whats up with brooklyn

[IveGottaBeME]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 4:13pm

I just don't understand why it's doing poorly. I know a lot of you hate it.. but, wouldn't you think it'd do well with the type of music? Eden and Ramona's voice should be enough for a younger crowd to come... The songs are filled with pop and r&b.. it's wayyy different from the typical broadway, and that's why i like it. The cast is so talented, even though the story seems like nothing special.. but it is what it is. I just don't understand why it's not doing better? I've talked to so many people who loved it. Why isn't it being promoted better or to younger audiences? I just don't get it, i thought it'd have a large younger crowd... I'm seeing it in Feb..

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 4:37pm

There are only two things that could potentially save a show as bad as BROOKLYN:

-an amazing score (which BROOKLYN doesn't have)
-big stars (which it doesn't have either)

As much as the music might appeal to younger people looking for something "different" like yourself, most people have never even heard of it. Other shows that have been in similar positions had a few other things going for them:

Urban Cowboy - an insanely sexy man as the show's logo bearing a greased 6-pak, plus the "closing night" that ended up not being the real closing night - people wanted to see what it was all about and if it really was terrible.

Dance of the Vampires - had a big Broadway star that hadn't been back in NY performing since the 80's - he has some very rabid fans. As the show went on, again, people kept going to see it to see if it really was as horrid as people were saying it was.

Taboo - Rosie O'Donnell AND Boy George's name was attached to it which sparked more interest than usual in a Broadway show from people usually not in-tune with Broadway. She also had an INSANE "taboo street team" and spent ridiculous amounts of money on press and advertising.

BROOKLYN is virtually all newcomers - from the writers to the cast. They have VERY little, if any press or advertising. People coming to Broadway from out of state who maybe only come once a year aren't going to gamble their money on a show that they've probably never heard of with writers and a cast they probably haven't heard of. And as we all know, tourists are what drive the Broadway community, most of the time. BROOKLYN isn't completely doomed, yet. It's running costs are so insanely low that they can scrape by with making such little money, but we'll see how long they continue to wait it out...

[Brandon]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 4:38pm

it was soooooooooo bad

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 4:40pm

With ticket prices in the $90 - $100 range, no show can do well by ONLY appealing to the under-25 market -- there just aren't enough of them interested in Broadway and can also afford the ticket price (children and teens only constitute about 10% of the overall audience for Broadway). The bread and butter of Broadway is the middle-aged and elderly theatregoer who buy the vast majority of tickets -- if you don't appeal to them (and Brooklyn apparently doesn't) you won't run very long. This explains why all of those jukebox shows consist of music that appeals to the baby boom generation and older (Billy Joel, The Beach Boys, ABBA, Elvis, John Lennon) -- that group buys most of the tickets.

Couple the style of music with one of the worst slates of reviews any show has gotten in years and it's no wonder Brooklyn is struggling.

Updated On: 1/19/05 at 04:40 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 4:46pm

Which is what's so SAD about the young uns who DO buy into the jukebox audience. You're being SUCKERED.

I have to say, Margo, I think the Lennon thing may be different, in that it is a bio, not some crazed and disconnected through line shoehorned between Imagine and Starting Over.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 4:49pm

Lennon does look very promising compared to the rest of the "jukebox genre."

[IveGottaBeME]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 4:57pm

ok everything you guys said makes sense.. i guess im dumb. but if they did more around nyc and on tv i think it'd bring in a crowd.. i really think if more people saw it they'd really like it... not everyone has to like eden's voice, but i really like it.. i love shows where i hear good singing that gives me chills... i'm not really into stuff like Mammia Mia and a lot of corny shows... I like stuff like Phantom, Caroline, Rent, Aida, JCS, etc... i guess all of those shows have a better story than Brooklyn though. But i really really like the music and think that if people (who aren't broadway fanatics) saw it they'd like it... it needs more promotion and i think it'd do well, seriously.

[noodle]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 5:01pm

it sucked

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 5:02pm

I wonder why people just join the forum and start bashing BKLYN on their first day.. (ahhhhmm.. other shows ahhhmm..)

Now, for all of you BKLYN-haters:
There is a big fans group for Brooklyn. LIKE IT OR NOT.

Now, read this twice:
If you think BKLYN is doing poorly, you are WRONG.
BKLYN may not make a lot of money during the winter months (who does?), but it does make a small + every week.

