Despite Turnaround, ‘Beetlejuice’ Being Forced Out of Theater

[SouthernCakes]

I mean I know it’s business but pretty disgusting! I think the idea of a scaled back off-Broadway run at The Little Shubert could be cool!

[WldKingdomHM]

songanddanceman2 said: "This is so disgusting, closing a hit show for a star name cash grab. "

A hit ?

[ggersten]

The Beetlejuice video.  (Since they've known about this eviction since October, it's not surprising how quickly the video got put up - even as they worked to avoid eviction.

 

[hak5]

such a shame!   i hope they at least try to move to a new theatre.  or maybe, after hearing of this whole situation Hugh pulls out of starring in MM  

[jo]

What the NY Times article actually disclosed is the fact that it was a battle between the big boys!  Warner Bros theatrical arm vs the Shubert Organization/TheMusicMan producers! Big boys vs big boys!

Ironic that the film distributor of Hugh Jackman's next movie now currently filming  (Lisa Joy-Nolan's REMINISCENCE, a romantic sci-fi thriller)  is also WARNER BROS!

Is Jackman still considered star casting?  After 4 engagements on Broadway!  After hosting the TONYs four times!  When will he earn his stripes as a true Broadway performer 

 

[VotePeron]

Beetlejuice never should lasted past June 9, 2019. The fact it will make it a year past that is remarkable, and should be nothing but celebrated. It took a Best Musical nomination that absolutely no one was predicting, and a completely random viral moment on TikTok that was totally out of the shows control to get it to where it is today.

Running for 15 months on Broadway is a huge success.

[JBC3]

Some of the comments here are hysterical.

[Wick3]

This is unfortunate. If I were the producers, I’d probably prefer to use a Nederlander or Jujamcyn house next time I produce a show rather than work with the Shuberts again.

[darquegk]

If ever a show would benefit from a “Filmed Live on Broadway” package, it’s this one.

[Jordan Catalano]

How is this a surprise to anyone at all? “Music Man” has sold their tickets using the Winter Garden seating chart since day one. The fact this is surprising people is...surprising.

[AADA81]

While there's nothing about this show I find appealing and the cast album is rather bad, there's no denying that the show and the team behind it turned what looked like a flop into a bonafide success, and they deserve to enjoy that success.  The investors of this show are being prevented from any possibility of earning back their money, and the hardworking group of people who put this show on 8 times a week deserve better.  I may not care for the show itself, but I do hope something happens to sustain it on Bway because, obviously, many people do enjoy it or will if they get the chance to see it.

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

BJR said: "$818,000 wa a below their stop clause? Wow.

I presume the amount is related to gross potential, and it’s a large house, but that still seems pretty high for a stop clause.

There are plenty of shows playing now that would be happy with such supposed lean grosses."

It's in the theater owner's best interest to have a high stop clause. That's part of the negotiation of getting a theater, but it's almost always higher than the producer would like. Once a show hits the stop clause, they get a notification from the theater owner, who can ask them to leave at any point in the future. It doesn't have to be right after the stop clause was hit. There are several shows that have been running for a long time who hit a stop clause earlier in their runs. 

[bwayrose7]

Kitsune said: "I realize that commercial theater is (at least to producers) about making money, not about being "nice" or"fair." But in between this, the West Side Story casting concerns,and sending cease and desist lettersto small theaters stagingTo Kill a Mockingbird,I don't have a high opinion of Scott Rudin. Yes, he's within his legal rights, and capitalism ultimately makes the rules, but he comes off as a bully.

I did like the video that Beetlejuice put out on their social media."

I couldn't agree more! I don't particularly like Beetlejuice, it's just not for me, but you're absolutely right that this is the latest in a string of unnecessarily nasty moments from Rudin. I understand that producers don't care about being "nice" as long as they make their money, but there's a difference between being tough and being greedy and ruthless. 

[CurtainPullDowner]

I blame trump.

[TheatreFan4]

Frankly, this is a casualty to long running shows taking up all the prime real estate that many shows are stuck fighting over scraps.

[bwayphreak234]

The closing date is six months away. While Beetlejuice is in a good place right now, I have to admit that I have a hard time seeing it sustaining this "high" through the brutal winter months. The closing notice will hopefully push ticket sales for the remainder of the run, but I honestly don't think this would have run past the June 6, 2020 closing anyways regardless of The Music Man/ Rudin/ etc.

[Jakeevan942]

If this were for anyone than Rudin, this would not be happening. There are several Shubert houses currently with productions (presumably) below stop clause, but they are still running, without a high-profile producer and sell-out star looking at the venue. 

While I appreciate some of the more unique pieces, like Gary, which Rudin has brought in over the past few years, this will likely be like Bette in Hello Dolly, running with the star just long enough to break his investors even, and then close. 

And only a show like Beetlejuice could create a 'We're Closing' video that is a back-handed F-U to Scott Rudin and get away with it.

[DramaTeach]

Kerry Butler seems to be encouraging people to raise their voices about this on her Instagram. She posted the video and people said they wanted to rally. She responded to that with a big "YAASSS!" or something close to that spelling.

[ModernMillie3]

A lot of Broadway actors are upset about it, as they should be.

They could have just put The Music Man in another house. No one cares if they bought tickets beforehand what theater it was going to be in. This will be huge and make tons of money, but at the expense of another. What a shame. 

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

AlexxGee said: "I am not a fan of Beetlejuice in the slightest (honestly one of my least favorite shows. But hey, to each their own), but this is not fair. Scott Rudin simply looks like a greedy bully."

Rudin a bully?

And after the break, we'll learn that water is wet.

[FlyHigh523]

ModernMillie3 said: "A lot of Broadway actors are upset about it, as they should be.

They could have just put The Music Man in another house. No one cares if they bought tickets beforehand what theater it was going to be in. This will be huge and make tons of money, but at the expense of another. What a shame."

Stephanie J. Block posted something on her twitter about the situation. I’m glad Broadway actors like her are speaking up about it. 

[Hamilfan2]

ModernMillie3 said: "A lot of Broadway actors are upset about it, as they should be.

They could have just put The Music Man in another house. No one cares if they bought tickets beforehand what theater it was going to be in. This will be huge and make tons of money, but at the expense of another. What a shame."


Also not unprecedented, remember when DEH was going to open at the Belasco?

 

[dmwnc1959]

Was looking for a good reason to return to Broadway. Bought my ticket for the 8pm June 6th performance. YAY!

LOVED the show when I saw it for my big 60th birthday back in July. Also LOVE the OBCR. It’s nuts! As I said in my Beetlejuice review, of all the shows I’ve ever attended this was the most over-the-top fun I’ve ever had.

 

[Jonwo]

I imagine Warner Bros won't be working with Scott Rudin anytime soon. 

 

[chrishuyen]

I thought it was interesting how Warner Bros. offered to pay to move Mockingbird so Music Man could take the Shubert, and I wonder if it really was a price that they couldn't agree on or lack of available theaters for Mockingbird or just that Scott Rudin wanted the Winter Garden over the Shubert.  I was also surprised that the stop clause was evoked back in October, though I personally would've liked to see how well Beetlejuice did through the toughest winter seasons (which could've given a built-in reason for the show to close if they did poorly) rather than try to kick them out nearly a year in advance.

Like another commentator said earlier, I'm curious to see if they try to extend another month (assuming Beetlejuice does well with the family crowd in the summer) or if the Broadway Theatre opens up if the new West Side Story turns out too divisive for the general public, and whether or not Scott Rudin would even consider that option.  It seems like he's had his heart set on the Winter Garden from the start.