Longest Running Flop

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 5:48pm

What broadway musical flop ran for the longest?

[loliveve]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 5:50pm

just a guess, but wouldn't that be "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark"?!

[nealb1]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 5:58pm

The revival of "42nd Street" opened in March of 2001 and ran until January 2005. It was a long run, but didn't recoup.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 5:58pm

Jekyll and Hyde ran 1543...don't know if that beats 42nd Street or not.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 6:00pm

Jekyll and Hyde ran 1543 performances. The 42nd Street revival ran for 1524.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 7:11pm

How do you define flop? There are a lot of very good musicals that never recouped. I wouldn't call them flops. Then there are the musicals that just never make it due to bad book, bad music, bad presentation, should never have been put on stage, etc

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 8:45pm

Please, oh please, let's not run through that age-old argument about what does or does not constitute a flop again. That subject seems to come up on these boards every other month or so. If a show doesn't recoup, boom! it's a flop. (Which is admittedly a sad thing to call the 42nd Street revival which I personally thought was a stupendous improvement on the original.)

I frankly didn't realize Jekyl & Hyde didn't recoup, so that's new news to me.

[Tag]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 9:14pm

Has Rock of Ages recouped yet?

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 9:19pm

Has ABIE'S IRISH ROSE recouped yet?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/27/14 at 9:33pm

Phantom of the Outhouse. How that thing continues to run amazes me.

Updated On: 1/28/14 at 09:33 PM

[dented146]

Posted: 1/28/14 at 1:44am

It seems a very narrow criteria to base the term flop only on the ability of a show to recoup on Broadway. What about a show like Memphis which doesn't recoup but wins the Tony and then likely makes a profit on tour?

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 1/28/14 at 1:56am

Actually, I think Memphis did recoup just before it closed.

And sorry, that's the way just about anyone in the industry or anyone who talks about the industry defines flop. Did it recoup its investment on Broadway? That's it.

There are plenty of other ways one can describe a show that was critically panned (that's one way of saying it!).

Sunset Boulevard is an infamous flop but Jekyll and Hyde ran longer.

Not sure if Rock of Ages has recouped or not. If it hasn't, that's certainly getting up there to be one of the loner running shows that hasn't recouped.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/28/14 at 2:00am

Memphis and Rock of Ages announced recoupment.

I also think that J&H takes this one.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/28/14 at 2:20am

"It seems a very narrow criteria to base the term flop only on the ability of a show to recoup on Broadway."

It's really the only quantitative measure of success. Everything else is purely subjective and you would never reach a consensus on it.

And it does seem that Jekyll & Hyde would be the winner in this case.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/28/14 at 5:01am

Anything else is purely subjective opinion. A show can be a critically acclaimed flop. Or an fan fervent flop.....but it's still a flop. Many shows can end up recouping on tour....but techncally they are flops -- they didn't break even ON Broadway.

But yes, it would nice if every now and then a thread about flops didn't dissolve into this. (of which I just participated.)