Next for the Longacre!- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 5:41pm

I actually think the score is quite good, just don't think the production is Broadway ready unless they're planning on a redesign/new director or something. 

[copskid949]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 5:57pm

RippedMan said: "I actually think the score is quite good, just don't think the production is Broadway ready unless they're planning on a redesign/new director or something."

Basically this.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 6:05pm

Would it be wise to open cold on Broadway with a new director and a new design team?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 6:15pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Would it be wise to open cold on Broadway with a new director and a new design team?"

 

Not wise at all. There's no way that's happening, and that's why it's frustrating. They made some bad creative choices that ruined its potential to be a good show, and they are too far down this road to make those necessary changes. 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 6:50pm

I’d love to hear more about why people don’t care for the direction or design, both of which i really enjoyed about the show. It’s ensemble-driven and has a backyard/expressionistic vibe that feels authentic and accessible to me, for a mystical show about Greek gods. Very John Tiffany “use the audiences imagination as the main source” of storytelling.

Let’s also not forget Stephen Brackett directed the universally lauded & acclaimed “A Strange Loop”.

Then again, this man has association with Be More Chill, so he’ll be ostracized from this board forever.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 6:58pm

@VotePeron

In my post on the previous page, I explained specifically what it is about the direction I dislike. It has nothing to do with the aesthetic, the stagecraft, etc. I agree with you that those elements are fun and creative. My main issue is with the manic tone, and the grating approach to the humor. I'd be perfectly happy if all of the staging stayed the same (except the choreography), if they just changed the way the actors are told to behave and deliver jokes. 

And for the record, I don't think Brackett's work on A Strange Loop was very good either. I also think he ruined Samantha Brown (a.k.a The Mad Ones). It's not just Be More Chill

[Joshua Kilimnik]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 2:30am

Wow, if this is true this is bananas. It's sustained an incredibly well-sized cult following but it's not exactly been seen as a production that's been destined to make it to Broadway. I don't think any of its tour stops surpassed a week (occasionally hitting three different cities in a week). That being said, I saw its opening night in Toronto with some friends and complete skepticism and returned on my own accord for the final performance so that I'd get a chance to see it again.

I think that, solely on the strength of its merit, I'd be delighted to hear about it on Broadway. I personally believe the more inventive aspects of the staging (their construction-work aesthetic/prop design, the way they present the monsters, genuinely masterful lighting design) as well as a surprisingly solid cast (rooting exclusively for the show-stopping Ryan Knowles to make his long-awaited Broadway debut) give the show real clout and I'm giddy at the thought that it would mean Tony nomination eligibility. That being said, the more cynical business side of my brain is telling me that there's no significant gain to be made from this. I don't see this as a box office crusher and I have no clue how it would try to reel in your standard Broadway-going crows as the show definitely gives off more of a "this show is for kids" vibe than I feel it means to.

I am sitting as far on the edge of my seat as I physically could be waiting for developments about this.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 5:48am

Jordan Catalano said: "Next month???
Has anyone seen any sort of casting notice go out?"

 

i dont know if this counts, but i read the Playbill job board religiously and I’ve never seen anything like a casting notice on there. 

 

[magictodo123]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 6:27am

I don't know if you'd count this as official, but I put "Lightning Thief" into Wikipedia and this came up...

 

"….bolt and prevent a war between the Greek gods. On August 4th, 2019, it was announced that production will transfer to Broadway that fall at the Longacre Theatre." 

So maybe we can expect an official announcement this morning?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 8:52am

magictodo123 said: "I don't know if you'd count this as official, but I put "Lightning Thief" into Wikipedia and this came up...



"….bolt and prevent a war between the Greek gods. On August 4th, 2019, it was announced that production will transfer to Broadway that fall at the Longacre Theatre."

So maybe we can expect an official announcement this morning?"

