amyb

Not to mention Taymor seems to have been axed.

Dukey1

We are frtunate enough to actually be acquainted with Roberto the apparent brought-in play doctor. The guy has a wild imagination and has actually written comic book stuff in the past, as well as had one show produced here in the Washington, DC, area.

I'm not convinced he an do much for this thing but one can always hope.

starrs

A local theater guy went to see it and thought the set and most of the design was wonderful but that it looked like they ran out of money. He thought the flying was substandard and the story was disjointed. Kind of like a community theater performing on a fabulous set. Maybe the investors didn't want to put more money after bad. Maybe with Taymor gone someone can start over again with a new vision. That's a whole lot of money invested without trying. He was really impressed with the infrastructure, if you will. Hopefully they can do something with that foundation.

NeoPatrick

Yes, Julie Taymor, the one who has been blamed for much of the show's huge problems has been "axed" -- it's kind of the only way to put it.
I just wish they'd let us know when they are closing it down. Will I see it with my ticket on April 2 or not?
I understand that Ticketmaster is now openly refunding all tickets for all performances upon request (oops -- I mean "previews", since there will be no "performances" before summer).

emd3

How often do shows close before they open? I am asking seriously here, as I wonder and really do not know.

starrs

On Broadway or before they get to Broadway?

emd3

On Broadway.

I recall it happened to a play 8 or 9 yrs ago - Farrah Fawcett was in it and it closed during previews, before opening night. I can't recall the name of the play but I think it started w/a "B" - and I can't think of any other times I have heard of that scenario.

emd3

I found two more-

Rachel Lily Rosenbloom (And Don’t You Ever Forget It) (1973) - Bette Midler passed on starring in this showbiz satire by disco songwriter Paul Jabara and Tom Eyen (Dreamgirls). Instead, Ellen Greene took on the campy role of a Brooklyn girl in Hollywood, until it closed in previews.

and

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1966) – Musical take on the novella and movie with a book by Edward Albee (!), score by Bob Merrill and starring Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain in the lead roles. Producer David Merrick called it “excruciatingly boring” when he closed it in previews.


Any others?

emd3

and a couple more from the mid-60s:

Freaking Out of Stephanie Black
and
Leda Had a Little Swan

Those were all before my time of following Broadway shows. I gather it does not happen that often.

emd3

one more, my husband gets credit for this one:

Face Value, 1993

So now we all have some Broadway "closed before it opened" trivia for the next time someone brings up Spiderman potentially closing during previews...it is not the only show to have done so, but it doesn't happen very often, and maybe only one other time in the last decade.

starrs

I think what's very different about Spiderman is that it couldn't be mounted elsewhere. Wicked was in workshops for a long time and then in previews. That process took years. I wish I could have seen it when it was a work in progress in San Francisco. In any case, when it came to Broadway, it was ready.

Because of the sets, Spiderman had to be built and opened on Broadway. The work has been done in the open, so to speak.

I may be wrong on this, and I know others will correct me if I am. But I do think that's a big difference.

NeoPatrick

starrs, I think you are exactly right. Not that it fully explains the long term previews with virtually everyone saying "it is horrible" but almost nothing being done as a major revamp. The general rumor is that Julie Taymor refused to let anyone tamper much with her vision which everyone seemed to be saying just wasn't working. So finally the producers have stepped in and "unofficially" fired her so that a major change can take place. At least that's how I understand the current chain of events.

I called Ticketmaster and yes I can get a refund in full for April 2, even though they don't yet know if it will be playing or not that day. So I'm waiting for the other 4 who have tickets and I got one to join them that day to confirm they all want to cancel too.

There's still a part of me that wouldn't mind seeing it even as it is. I have a friend who happily proclaims he's one of the few who saw one of the very few previews of the above mentioned Breakfast at Tiffanys which also closed before opening. It's almost like a claim to fame to have seen it.