BKLYN's weekly cost is EXTREMELY low for a musical.
They can run long on Broadway with only 70-80% attn.
Now, go back and read this AGAIN.

Updated On: 1/19/05 at 05:02 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 5:14pm

Define "big fans group."

Apparently the "big fans group" didn't do their job last week -- the gross was 66.8%.

All things are relative, but week in - week out, Brooklyn has the lowest gross attendance of any musical on Broadway (even with the lowest ticket price -- almost all of the PLAYS have higher averages). It's pretty clear how "big" Brooklyn's fanbase is --not very.

It's breaking even, yes, but not much more than that. To characterize it as doing "well" is being dishonest. Love the show or not, the fact is it IS doing POORLY at the box office. That doesn't mean you should love the show any less -- just that it's audience appeal is extremely limited and at this rate will never recoup more than 10% - 20%, at best, of its initial investment. That's a flop by any definition.

Updated On: 1/19/05 at 05:14 PM

[pair-o-dice]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 5:39pm

The reason Brooklyn is doing so bad is because it is a terrible musical. Personally I respect all of the hard work that goes into putting on a Broadway musical, and it is A LOT of hard work. But come, the re-inactment of the Vietnam war...the "American Iold" style sing-off at the end. If "Brooklyn" is a considered to be a good musical these days then I would hate to see what is considered a bad one.

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 5:43pm

another newcomer.
Hello, are you from LITTLE WOMEN or GOOD VIBRATIONS?

[pair-o-dice]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 5:50pm

I'm from neither, nor am I a "newcomer", I just haven't posted for a while. You're entitled to your own opinion man, but I am as well. And "Little Women" was a good show btw. It had a heart and a cast that didn't have to scream at the top of their lungs in order to get thier points across. I'm sorry "Brooklyn" just isn't my cup of tea.

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 5:56pm

Tiny,

CHILL OUT!!!
Seriously. For the most part we were having an intelligent conversation until you came. If you feel that strongly about the show (obviously) just be glad that you enjoy it.
Screaming (not belting) and "trashy" costumes and lack of real story does not appeal to everyone. Deal w/ it.

Updated On: 1/19/05 at 05:56 PM

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 6:12pm

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 6:16pm

When a show like Brooklyn resuts to having those people promote at TKTS and telling the crowd "After Brooklyn, I left a totally different person",this show needs to go.

Posted: 1/19/05 at 6:17pm

I liked Brooklyn...didn't love it....some of the story didn't make sense....like why doesn't Brooklyn have an accent like people do from Paris?

[spence]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 7:31pm

The reason she doesn't have an accent is because she is a homeless person telling a story, not the character that she is portraying. They are all just supposed to be street performers telling "an urban fairy tale".

The reason that the show is not doing so well is that they do not have a large budget for advertising. They are going to do alot more advertising in the early spring, hopefully including TV. I feel sure that after the advertising ticket sales will increase dramatically. I guess that they are being cautious during the slow winter months. After Eden was on the Today show ticket sales were up dramatically.

There IS an audience for this show. The word just has to get out there.

[FOCI]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 10:07pm

Hmm, I love Mariah Carey, am 17, and willing to spend money on theater. I believe I am the audience Brooklyn is targeted at and I do NOT like the music @ all.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 1/19/05 at 10:09pm

I thought bklyn was one of the most amazing shows that I have ever seen. When Eden Espinosa gave me a hug I started to cry (have in mind I'm a teenager boy...so I dont burst into tears often)

[Razz77]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 12:36am

My personal thoughts on why Brooklyn isn't exactly sparkling, in addition to the fact that it's really not good in my opinion

1) The majority of their advertising is on midtown Manhattan trash cans

2) They have hired a middle-aged woman to distribute literature to audiences in the TKTS booth line while taking her best shot at "Once Upon a Time"

3) Nearly the entire show can be viewed via constant video stream ouside of the theatre at all times. And if anyone has taken the time to stand outside of the theatre and watch the video, it doesn't make you want to come inside. In fact, it makes you want to cross the street. At least Dame Edna is over there.

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 12:47am

You left out another factor for a successful musical:

You have to have a story that's actually interesting to people.

Or..in BKYNs case...you actually need a story.