show doctors
show doctors
Chorus Member Joined: 11/28/11
show doctors#1
Posted: 6/9/16 at 5:51pm
While dated examples, TABOO and FOOTLOOSE brought in Jeff Calhoun to fix staging and choreography problems. I read somewhere that FOOTLOOSE director Walter Bobbie scrapped it and kept A.C. Ciulla's original choreography.
In general, who decides to bring in whom to fix what? And who decides if the re-worked material goes into the show. Producers? Did Walter Bobbie get to choose because he's an established director?
Typically, does the show doctor work with the initial artistic team? (Minus well-known situations like NINE)
show doctors#2
Posted: 6/9/16 at 7:57pm
There is really no standard answer, each situation is unique. Sometimes it may be the lead producer who is unhappy with what they see. Sometimes it will be the director, or choreographer, or one of the writers who will see that someone from outside with fresh eyes is needed to fix some aspect. Sometimes you may even have a star with enough clout to bring someone new in (there were a lot of whispers going around during the last Bye Bye Birdie revival of Gina Gershon and John Stamos pressuring Roundabout to bring in someone to fix Robert Longbottom's work).
As as for who gets to decide what is kept and what is not it ultimately depends on who has the most power? Is it a well-established, respected producer working with a relatively new team of creatives? Then that producer will probably have the ultimate say. Is it a veteran director with a string of hits pulling the strings? Then that person's decisions will probably bear the most weight.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/04
show doctors#3
Posted: 6/10/16 at 7:23pm
There is no standard. It is different for every show and in many cases, the show doctor is not successful in saving the production.
show doctors#4
Posted: 6/10/16 at 8:13pm
The person who makes the call is the person with the most clout. If Scott Rudin were producing, it would be him. If Tom Hanks were starring it would likely be him. if there was producing by committee...the playwright better be darn good. (Durang's "Vanya, Spike, etc." is one lucky example)
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