BAT OUT OF HELL Will Play 8 Weeks At NY City Center In 2019

[GreeneStreet]

It’s cancelled. Saying it will be rescheduled is just to soften the blow. It’s like when a closing show announces a national tour.

[GreeneStreet]

The city center run is still happening now according to broadway.com

[Catsbroadwayfan]

I feel bad for the cast members, one of them gave up King kong for this.

[LizzieCurry]

Yes, that was in a linked post.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Catsbroadwayfan said: "I feel bad for the cast members, one of them gave up King kong for this."

Eh, I kinda think he dodged one bullet to get hit by another one, but at least a Broadway salary would have helped him a little more than what's going on now.

[Bwayfan292]

Yikes.

[Kitsune]

I'm sorry to hear this - I had been looking forward to the San Francisco stop. (Which was only about a month away. Geez, what a thing to do to the cast and crew).

[Lot666]

While I have no illusions about the general nature of this show, I was nonetheless hoping for either a tour stop near me (none had been announced so far) or a NY trip to catch it at City Center. I'm gutted.

[RippedMan]

Seems like this was poised to be such a hit.

[Miles2Go2]

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "Catsbroadwayfan said: "I feel bad for the cast members, one of them gave up King kong for this."

Eh, I kinda think he dodged one bullet to get hit by another one, but at least a Broadway salary would have helped him a little more than what's going on now."

And although I doubt it’s meeting its weekly nut, I think King Kong will run for awhile, probably at least through the summer or longer, depending on future box office receipts. 

[mailhandler777]

Emily Schultheis just posted on her Facebook page that they found out right before the show last night that the tour was cancelled.

[Joviedamian]

Was this not selling well? The buzz on this and on social media (from what I've seen) was live and very active. I doubt the tour will happen, but hope the best for all involved.

[Scarlet Leigh]

It SUCKS that they did this to the tour company, it really does, and to do so so close to the launch makes me think they have something else in mind for this. Do you think that maybe, just MAYBE they are trying to sell this to someone for a full Broadway run? Use the City Center run to pull in the interest as well as get some more investors to bite and then take what is already constructed for the tour and move it into a Broadway house?

[haterobics]

Catsbroadwayfan said: "I feel bad for the cast members, one of them gave up King kong for this."

Why give up a standing Broadway show for a tour?!

[tourboi]

Well some people prefer touring.

[Bwayfan292]

Scarlet Leigh said: "It SUCKS that they did this to the tour company, it really does, and to do so so close to the launch makes me think they have something else in mind for this. Do you think that maybe, just MAYBE they are trying to sell this to someone for a full Broadway run? Use the City Center run to pull in the interest as well as get some more investors tobite and then take what is already constructed for the tour and move it into a Broadway house?"

Thats a good point, but given the track record of Cohl, I doubt it

[Tag]

Catsbroadwayfan said: "I feel bad for the cast members, one of them gave up King kong for this."

Why give up a standing Broadway show for a tour?!

Potentially more money, bigger part, chance to see the country, thinking that King Kong would flop quickly?

[Kad]

This had all the makings of an unsuccessful venture... I'm more shocked at the response on here than anything else.

[SonofRobbieJ]

I feel bad for the cast members, one of them gave up King kong for this.

I laughed so hard at this.  I know that makes me a bad person.  I can live with that.

The only way I'd take a tour over a Broadway show is if the tour was a principal contract over an ensemble track in a Broadway show.

[HogansHero]

Kad said: "This had all the makings of an unsuccessful venture... I'm more shocked at the response on here than anything else."

^this

& could someone please explain to me the logic of criticizing a producer for cancelling a tour (with the attendant loss of work for everyone) in the same breath in which said producer is vilified for having the audacity to commence the tour (with the attendant weeks of gainful employment for everyone) in the first place.

[GreeneStreet]

While yes, this is Cohl’s third production that has been cancelled, it’s not really his fault. If a show isn't selling a show isn’t selling.

[Sondheimite]

Also,

the tour shot itself in the foot when it promoted itself as Jim Steinman's Bat Out Of Hell and not Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell.

No one in American knows or care who Jim Steinman is.  A lot of America's know/care who Meatloaf is.  The album is not a popular Steinman album in America, it's a popular Meatloaf album.

The entire thing shot itself in the foot.

[haterobics]

GreeneStreet said: "While yes, this is Cohl’s third production that has been cancelled, it’s not really his fault. If a show isn't selling a show isn’t selling."

If you keep picking shows that people don't want to see, that is sort of your fault, no?

[Sondheimite]

And I get that the tour wasn't selling.

But...how many other producers are a three hit record of casting a show, rehearsing a show, (in some cases.. performing the show,) and canceling the show at the last possible second?  

Maybe the tour sold next to no tickets.

But how does Cohl keep getting into the same situations and then deploying the same tricks?

He holds some fault if not the lion's share.  

I feel terrible for the cast/crew who now are out of work/PAYCHECKS.

Cohl doesn't have to worry about how his bills will be paid for the next year because he's a very wealthy man.... the cast/crew does.

So... on that alone, can we PLEASE stop allowing Michael Cohl to produce shows? 

I also think he needs to be on Equity's Do Not Work list.  

I don't like Ken Davenport.  But Ken Davenport seems like Hal Prince next to Michael Cohl.  Davenport seems to make boneheaded decisions, Cohl seems to make pinopinpointed cruel decisions.  And a LOT of actors/designers/directors would agree with me, I think.  

[Loopin’theloop]

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "Loopin’theloop said: "They toured with many original Meatloaf alumni in the pit, throughout the UK - I don’t know about over here."

Unless I've missed something, I have counted no members of the Neverland Express, in the programme or any of the show's press. (All of the most recent Meat Loaf alumni, incidentally, are busy with their own Loaf-a-like act, which you can learn about here. We'll see which show lasts longer.)

"The story, script, direction and acting kinda have to be seen to be believed"

Ain't that the truth. *grimace*"

That’s interesting. To be honest I would never know otherwise but that’s what someone involved in the show told me, perhaps there have been session musicians that have played with him (is that a thing or is it the same core of musicians always?) maybe it was just a big fat lie!