Spongebob opening this Nov @ The Palace

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 2:48pm

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/spongebob-squarepants-musical-bow-broadway-november-1010165

How fun! 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 2:49pm

Here's a thread where discussion is already taking place https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1101925&dt=33

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:08pm

I can't believe we are getting yet another children's musical.  Don't we already have enough, plus Frozen.  I shudder to think what the great white way is going to be like in 10 years.  

[kaykordeath]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 3:44pm

Jarethan said: "I can't believe we are getting yet another children's musical.  Don't we already have enough, plus Frozen.  I shudder to think what the great white way is going to be like in 10 years.  

 

"

Yeah, isn't it horrible how the industry is reaching out to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, especially trying to reel them in young!  When we first moved to New York, I had to suffer as a pre-teen seeing things like 42nd Street and Gypsy and Aspects of Love...with only the occasional reprieve with things like Starlight Express or Cats. 

I also shudder to imagine Broadway in 10 years when good grown up shows like Hamilton and Come From Away and Dear Even Hansen are certain to be long gone.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 4:12pm

kaykordeath said: "Jarethan said: "I can't believe we are getting yet another children's musical.  Don't we already have enough, plus Frozen.  I shudder to think what the great white way is going to be like in 10 years.  

 

"

Yeah, isn't it horrible how the industry is reaching out to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, especially trying to reel them in young!  When we first moved to New York, I had to suffer as a pre-teen seeing things like 42nd Street and Gypsy and Aspects of Love...with only the occasional reprieve with things like Starlight Express or Cats. 

I also shudder to imagine Broadway in 10 years when good grown up shows like Hamilton and Come From Away and Dear Even Hansen are certain to be long gone.

 

Have you decided to be the new board a--hole?  What a jerk.

As far as I am concerned, most of these family musicals may be great for the tourist trade, which Broadway unfortunately does need, but they have all been pretty mediocre.  These to me are the theatre's version of all these Marvel movies, which are not particularly good but appeal to a broader audience.

It is a shame that these tourists are so unwilling to take a chance on something more adventurous than a musical version of yet another cartoon.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 4:30pm

I can't believe we are getting yet another children's musical.  Don't we already have enough, plus Frozen.  I shudder to think what the great white way is going to be like in 10 years.

Where have you been?  It'll be like it was for the last 23 years when we had:

Cats
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Candles, Snow & Mistletoe
Beauty and the Beast
Big
Annie
Lion King
Peter Pan
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Peter Pan (again)
Seussical
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
A Year With Frog and Toad
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Tarzan
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Mary Poppins
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (again)
Little Mermaid
Slava's Snowshow
13
Shrek
Pee-Wee Herman Show
Elf
Peter and the Starcatcher
Annie (again)
Elf (again)
A Christmas Story
Matilda
Aladdin
Finding Neverland
School of Rock
Tuck Everlasting
Cats (again)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Anastasia

And don't forget, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins next April.

As long as there are families that can afford Broadway tickets for their kids, there will always be these shows on Broadway.  They will open and they will close, they will either make a profit or they will flop, just like everything else on Broadway.  

[kaykordeath]

Posted: 6/5/17 at 5:40pm

Jarethan said:
Have you decided to be the new board a--hole?  What a jerk.

 

"

I've been pondering, but, no, I haven't decided....yet. 

I do tend to be sarcastic, but, I promise, that's not something special for the boards.

To put aside the snark, for a second, my point was: Encouraging kids to see theater is NEVER a bad thing. Bad theater will fall aside regardless of it's targeted audience's maturity. And GOOD theater can come in sorts of packages. Until we know if this is good or bad, I think it's unfair to write it off as worthless. Mister Matt has a fantastic list of of shows that run the gamut from fair to incredible but squarely had a family audience in mind. 

Playbill lists 34 shows currently running on Broadway.I would say 5 (Aladdin, Anastasia, Charlie, Lion King, and School of Rock) would be considered as "kids-first" shows (as opposed to something like Cats or Hello Dolly that would certainly be family friendly). That doesn't sound all that lopsided to me.