how long do you think TMM will run?

[nycgirl]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:17pm

Ive hear that Thoroughly Modern Millie is expected to run for 3 or 4 years more but now i hear just until late 04 early 05. I dont know, once they loose Sutton, will they be doomed?

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:19pm

Unfortuantly, (I LOVE THE SHOW BUT) it is kind of losing steam as it is--once Sutton leaves...I dunno...Id say it will make it through '04 and take its final bow early '05

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:20pm

If they bring back the Gavinator, Ken will buy out the show for a year!

[nycgirl]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:24pm

HAHA! i wish they did bring Gavin back. I mean sutton and him were so great together! I LOVE THAT SHOW! but i think alot of that show IS SUTTON! i mean if she leaves, who will they have? Christian, Leslie, who else, is Angela Christian still there?

[nycgirl]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:24pm

HAHA! i wish they did bring Gavin back. I mean sutton and him were so great together! I LOVE THAT SHOW! but i think alot of that show IS SUTTON! i mean if she leaves, who will they have? Christian, Leslie, who else, is Angela Christian still there?

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:24pm

Is Sutton a legitimate draw? Was there a downswing in ticket sales (or an upswing in refunds) when she was on vacation or out of the show? This has nothing to do with her talent, but to say she's drawing sales enough to keep the show open (or close it in her wake) seems generous.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:25pm

They can ditch Christian and Angela and bring in bags of rocks and it would improve the show.......

[nycgirl]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:31pm

NO NO NO! i wouldnt say that! i mean christian is pretty good and Angela IS GREAT! but they can certainly toss leslie and put a bag of rocks there and the show would probably SKY ROCKET with sales!(well probably not but!, i defenitly dont like her)

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:36pm

never been a fan of Christian or Angela... Jessica is a MUCH more enjoyable performer... move her up into the role.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:37pm

All these posts about TMM and still no word on how Delta Burke is. Anyone??

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 4:51pm

Delta Burke was absolutely hilarious. Even though I've seen the show numerous times she really got tons of laughs out of me. I think it was the little words she added in hear and there that made her so funny. She made some pretty crazy faces too. She really got her character down too, she's no Harriet Harris, but she's pretty darn good.

Just for the record, Sutton's no big box office name, so her leaving the show won't affect ticket sales thqat much. And Christian is far more talented than Gavin will ever be, thank you very much.

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 5:40pm

I'd love to see Jessica Grove get moved up. I think they should cast a star- but there aren't many out there who could play Millie. If they put an unknown as Millie, and cast a star as Muzzy, than the show would boost in sales, and the new Millie could get some recognition!! For Muzzy, I would say....maybe Eartha Kitt when she's out of Nine? I don't really know, but I think if they cast a star in a supporting role, the show would boost in sales, and an we could give another unknown a chance to become a star!!!

[King Stevos]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 5:44pm

Soon as sutton leaves the show closes, the show has a stigma around it because of her, Im not sure that anyone will be able to get past the Sutton spell. Maybe they could bring in a stunt cast like Carmen Elektra, at least people would pay to a see what they would think a freak show, and see that she's wonderfull.

In conclusion Bad Shows must have a Star to survive.

STEVOS

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 6:10pm

But at the most Sutton draws no more than 100 people to the box office. The general public has never heard of her, for the most part, and most of them (if they've actually heard of her) don't even know she's still in it. She's not what's keeping the show open.

It's one of those shows with a big interest from the general public, but it is overshadowed by Bernadette in Gypsy and the hype surrounding Wicked. So who can tell when it will slow down.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:17pm

I am seeing this show for the first time tomorrow night (in a way, it's my first date!). I am seeing it on tour. I think I am going to love Darcie as Millie. Janelle looks good as Flannery and Hollis looks like a hilarious Meers. I will tell you what I think tomorrow night.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:18pm

As for Millie on Bway...it should run for a year or two more.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:23pm

I give the Broadway Millie four months max post-Sutton.

I was on assignment in a city the Millie tour was in. Tried to get to the stage door to meet the stars, not that I would pay to see that show, but I did want to meet everybody. Anyway, the review in this major market city that I read had me LOLing.

It said Millie is an environmentalist's dream, given that it is made up entirely of recycled material It mentioned cast-wide lack of charisma but singled out Darcie as being bland. The reviewer also looked askance at the racist Chinese portrayals and the white slavery subplot ("this is comedy?" was the actual quote). Apparently they were offering discounts on tickets in this city, and it only played six days there. Not a good sign.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:25pm

If it was Boston...Hairspray was running the same week.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:28pm

Major markets often have way more than two shows running, sometimes three! Or five even!!

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:31pm

What city was it??? Ya, but these are tours. Hairspray as a lot of hype, so of course theatre goers will pay to see that show.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:36pm

I think you're really reaching to make excuses for the fact that Millie really isn't going to have much of an impact and is negligible in the grand scheme of things. If you look at the Boston theater scene, for instance, tho not as vibrant as a real city like my beloved Chicago, there are quite a few theaters and frequently overlapping tours. You are the first person I have ever heard say a show did poorly because another show is in town. Generally, when one show does good business, or sells out, it's actually good for the other shows in town. I just looked at tour listings and Hairspray was in Beantown for a month, Millie a week. A week! You would think that with the Tony and the tapping and the yapping you guys do all the time about that show and the diaries and the hopes and the dreams that they could do better than discounting tickets on a show's first time around.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:38pm

I could care less if Millie does not have an impact, I just think there are excellent performers in the show and want it to do good for them.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:42pm

My point is, it's not doing well, and the very people who were expected to lap it up on tour don't care at all about it. The smartest thing they could have done was to NOT rest it all on Sutton's shoulders and turn it into a Manhattan-only thing that people see in New York cuz it simulates some fantasy of moving to the big city.

People in other cities don't romanticize New York that way. And the movie was never popular enough to exploit the title-recognition that the producers were counting on. Plus, it's racist, which doesn't fly in many locations.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:48pm

Yes. People in NYC aren't bothered by that kind of thing too much. I guess you are right, but for someone one loves and follows Bway who can't make it to NYC, the show should be enjoyable.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/5/03 at 11:51pm

But they just ain't interested. And I think that proves the producers who had the cynical notion that they would sell it big to the hinterlands all wrong. I hope they learned the lesson well.