Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Joined: 12/31/69
#1Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 9:11pm
I live in CA and am not very up-to-speed on the NY scene, so forgive me if this is a dumb question or has been asked before. But just thinking out loud, with Hamilton tickets being so impossible to get, would the producers consider moving it to a larger theater the next time they put up tickets for sale?
Looks like the Richard Rodgers is about mid-sized for Broadway at 1400 seats and there are more than a dozen theaters with larger capacities. Would this help the ticket scarcity problem? Would the show still be sold out for months in advance if they had to fill closer to 2000 seats every night?
How easy would it be to switch theaters? I know it has been done in the past (Mamma Mia, Chicago), but as I have yet to see it, I don't know all the intricacies of the set.
#2Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 9:20pm
Not unless you are Disney. It would cost too much to retrofit the stage for a new theater. Part of the success of the show is being in a smaller theater. You are virtually guaranteed a sellout. Very similar to the Book of Mormon. They are in one of the smallest theaters on Broadway, and are still selling out 4 years later.
With Hamilton, it is anyone's guess if the demand will continue once the original cast, including LMM, steps down. More than likely, much of the original cast will be gone after July. So demand could slow down quite a bit after that.
There is another part of me that believes sooner or later people will experience "Hamilton fatigue". Personally I love the show, but I am certainly starting to feel it.
Not to be confused with Dave19.
Updated On: 4/12/16 at 09:20 PM
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#3Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 9:21pm
HIghly unlikely. It is usually very expensive to do as they'd need to re-design & build the set, as well as retech. The examples I know of that a show has moved are usually to go to a smaller theater and even that is a pretty rare.
And no, it really wouldn't make a difference in ticket availability. And even if it did, that's not what the producers want....they WANT to be in high demand as that drives popularity and prices up. (People talked about this a lot with Book of Mormon as well.)
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#4Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 9:21pm
First, the exclusivity is only working in their favor. It's arguably worth more than the extra tickets they'd sell if they were in a bigger theatre.
Second, switching theatres is not easy. It costs quite a lot, and likely wouldn't be worth the cost and effort. Plus, though there may be a dozen theatres bigger than the Rodgers, but they're not all available for the taking.
BroadwayConcierge
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/24/15
#5Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 9:23pm
Hamilton is perfect where it is.
funhamilton_rent
Featured Actor Joined: 9/26/15
#6Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 9:26pm
I doubt that Hamilton would really have any difference in the percent cap and selling out if they moved to a bigger theatre, such as (I know they are taken) the Gershwin or St. James. There are easily 600 more people every single night that would love to see Hamilton. I don't think it's a good idea because of the intricate set. And I'm not sure if Lin and the cast would want to move. They will not move, nor should they, but it isn't a bad idea.
And Peggy
Understudy Joined: 10/22/15
#7Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 9:37pm
It's falling out of favor, but it's not uncommon or unheard of for shows to switch houses over the course of its run. Les Miz moved from the Broadway to the Imperial, Annie went from the Alvin to the ANTA to the Eugene O'Niell to the Uris. Mamma Mia went from the Winter Garden to the Broadhurst.
It's possible and has established precedent, but it's unlikely (for now) because the buzz it's creating at the Richard Rodgers is a producer's dream.
#8Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 9:54pm
not.gonna.happen.
this seems to be raised every month or so as if it is an original thought.
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
#9Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 10:04pm
You never know if it would happen a few years down the line. Never say never. Many shows have done it. One example that quickly comes to mind is Annie. Towards the end of its original run it moved a few times. And that is just one example..... Lion King, Chicago, and Miz are others. I also remember August Osage moving to the theater next door. Never say never. Ever.
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Updated On: 4/12/16 at 10:04 PM
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#10Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 10:10pm
Are any of those examples of moving to LARGER houses? (I really don't know, but don't expect so.)
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#11Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 10:34pm
They're actually planning on doing the opposite and transferring the show to The Booth so they can charge $1,000 per ticket. All seats are premium seats
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#12Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 10:37pm
^the lion king? Or is the minskoff smaller than the new Amsterdam?
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#13Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 11:07pm
Call_me_jorge said: "^the lion king? Or is the minskoff smaller than the new Amsterdam?
"
New Amsterdame is slightly larger at 1702 compared to Minskoff at 1621.
Not to be confused with Dave19.
Tag
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/19/05
#14Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 11:31pm
Moving theaters would be a drop in the bucket for them, the expense is not a consideration.
#15Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 11:32pm
@DAME-the OP was not asking about ever. s/he said "the next time they put up tickets for sale." Could the show downsize in 2030? sure, but that's silly to even prognosticate about.