And there is a cult-like following for Carrie, the Musical which did open and before now seemed to hold the record for most expensive flop -- but a mere pittance compared to Spiderman. From Wikpedia:
"The show started previews on April 28, 1988 at the Virginia Theatre. After the final song, boos were heard mixed in with applause. Ken Mandelbaum is quoted by Wollman, MacDermot, and Trask: "Ken Mandelbaum writes of an audience divided during early previews, the curtain calls of which were greeted with a raucous mix of cheers and boos.[6] However, in an instant, when Linzi Hateley and Betty Buckley rose to take their bows, the entire theatre turned to a standing ovation. According to the New York Times, "The show had received standing ovations at some previews, as well as on opening night..." [7] The show officially opened on May 12, 1988. Hampered by scathing reviews, and despite the fact that the theatre was sold out every night,[2] the financial backers pulled their money out of the show, and it closed on May 15, 1988 after only 16 previews and 5 performances, guaranteeing its place in theatre history as one of the most expensive disasters of all time. According to The New York Times, the "more-than-$7 million show...was the most expensive quick flop in Broadway history."

TC

It was Bobbi Boland, starring Farrah Fawcett, that closed during previews in 2003.

emd3

TC, yes, that's it.

Why do you all think the producers let Taymor go on so long w/this?

starrs

Because look what she did with the Lion King. They hoped she could pull it off again.

There was nothing like the Lion King...before the Lion King.
She imagined it. They hoped (expected) for her to do it again.

emd3

But the Lion King didn't have the long-term troubles getting off the ground that this production has had, did it? It just seems that they really let her go on this one for a long, long time, even considering the Lion King.

starrs

I don't know how to say it differently.
Every show - except this one - does the pre-work off Broadway.
Because of the sets, this one was mounted on Broadway without working out the kinks somewhere else first.

She imagined something different, something that had never been seen before...and pulled it off in a huge way. It was spectacular.
The investors expected the same thing here.

Anyway, that's my .02. Probably worth that much too


BTW, it brings up an important question IF it's ever a success. How in the world could this be taken on tour?

HowardR

Slight correction, starrs. Other shows have come right to New York for their previews without having the show perform out of town anywhere....and have succeeded.
At the moment, I draw a blank if you want examples, but I know that it's happened....and the results were both successful and unsuccessful.
As for why the producers waited so long to push Taymor aside, for now, one can only speculate. Perhaps, based on her track record with the enormous success of The Lion King, the producers gave her plenty of time, feeling that she could/would improve the product. Then, after all this time, they obviously felt the show just wasn't improving and, according to published reports, she seemed reluctant to make changes (read that "improvements") that the producers felt were needed.

TC

Maybe the producers shouldn't have let her imagine something that couldn't be tested off-Broadway first. I mean you can set its the sets, but that isn't what got panned. Seems there should have been more substance long before they ever got around to building sets. $65million++++ and there's little story and forgetable music. Isn't that step #1 and #2 for a Broadway musical? I think my DH has it right...."more money than brains" could be the motto for this one.

starrs

I read a personal review by a local theatre guy who saw it and he was blown away by the set and said he could see where the money went...but then it looked like they ran out of money and left so much unfinished. He's more than local, he takes shows on the road and knows his stuff. His description included stuff I know nothing about. But, anyway, the gist was they did a great job with the set (unlike any other set he had ever seen) and then ... nada. The story was disjointed, the flying was low tech and nothing seemed to mesh. Maybe there were cost overruns with the set. Maybe someone underestimated. Maybe Taymor's vision was too cloudy. Don't know. Based on what he said, this set was unlike any other set. We're talking SET. I can email his comments to Neo (because I have his email) and maybe Neo can interpret the technical stuff. Anyway, it sounds like the investors have $X in it and have two choices - 1) walk away and consider it a complete loss and 2) try to salvage something going in a new direction.

PS - He loved Harvey in Cage so that's on my list for next month