Previously at "This" Shubert " Over Here!" 1974-75

[Steve C.]

Posted: 5/23/17 at 6:15pm

I was researching the valuable "real estate" history of the Shubert and bought the OBC recording of "Over Here" b/c it's been remastered and I guess it does have a certain "Broadway heritage". On 1st listen it sure is peppy; but I'm puzzled why it had such a short run. The cast was kind of unreal.

The Andrews Sisters, and certainly a few more "names"; Ann Reinking, Samuel E. Wright, John Travolta (?), Marilu Henner, Treat Williams, Janie Sell...what was wrong or right about it? Even the choreography is by famously choreog Patricia Birch.

I also think the recording sounds surely well done in the Sony Broadway Classical series. (Back when they had full orchestras!) And to top this off, the booklet is full of photos, and get this, it's in Spanish, French and English.

( ...hear that Hello Dolly ?) I'll have to ask around to see if any friends remember it; but very nice CD from "The Shubert". I'll scavenge for old video I suppose.  

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/23/17 at 6:38pm

I saw the show 5 times and LOVED it.  It was delightful, the cast was great, the pastiche score was delightful, the choreography amazing.  It was major fun.  And, on top of that, the Andrews Sisters did a post curtain call concert of 7 - 8 of their big hits.

Observations:

- Other than the sisters, the case was all unknowns at that time.  Their presence had no impact on box office.

- The Andrews Sisters did get people in the seats...just not enough of them.  It was the mid-70s and the show was WW2 nostalgia...in an era in which Sondheim / Prince were revolutionizing the musical theater.

- There were all kinds of bad publicity about their terrible personal relationship...they apparently hated each other.  That was not good for the box office.

- The theatre district was a disaster at the time.  For that period, it had a respectable, if not spectacular, run.

Everyone I knew loved the show.  At Charlie's Place remains one of the best production numbers I have ever seen, and it was not the only one.  

I have been hoping for years that this would be revived perhaps by Roundabout.  I even thought of perfect casting.  Patti Lupone and Bernadette Peters as the two sisters, with someone like Jane Krakowski as the Marlene character, a role that won Janie Sell a Tony award.  I am sure that I will continue to dream about this, but would loved to see it staged professionally in my lifetime.  I would also mention that it had a small cast.  I haven't looked back at my Playbill, but I would guess there were 12 - 14 in the cast, and the set was not elaborate.  Point: I can imagine the it would be RELATIVELY inexpensive to put on.

 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/23/17 at 7:13pm

 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/23/17 at 7:30pm

Shamelessly copied from Wikipedia:

Despite still playing to capacity audiences, the show closed on January 4, 1975 under controversial conditions. "The producers blamed Patty and Maxine, claiming they wanted more money and made unreasonable demands, and cancelled the national tour. The Andrews sisters blamed the producers, claiming they had mismanaged the show from the beginning and were now using them as scapegoats." According to an article in The New York Times, the tour was cancelled due to a "salary dispute" between the Andrews sisters and the producers.

[Steve C.]

Posted: 5/23/17 at 9:05pm

Thanks guys, that's quite a bit of knowledge and I appreciate the story. It's also sad that it imploded but at least the OBC recording is in theater history.  

I still can't believe they gave the show so much time on the Tonys; that was almost 15 minutes. I could spend a month and binge old Tony shows!     in the vault.

 

[Steve C.]

Posted: 5/24/17 at 12:13am

Now more Shubert history, another pretty dynamite CD re-issue with "La Marmelstein" Broadway debut in "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" also at the Shubert. (It started at Shubert then moved to the Broadway ??); Elliott Gould...we know where that goes.

The booklet is also loaded with photos and bios. It oddly points out Streisand is 19, her debut and not in the Actor's Studio. I would have loved to see this and "Drat The Cat' (Lesley Ann Warren & Gould) ...oh well back to the video vaults. 

One other thing I think we forget to apply to Bette and "Dolly" ticket sales. If she tours or goes to Vegas, they/you would pay $300-400 for tickets to 12,000 seat or more auditoriums. (Cher just played that new place in DC and tix were $800-900!)

So Bette is really going to have to play "Dolly" for a while to make that kind of money and attendance. The Shubert is what? 1800 capacity? I'm sure just glad she's here for a while. We're "happily' going again this week.  

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/24/17 at 12:50am

Way less than 1800, I think it's closer to 1500 max.

[bk]

Posted: 5/24/17 at 2:25am

It ran close to 350 performances and did close because of the drama with the sisters.  However, it was the top-grossing musical of 1974.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/24/17 at 4:45pm

Mr. Nowack said: "Shamelessly copied from Wikipedia:

Despite still playing to capacity audiences, the show closed on January 4, 1975 under controversial conditions. "The producers blamed Patty and Maxine, claiming they wanted more money and made unreasonable demands, and cancelled the national tour. The Andrews sisters blamed the producers, claiming they had mismanaged the show from the beginning and were now using them as scapegoats." According to an article in The New York Times, the tour was cancelled due to a "salary dispute" between the Andrews sisters and the producers.

 

The show did reasonably well, but I remember sitting in the rear-ish center orchestra on a Saturday night for a sizable discount: so, that is definitely overstated. I always thought it should have been a much bigger hit...there was only one spot that didn't work...a black train steward singing a song about civil rights issues.  It just didn't fit in an intentionally silly show.

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/25/17 at 1:03am

I loved OVER HERE!  I was 9 years old when it opened and I saw it 3 times.  My dad loved swing and big band music so that explains that.  The set design was fantastic.  There were 3 levels each with a treadmill which were incorporated in the staging cleverly.   I remember a sequence with swimming beauties so it looked as if they were swimming.  John Travolta's solo "Dream Drumming" was a fabulous and crazy showcase and I remembered him so it was cool when he quickly appeared on the ABC comedy WELCOME BACK, KOTTER as Vinnie Barbarino the following year.  Ann Reinking and John Mineo.  Sheer insanity.  Happy the "At Charlie's Place" number survives thanks to the Tony Awards performance.  It was in this number that Ann suffered her back injury that continues to affect her (John dropped her once).  Then there's Marilu Henner.  I could go on and on.  

[devonian.t]

Posted: 5/25/17 at 3:41am

Thanks for the fascinating memories!

(always good to recall that Broadway isn't a thing they invented last week)