Broadway kid 2
Stand-by Joined: 6/7/14
#16Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 11:32pm
Dave13 said: "Call_me_jorge said: "^the lion king? Or is the minskoff smaller than the new Amsterdam?
"
New Amsterdame is slightly larger at 1702 compared to Minskoff at 1621.
"
LightsOut90
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/2/14
#17Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/12/16 at 11:45pm
they won't be moving because they specifically wanted THAT theater, its resonate to LMM for several reasons, so it wasn't even a capacity issue.
Wilmingtom
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/11
#18Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/13/16 at 12:48am
Nothing makes people want to see a show like not being able to get tickets so they have no compelling reason to move to a bigger house. The set doesn't have extraordinary demands that would make it especially difficult to move like, say, Phantom, which would be an ordeal.
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KCW
Featured Actor Joined: 10/31/15
#19Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/13/16 at 7:12am
As someone said, Lin likes the Richard Rodgers quite a bit. Among many things he practicly lived there during In the Heights.
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#20Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/13/16 at 8:10am
Or they could keep it at the Rodgers AND expand to other theaters and have simultaneous productions running in NYC at the same time! 
#21Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/13/16 at 8:13am
Larger theater only means there will be more crappy seats. 
People are already paying $800 for a rear mezz seat ---- imagine paying that same amount for a rear balcony seat in a larger theater?
Auggie27
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
#22Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/13/16 at 8:24am
I've told a number of people waiting to see the show: in many ways it's very intimate, scaled to be performed for a smaller house, devoid of spectacle (in the way that word has come to be used to describe musical theater). Just last Thursday night I talked to someone who had just seen the show -- holding seats since August -- and remarked that she expected it to be "bigger somehow," even though she loved the score and knew it note for note in advance. There's an idea out there that HAMILTON's staging in some way matches the brilliant text as "revolutionary." In truth, nothing terribly innovative is taking place, beyond the casting conceit. The show has exquisitely rendered visuals -- "Satisfied" is a stunner -- but some people paying these top shelf prices seem to expect a post-PHANTOM/SAIGON experience in the physical production, a style HAMILTON assiduously eschews. When the eventual tours end up in 3000 seat barns, the show may not work the same way. When you must wait 15 months to see any show, it will never be the one you see in your head, sitting with the recording. A syndrome that predates HAMILTON.
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Updated On: 4/13/16 at 08:24 AM
#23Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/13/16 at 10:09am
Wee Thomas2 said: "Or they could keep it at the Rodgers AND expand to other theaters and have simultaneous productions running in NYC at the same time! "
As also rehearsed in prior threads on this very subject, yes they could but no they won't. They could also move the show to Yankee Stadium and just get the whole thing over with before first frost.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#24Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/13/16 at 10:18am
Tag said: "Moving theaters would be a drop in the bucket for them, the expense is not a consideration.
"
Just because they have made big bank on this, doesn't mean cost isn't a consideration. I don't mean to imply that they HAVE ever considered moving...only if they did. That would still be tens of thousands of dollars to spend. (Likely more.)
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#25Would Hamilton consider moving to a bigger theater?
Posted: 4/13/16 at 10:43am
Auggie27 said: "I've told a number of people waiting to see the show: in many ways it's very intimate, scaled to be performed for a smaller house, devoid of spectacle (in the way that word has come to be used to describe musical theater). "
"When you must wait 15 months to see any show, it will never be the one you see in your head, sitting with the recording. A syndrome that predates HAMILTON."
I couldn't have said it better than these two points, right here. I think Hamilton is meant to be an intimate experience, especially considering the historical timeline. There's a sense of exclusivity in being part of some of these moments that at the time were exclusive to 20 or 30 people cramped into a room. The show is designed to make it feel like you're a fly on the wall in the... room where it happens!
And like Auggie said, it's inevitable that a show with the buzz of Hamilton will disappoint those who are ready to experience it as some sort of life changing spectacle. I remember experiencing the same feeling when I finally got to see Rent on Broadway. The show had HUGE buzz, I knew every note of the cast recording and then you finally walked into the Nederlander and all you see is basically a bare set with Christmas lights and chairs, your first impression is utter disappointment, until the room does light up and the performances bring the show to life. The turntable makes the staging in Hamilton, imo, it could definitely travel to a different theater, so I don't think the idea of moving Hamilton to a different space would be based on "set limitations" or tech issues. The producers are smart and exclusivity builds hype. No need to change that!
