“WE HAVE EVERYTHING THAT A CIRCUS MUST HAVE" -- Marvin Spindler

“WE HAVE EVERYTHING THAT A CIRCUS MUST HAVE" -- Marvin Spindler
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Sunday, January 04, 2009

Broadway in Free Fall: January Delivers 13 Shows to Oblivion

The slated closing of thirteen shows along the Great White Way in the month of January has even New York Times theatre critic Charles Isherwood breathlessly astonished -- "incredible." Reports he, erroring away in disaster story mode, the staggering number amounts to "almost half" of the current lineup. In fact, 13 is not a half of 42.

Still, it marks a dramatic drop. Fans without agendas will rue. The envious will cheer. Tough town. Tough stages to tackle.

This has not been a good season. Included among the departing are a pair of longer-term survivals, Hairspray and Spamalot. The others are: All My Sons, Boeing-Boeing, Dividing the Estate, Grease, Gypsy, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Liza's at the Palace, The Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, Slava's Snowshow, Spring Awakening, and 13.

This surprised even me, for I did not see quite such wide-spread failure among the active productions on the boards.

I note with vicarious pride and pleasure that South Pacific, in revival, continues to thrive among the top three shows in ticket sales.

4 comments:

Logan Jacot said...

Do you have a list of the shows that are closing?

Logan

Showbiz David said...

Logan, I put them on the post. BTW: You had a neat video of RBBB 1953, I think. Any chance you will bring it back, and might you know if it was dress rehearsal, opening night? Thanks.

Pat Cashin said...

Slava's Snowshow was playing a limited engagement at the Helen Hayes. I don't really know if that one should count.

I'd imagine White Christmas was a limited run as well, no?

Showbiz David said...

probably it was. I think all shows hope for the unexpected box office stampede that will turn them, like Liza's show, from "limited run" to long run.

But the NYT, placing this story on the front page of the main Sunday section, made a big deal out of it.