Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
i enjoyed myself when i saw the show's fifth preview....why? because i went in with horribly low expectations and left with slightly higher ones. im not surprised about the horrific reviews, my favorite being the New York Post's...."It Sucks!" I leave you with this question: how long before it has all the blood sucked out of it so it can rest in the peace that all vampire shows should be in?
Shouldn't we at least wait until we see the gross from its first full week of performances?
If I recall, the Belasco is a very small theater, so it might have a healthier run that people expect,bad reviews or not.
You know, if AL is being optimistic.....
Reviews won't make or break this show - at least in my opinion. Word of mouth, Wildhorn fans and the fact it's a well known property could keep it open for a long time.. Only time will tell...
i give it two months at the outside.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
I hope hope hope that this pulls a Les Mis and the crowds flock to it depsite the critical drubbing it received. The word of mouth on this board (and others) hasn't been very inspiring though.
I'll put 50 bucks on November 20th. Who else is in?
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/04
From what I've heard, it's different. It sounds better than PRODUCERS, anyday!! And I've only heard one song and heard the entire Producers. If only they had better lyrics, this could have well been a masterpiece of the 21st century!
They won't make it to their own Halloween party.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
amm.. November 20th.. no!!
November 21st
I think the box office will pick up around October for that reason.
The existence of Wildhorn fans couldn't keep The Civil War open for longer than a couple of months. Perhaps Dracula and vampire fans could help this one out, but unless there is a TON of TV promotions and appearences, with the absence of a hit song, this show probably won't last too long without strong critical praise and/or word of mouth.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
What we don't know is the weekly breakeven, what kind of reserve fund there is and the advance sale. The breakeven can be lowered by rent reduction and royalty waivers, but the backstage crew must be large with all the flying people and scenery shifting.
It doesn't have a large cast, but I understand the advance is not particularly deep once the discount period ends. It ought to at least go until New Years.
My guess is that there is probably a large chunk of change in reserve for advertizing to counter this not unexpected bad set of reviews.
And there is rarely a line of shows chomping at the bit to get into the Belasco.
Broadway Star Joined: 8/10/04
I don't know, if it makes it over 3 months I think it will stay around for awhile. Im guessing maybe a year or 2. Maybe like a Urinetown run...from what I've heard this is no Urinetown though
I agree with Craig. I mean, I hate to say it but look at Wicked. It recieved mixed to negative reviews mostly, but it emerged as this years biggest smash, won three Tonys, and recieved other awards for Best Musical of the Year, which is excellent. So I second Craigs opinion. Reviews probably wont make or break Dracula.
They should make a hefty profit from all the people who miss Dance of the Vampires.
But Wicked had a pedigree to it. A book by Maguire, directed by Mantello, score by Schwartz, and a huge advance. Not to mention, it worked out its previous kinks in SF, before opening on Broadway.
Not to mention being based on one of the best loved films of all time, to boot. And while Wicked got mixed reviews, this board is testament to the fever pitch word of mouth on the show. Dracula hasn't received any good reviews and nobody seems to have anything good to say about it, here or anywhere.
Wicked also had much better buzz. People were talking about it and were excited about it and it was doing huge box office before the reviews hit.
So, when does The Vampire Lestat open?
Will you?
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/16/04
What's the date? I'm putting $20 on November 11th.
It kinda makes you wonder if the producers of Dracula raised $2 million to put on Dracula and are gonna run off to Rio when it closes. Yeah, that's probably not gonna happen.
I havn'tseen it yet. I'm just being optimistic. You never know.
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