I’ve heard from different people that they were desperately trying to get Kelli O’Hara to do Kiss Me, Kate, but she has an obligation to the Met Opera this season, so they’re holding off for potentially next year.
BroadwayConcierge said: "I’ve heard from different people that they were desperately trying to get Kelli O’Hara to do Kiss Me, Kate, but she has an obligation to the Met Opera this season, so they’re holding off for potentially next year."
She's also set to do The King & I in London next summer.
I hate to spoil the fun, but Here Lies Love is not going into Studio 54 anymore. Roundabout has botched the game in a huge way. They need to fire their artistic staff and re-evaluate before they go under.
What’s going on with Roundabout lately? The amount of rentals they are doing is strange to me. Are they that desperate for money? Have they not made a good chunk of change from Beautiful?
They're still trying to do theatre for old, white audiences and Rudin and LCT already have that niche covered. They need to branch out and do some more contemporary revivals. There's tons of stuff from the 80's, 90's, and even the 2000's that are due for a revival. Instead they continue to do old, boring plays and every so often they do a classic musical. They need to reevaluate their choices and pull themselves together because I don't think anyone wants to see them sink.
They've backed themselves into a wall with their subscription model, which is unappealing to most younger theatregoers and so the company is at the mercy of an older, more conservative and dwindling subscriber base.
They got into the development of new work too late in the game, and can't match the output of other theatres there. Their straight play revivals are more DOA than not, with the odd exception.
Pretty much their big claim to fame now are musical revivals, because no other company really has that niche covered (LCT to some extent, but not with the frequency of Roundabout) and they're really the thing that has appeal to all audience groups.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
Mildred Plotka said: "What’s going on with Roundabout lately? The amount of rentals they are doing is strange to me. Are they that desperate for money? Have they notmade a good chunk of change from Beautiful?"
I think they've just made some poor decisions lately. Like bringing back Cabaret. I feel like they could probably tour that show for awhile, but not on Broadway. And I'm surprised She Loves Me didn't make them any money. I think their shows just don't run long enough to warrant any kind of profit. I mean, Anything Goes was their last long running show, no?
GeorgeandDot said: "They're still trying to do theatre for old, white audiences and Rudin and LCT already have that niche covered. They need to branch out and do some more contemporary revivals. There's tons of stuff from the 80's, 90's, and even the 2000's that are due for a revival. Instead they continue to do old, boring plays and every so often they do a classic musical. They need to reevaluate their choices and pull themselves together because I don't think anyone wants to see them sink."
On the one hand, I agree with you in general. On the other hand, contemporary revivals are a risky business, too. The Color Purple revival was beautiful but I don't it recouped, right? We'll see how Once on This Island does but while Davenport is making me happy with his revivals, he's not appealing to a very wide audience. I do agree someone needs to be picking better plays. They're fine plays. But not the kind of plays that sell tickets or really have that much of interest to say. Either go commercial or take risks but I don't know why anyone would subscribe to see bland, middling plays.
KJisgroovy said: "I think Mildred Plotka is suggesting they should be making a lot of money renting out the theater to Beautiful."
Isn't the Stephen Sondheim owned by Bank of America? Roundabout just operates it.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
RippedMan said: "I think they've just made some poor decisions lately. Like bringing back Cabaret. I feel like they could probably tour that show for awhile, but not on Broadway. And I'm surprised She Loves Me didn't make them any money. I think their shows just don't run long enough to warrant any kind of profit. I mean, Anything Goes was their last long running show, no?"
I agree with most of this. I did enjoy seeing Cabaret. But, when they get a hit, they may be able to extend a little sometimes. But, not always or for for very long. Like Noises Off last year. It was here for like 3 months and had to close for the next show. That is 1 example of something that could have ran longer. Obviously their duds don't deserve to run longer.
Whoever mentioned the subscription service, I do think for the above factors it doesn't work well.
"I don't want the pretty lights to come and get me."-Homecoming 2005
"You can't pray away the gay."-Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy.
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Roughly 5-6 years later and nothing has changed from Roundabout. It’s, arguably, has gotten worse. What would it take to rid of the executive staff and directors? Or, should Roundabout as an organization just collapse?
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
A friend of mine subscibes to The Roundabout and thinks it makes him theatrical royalty. After sitting through some really lackluster performances with him I told him not to invite me to join him at these shows. (I still have unpleasant memories of BERNHART/HAMLET.)