Why did The Producers close?
Why did The Producers close?
#1Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 3:02amIt's a brilliant show and the score is amazing (except for "when you got it flaunt it" that song is a mess and a half)score,I'm just curious on why it closed! If it won 10 tony awards then why did it close?
#2Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 3:54am
1. It won 12 Tony Awards.
2. "If You Got It, Flaunt It" is one of the best songs in the show.
3. You have to be a troll.
Personally, I saw the show in LA and loathed it. Some funny moments, but not my favorite or deserving of 12 Tony awards.
"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop
#2Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 4:10amBecause it was a front loaded power house. For the first few years it was completely sold out and then it just died. Everyone who wanted to see it did so and then it limped along to death with some really ****ty replacements.
#3Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 4:16am^ I feel like the same thing could happen to BOOK OF MORMON. Not saying it will, but for sure possible. However, MORMON is a superior show.
"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop
#4Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 5:27am
All shows close eventually. The Producers was also very star driven and was much more enticing to audiences with Broderick and Lane. They did seem to go to gimmicky b-list celeb casting very fast, and it made the show look a little desperate in my view.
BOM is a different beast in that it has never been driven all that much by the star power of the leads-- the names Parker and Stone are the biggest draws for tourist $$$$$. It also became a thing by becoming a thing, but given the success of the tour seems to need no big name celebs to sell tickets. Parker and Stone seem focused on casting people who are really, really good.
#5Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 8:05amBecause it was no longer making money.
"You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" - Betty Parris to Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#7Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 8:25am
It closed for the same reason ALL shows eventually close: $$$$$$.
When a show fails to make enough, it closes.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#8Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 8:29amBecause all things must come to an end. Except of course for Phantom and Chicago, they're exempt.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#9Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 8:46amAnd "enough" $$$$$$$$$$$ is totally subjective.
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.
#10Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 8:48amWasn't it because Mel Brooks wanted it to fail and cast Larry David to ruin it?
Auggie27
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
#11Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 9:34am
It is a nightmare to cast. When the casting is off, the jokes don't come close to landing. They sound like jokes. And when Max and Leo are not in comedic sync, half of the show is in jeopardy. If you've ever seen it with a Max who cannot pull off what Mostel and Lane achieved, you'll get what doesn't work.
It's a very rarefied piece that demands precision and definitive casting. It's about as far from "actor proof" as any show can be. And sit through the film. Watch what happens when even experts push. It can be painful.
And the score is paper thin.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
#12Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 9:50amI saw the original cast and just sat there in a theater of people howling with laughter, wondering what the hell they were seeing that wasn't. I chuckled a few times and there was a very funny line in Act 2 but besides that, I think it's one of the worst shows I've ever seen and has just a horrendous score. Add to that the theatrical ambien that is Matthew Broderick and you get a total mess of a show that got VERY lucky.
#13Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 10:48amIt was definitely the most overrated show I've ever seen.
A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.
RENT_is_Wicked2
Stand-by Joined: 4/4/11
#14Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 10:53am
I thought the show was overrated. I thought some songs were hilarious, but it wasn't my favorite.
Sometimes shows close cause of cast replacements, or people just don't to see it anymore. I think the reason for the closure of this show is a mix of both. I think that only great cast was the original.
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
#15Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 11:13am
I saw the original cast and just sat there in a theater of people howling with laughter, wondering what the hell they were seeing that wasn't.
Me too Jordan. I too saw it with the original cast less than a week after it opened. I couldn't wait for it to be over.
Jonwo
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/16/06
#16Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 2:36pmI heard an interview with Tony Sheldon where he said when they did the Australian production of The Producers, they were forced by the creative team to replica what had been done by the orginal Broadway production and the cast found the audience weren't responding to jokes and felt restrictive but as soon as the creative team and producers had left they were able to do the show their own way and it became a better show.
#17Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 2:45pmAnd don't get me started about how thIs awful show stole pretty much every award from URINETOWN.
#18Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 2:45pmAnd don't get me started about how thIs awful show stole pretty much every award from URINETOWN.
Outoftowner2
Stand-by Joined: 1/8/12
#19Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 2:53pmI saw a very well done regional production of it. I thought parts of it were very good..I too don't think it's the incredible masterpiece so many thought it was when it won all those Tony's.
#20Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 2:54pmUrinetown was the year after. The Producers stole the awards from The Full Monty, unfortunately.
A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.
#21Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 3:01pm^ I was gonna say. MILLIE took a bunch of awards from URINETOWN (even though it won book, score and director).
#22Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 3:11pmUgh, don't remind me of Millie winning best musical over Urinetown that year.
A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.
#23Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 3:11pmOh dug, you're absolutely right. It's the incredibly overrated MILLIE that I disliked almost as much as THE PRODUCERS that stole those awards.
#24Why did The Producers close?
Posted: 12/27/12 at 4:18pmI really loathed THE PRODUCERS and hated the fact that it broke HELLO, DOLLY!'s Tony record. But DOLLY ran longer so I guess it got the last laugh, so to speak. My favorite show that season was A CLASS ACT, an OCR of which I still listen to often. I never even bought the OCR of THE PRODUCERS.
'Our whole family shouts. It comes from us livin' so close to the railroad tracks'
