Significant Other and The Humans...a producing question

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 9:39am

Okay so, Off-Broadway, Significant Other and The Humans were both productions of Roundabout Theatre. However, when they transferred to Broadway, they were not Roundabout productions.

Why does that happen, and is it commonplace in the commercial/nonprofit theatre world?

[HogansHero]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 9:55am

Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "Okay so, Off-Broadway, Significant Other and The Humans were both productions of Roundabout Theatre. However, when they transferred to Broadway, they were not Roundabout productions.

Why does that happen, and is it commonplace in the commercial/nonprofit theatre world?"

They are both the Roundabout productions, and the Roundabout is a top line producer of both Broadway productions. They are not the lead producers because that is not their business. 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 5:17pm

I get that, but what I'm wondering why they weren't like "Anything Goes" or "Long Day's Journey" which were explicitly part of Roundabout's season...the artwork changed, they didn't have the "Roundabout stamp" on their promo material...they also did not play at Roundabout-owned houses.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 5:19pm

Chiming in to say I'd also love an answer to Ado's fleshed-out and interesting question!

[HogansHero]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 5:36pm

They had already been presented off-B as a part of the Roundabout Season and could not slide into any RTC operated venue. The other 2 shows started on Broadway as RTC shows, in RTC venues. Moving to a Broadway theatre, regardless of ownership, would have involved a financial risk RTC could not undertake. There was no similar risk in extending the 2 shows that were already on Broadway.

[asmith0307]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 5:43pm

I guess the most basic answer to the question is: because they were not the lead producer. Scott Rudin picked up The Humans and Jeffrey Richards brought in Significant Other. 

 

I'm going to answer based on my experience (others, please chime in if you have experienced something else!). I'll give a more generic answer first, and then dive into RTC.

The relationship between Off-Broadway NFPs and Broadway producers varies, but I would say that there are two main methods to how a show goes from NFP off-Broadway to commercial Broadway: 

1) The producer brings the material to the off-Broadway company for a developmental production (which has enhanced funding). Usually when this happens, a Broadway production is already planned. Examples include Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and a couple others that haven't announced a transfer... yet. Eclipsed may fall under this category? I'm not sure when Front Row Productions came on board. 

2) The off-broadway company produces it on their own, and commerical producers attend the show. Then the producers option to pick up the show and transfer it to Broadway. The Humans, Significant Other, Latin History for Morons, and - if you think about it - the revival of Sunday in the Park all fall under this category. Many times, in agreements signed by the author and the originating off-Broadway company, have a requirement that the NFP gets some sort of credit for developing the show. They are usually also included in the producers, but it is no longer "their show". Hence the changing of artwork and the shows not being housed in their theatres.

 

Very few NFPs transfer their off-Broadway productions to their own Broadway houses (of course, I realize that all three of the current Broadway not for profits have done this in the last few seasons with Heisenberg, Oslo, and Bad Jews...). I think the key is to think of their broadway arms as separate from the off-broadway arms (though that's not completely the case). They are packaged together, but not always connected. Maybe an either/or situation is a better way to describe it - either off-Broadway or Broadway. Just because Roundabout puts up a show off-broadway doesn't mean that they intend for it to go to Broadway, and especially not if they are going to be lead-producing it. Their subscribers have already seen the show in the Pels on a fairly long run, why would they pay to see it again at the Airlines?

 

Hopefully that makes sense and answers your question!

Updated On: 10/2/17 at 05:43 PM

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 6:03pm

Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "I get that, butwhat I'm wondering why they weren't like "Anything Goes" or "Long Day's Journey" which were explicitly part of Roundabout's season...the artwork changed, they didn't have the "Roundabout stamp" on their promo material...they also did not play at Roundabout-owned houses."

Anything Goes and Long Day’s were both in RTC-owned houses (the Sondheim and the Airlines) and were branded with Roundabout logos like any other RTC production. (Though I think the Roundabout has re-done their company branding since Anything Goes). 

[Deedee23]

Posted: 10/2/17 at 8:59pm

Wow, thanks asmith for the very well written response!