#51
Posted: 9/29/06 at 8:48am
this question has been running through my head since the dress rehearsal. i don't wanna jinx it by guessing a number, but I do think it'll go 2 seasons with no problem. pre-sales have been spectacular and, as my buddy Carmella mentioned, the box office continues to do great daily business. it's a very hard show to predict the success of. there has been amazing audience response on a consistent, if not universal, basis. of course this early on we're getting a lot of the ACL loyalists, and that is both a blessing and a curse. they are the 1st ones to applaud or burst into tears with emotion when something is done just right. but they also are the ones who recall seeing the original cast in the context of its time period, and can therefore be the hardest to please. so these early audiences aren't a good measuring device. the Times review just might wind up being critical for the long-term success of the show, and it's nearly impossible to guess which way Brantley will go.
there's still not much of an idea how the show is being received by the younger generation, teen and college-aged dancers and theatre performers who have maybe only seen or heard certain numbers or never heard the show at all. once they can get ahold of tickets, how will they respond to it as a complete piece? might they be unwilling to look past the dated aspects of the book? or might the universally-relatable themes bring about a resurgence of interest in musicals that existed pre-LES MIS? or will a certain character or performer become their next Idina, to be loved and idolized unconditionally for any number of reasons?
then one must consider the nearly endless possibilities they have in terms of replacement casting. star-casting is always an option and it could work performance-wise, though it does seem counter-intuitive to the spirit of the show. I think also of all the great musical theatre talent that has been influenced by the piece and might be interested in joining the cast.
these are all potential wildcard factors that could determine if it runs 2 or 20 years. hey, who woulda guessed 5 yrs ago that PRODUCERS would be in trouble so soon? as with any show, only time will tell. it's probably safe to say it won't approach the longevity of the original production, but if the CHICAGO revival can run 10+ years then who knows what is possible with this one? one thing is for sure, with both of these revivals going strong, Charlotte will always have somewhere to work.
PS: the movie really is awful
"The last train out of any station will not be full of nice guys." - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
there's still not much of an idea how the show is being received by the younger generation, teen and college-aged dancers and theatre performers who have maybe only seen or heard certain numbers or never heard the show at all. once they can get ahold of tickets, how will they respond to it as a complete piece? might they be unwilling to look past the dated aspects of the book? or might the universally-relatable themes bring about a resurgence of interest in musicals that existed pre-LES MIS? or will a certain character or performer become their next Idina, to be loved and idolized unconditionally for any number of reasons?
then one must consider the nearly endless possibilities they have in terms of replacement casting. star-casting is always an option and it could work performance-wise, though it does seem counter-intuitive to the spirit of the show. I think also of all the great musical theatre talent that has been influenced by the piece and might be interested in joining the cast.
these are all potential wildcard factors that could determine if it runs 2 or 20 years. hey, who woulda guessed 5 yrs ago that PRODUCERS would be in trouble so soon? as with any show, only time will tell. it's probably safe to say it won't approach the longevity of the original production, but if the CHICAGO revival can run 10+ years then who knows what is possible with this one? one thing is for sure, with both of these revivals going strong, Charlotte will always have somewhere to work.
PS: the movie really is awful
"The last train out of any station will not be full of nice guys." - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
"I wash my face, then drink beer, then I weep. Say a prayer and induce insincere self-abuse, till I'm fast asleep"- In Trousers
Updated On: 9/29/06 at 08:48 AM