 

Seems to me like an edit from an over-eager fan. Looks like the edit was made anonymously at around 5pm last night, and it says August 4th. If the edit had been made in the early hours of this morning, and said “August 5th,” I MIGHT say it looks a bit more reliable. As we know, nothing was announced yesterday at all. 

 

[DoTheDood]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 12:56pm

magictodo123 said: "I don't know if you'd count this as official, but I put "Lightning Thief" into Wikipedia and this came up...

"….bolt and prevent a war between the Greek gods. On August 4th, 2019, it was announced that production will transfer to Broadway that fall at the Longacre Theatre."

So maybe we can expect an official announcement this morning?"

You cannot even use Wikipedia on a freshman level paper in high school, it is the exact opposite as a reliable source for new information. Wikipedia is great to read about something quickly or to find even more reliable sources, but it's not going to have breaking news.

[magictodo123]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 1:46pm

DoTheDood said: "magictodo123 said:

but I put "Lightning Thief" into Wikipedia and this came up...

"….bolt and prevent a war between the Greek gods. On August 4th, 2019, it was announced that production will transfer to Broadway that fall at the Longacre Theatre."

So maybe we can expect an official announcement this morning?"

You cannot even use Wikipedia on a freshman level paper in high school, it is the exact opposite as a reliable source for new information. Wikipedia is great to read about something quickly or to find even more reliable sources, but it's not going to have breaking news."

Please read the part that I put in bold. Obviously I know Wikipedia is the source, but I thought it might be a lead. That's all. Remember when people didn't trust someone else who said they asked the doorman what was coming into the Broadhurst and they said Jagged Little PIll and people doubted that a doorman was a realiable source...look what happened there. Just saying. 

[DoTheDood]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 2:01pm

magictodo123 said: ""Please read the part that I put in bold. Obviously I know Wikipedia is the source, but I thought it might be a lead. That's all. Remember when people didn't trust someone else who said they asked the doorman what was coming into the Broadhurst and they said Jagged Little PIll and people doubted that a doorman was a realiable source...look what happened there. Just saying."

I'm not saying what the doorman said was false, maybe it is true, I have no idea, but there has been nothing official. You clearly asked as if Wikipedia was official when any fan could have put that in, probably someone from this thread. Even if it is going to the Longacre (personally the timing with no official announcement on casting seems odd), things could change. Wikipedia is never going to be a lead.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 2:23pm

Having loved the cast album ever since it came out and then seeing this on tour, I'm thrilled at the possibility that this might be making it over to Broadway.  That being said, I do agree with a lot of JBroadway's comments on the direction (though I think that it was really Percy/Chris McCarrell that exhibited the largest issues there), and I've always thought of this as more of a New World Stages show, along with BMC and even Six.

I think this would do better than BMC though at the box office, having both a built-in fanbase from the source material and the benefit of pretty strong reviews on tour, with the added bonus of generally appealing to all age groups (at least, more than BMC did), but I don't know how the staging would work in the Longacre (or really any Broadway house).  I've only sat in orchestra there so I think it would be fine even from the back of the orchestra, but not sure how well it would translate if the mezzanine feels farther.

There's a lot of kitschy elements to this show that really give it a lot of charm, so my hope would be somehow expanding those while still making it seem "homegrown" instead of trying to put in actual effects, though I think a couple of actual effects wouldn't hurt here and there.

In the case that they really are coming to Broadway (next month load in does seem really fast), I wonder if they would just be keeping the tour cast.  Would they be able to do that and just not post a casting notice at all, or is that required? 

[copskid949]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 5:21pm

Yeah so they’ve got a series of cryptic tweets (one of which references Hadestown as a (number) neighbor), a website that isn’t up yet, and they’ve just unveiled a new logo.

It’s coming.

[BroadwayNoob]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 6:29pm

copskid949 said: "Yeah so they’ve got a series of cryptic tweets (one of which references Hadestown as a (number) neighbor), a website that isn’t up yet, and they’ve just unveiled a new logo.

It’s coming."

