indeed you will. Every couple of years it is revived by New York City Opera and not only a full orchestra but one double the size of a Broaway pit. And they usually use Hal Prince's staging (albeit as modified for the 2nd Road tour.) Other opera companies (Houston, Chicago) have done it so if you want SWEENEY doen big go for one of their productions. (Kennedy Centre's production with Brian Stokes Mitchell was exceptionally well done!)

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If RAGS opened for the first time today, it would be seen as a rip-off of RAGTIME - or at least, the "Jewish" part of Ragtime.

In fact, the cover art on the original "concept" CD of RAGTIME was remarkably similar to the RAGS CD.