 

I follow their twitter as well, and the past three days have seen some tweets from the cast/musical itself that lead me to believe they’re certainly not done yet. Longacre seems probable (hadestown number neighbor, tweets that just say stuff like “i live” or the “there’s gonna be a fight, there might still be a war”

 

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 6:31pm

If this is true, I would hope that Hermes goes across the street to welcome the Lightning Thief gods to 48th St.
...although I would understand unwillingness for them to enter Hades' domain.
 

 

Updated On: 8/11/19 at 06:31 PM

[copskid949]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 6:32pm

MarkBearSF said: "If this is true, I would hope that Hermes goes across the street to welcome the Lightning Thief gods to 48th St.
...although I would understand unwillingness to go to Hades domain.


"

Haha now I want an awkward father-son reunion between LT Luke and Hadestown Hermes.

 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 6:42pm

Man they could run some great promos with that like "Couldn't get a ticket to the train to Hadestown? Join us instead on a quest to the underworld."

[msmp]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 9:08pm

copskid949 said: "Yeah so they’ve got a series of cryptic tweets (one of which references Hadestown as a (number) neighbor), a website that isn’t up yet, and they’ve just unveiled a new logo.

It’s coming."

A lot of the fans I know are expecting that if there's a transfer announcement, it'll formally come on August 18th, which would be the main character (Percy Jackson)'s birthday based on the original novels. Given the slow tease, I could buy into that as a marketing strategy.

Here's my own rampant speculation: I'd bet on a limited versus open-ended run. I think the backers of the show are realistic after what happened with BMC and would prefer to pack in kids/families maybe towards the holidays rather than take the gamble on an open run and risk shuttering in just a couple months. Doing it in the fall, with no real "young" oriented musicals playing (except maybe Beetlejuice?) might help them sustain some grosses, and I can see tickets being a nice Christmas/Hanukkah/holiday gift for younger people.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 9:25pm

It's going to cost the same to mount whether it's a limited or an open-ended run. For a musical, "limited run" would probably just be a branding thing to add urgency (one could assume they would hope to extend, unless it's a situation where there's another tenant coming in). It's a little more "noble" to close after 4-6 months if you've already announced that date from day 1. Of course, some of the Bway financing and design elements could be wrapped in with the tour, which could make a limited run more feasible.

Historically, theater tickets are poor gifts and do not account for a sizeable percentage of tix sold (because it's for a set date/time and there are other factors that go into seeing a live theatre production).

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 9:56pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "It's going to cost the same to mount whether it's a limited or an open-ended run. For a musical, "limited run" would probablyjust be a branding thing to add urgency (one could assume they would hopeto extend,unless it's a situation where there's another tenant coming in).It's a little more "noble" to close after 4-6 months if you've already announced that date from day 1. Of course, some of the Bwayfinancing and design elementscould be wrapped in with the tour, which could make a limited run more feasible.

Historically, theater tickets are poor gifts anddo not account for a sizeable percentage of tix sold(because it's for a set date/time and there are other factors that go into seeing a live theatre production)."

I could see them, even if they don't do a limited run schedule, only releasing a few months of tickets at a time, instead of pulling a Tootsie and releasing too many at once.  I also think people are underestimating the popularity of this musical - they all see it as the next BMC, but Percy Jackson (the series in general) is a lot more popular than the original BMC source material.  With enough press from Rick Riordan, as well as maybe an advertising pairing with the upcoming Trials of Apollo book, they could make a decent mark.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 10:02pm

How long since the tour has ended? Wonder if this is built into the tour contracts or if they would have to have official casting calls? Or if this would just be a “tour stop.”

[slow_the_rain]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 10:20pm

I've heard it's strictly limited, through the end of the year/January. Same cast as the tour, hence no casting notices. 

I, for one, like the score a lot more than BMC. It's catchy, and the show is pretty charming. A Broadway caliber production, though? Not quite.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/11/19 at 10:33pm

Did it even do well at the Beacon?