LCT has had a not-great track record with new musicals on Broadway. Their first original musical (My Favourite Year in 1993) was a bomb, they had a string of musicals in the late 90s/early 00s (Parade, Marie Christine, Contact, Thou Shalt Not, The Frogs) and only Contact ran longer than 3 months, Light In The Piazza ran 15 months, and Women on the Verge flopped. And that's it for their original musicals on Broadway.
Unlikely because commercial producers have already been pouring money into it, but LITTLE DANCER/MARIE seems like such an LCT show (an adult musical about art by Ahrens + Flaherty + Stroman).
This is out of thin air, but if Bartlett Sher remains Resident Director of LCT and they try to keep their winning streak going with the goldest of the Golden Era shows, then what's left to top what they've done already?
Carousel, Music Man, West Side Story are all out of play. Camelot considered a notch below the others. I was thinking Show Boat. It has the stature of the other three and hasn't seen a Broadway revival since the very successful Hal Prince production of 1994.
Show Boat would be GLORIOUS, but the woke police would strip it to a shadow of its former self. I vaguely remember Andre Bishop mentioning in an interview that he’d love to do it but, in so many words, is wary of touching it.
Jordan Catalano said: "“Camelot” would be the obvious choice. It’s been 25 years since the last revival and Laura Benanti would, as well, be the obvious choice to star."
And LCT just did a special benefit concert of Camelot, which could mean that they are considering a full production.
I was talking about this with a friend of mine the other day, and I would be head over heels if the National Theatre Live's production of Follies transferred over to LCT. It can't really transfer into any other space because of the enormous set/turntable, and it would be so great if it ran in America as well. Likely this isn't even an option on the table, but one can dream.
I think our next Follies will undoubtedly be done by Sher at the Beaumont within the next ten years. I much rather see his take on it than have a transfer.
ljay889 said: "I think our next Follies will undoubtedly be done by Sher at the Beaumont within the next ten years. I much rather see his take on it than have a transfer. "
I also hope Sher will do Follies in ten years for Benanti and O'Hara, but I hope they don't do it at the Beaumont. I love the size and scope of the Beaumont, but I would I prefer to see Follies in an old Broadway house like The Shubert. The last revival made the mistake of putting Follies in a new theatre and it didn't quite create the right atmosphere for the show.
Totally out of topic, but I would love to see Sher direct another play revival for LCT. Between AWAKE AND SING!, JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE, and GOLDEN BOY, he breathed magic and new life to these (already) wonderful masterpieces.
GeorgeandDot said: "BTW, i believe Sher is directing Porgy and Bess at The Met with his usual team this year, which should be quite the event."
Sher was announced to do it, but James Robinson is directing it as he did in London. Michael Yeargan, Donald Holder, Catherine Zuber, and Camille Brown are involved though.
Re: FOLLIES, I think and hope that someday we will see a Scott Rudin production of FOLLIES, especially if this London production doesn't come in. He's said in interviews that he saw the original production about a dozen times as a kid.
kade.ivy said: "Show Boat would be GLORIOUS, but the woke police would strip it to a shadow of its former self. I vaguely remember Andre Bishop mentioning in an interview that he’d love to do it but, in so many words, is wary of touching it."
If this is supposed to be restricted to new new musicals I apologize. I thought the question was where would Bart go next with his so well-received trio of South Pacific, The King and I, and My Fair Lady. He could certainly decide to end his string.
I remember being very excited about Show Boat in 1994 and before the show opened the cast had appeared on Larry King and sung a few numbers. This production had spent a year in Toronto and there had been accused of being racist, or at least insulting to African Americans. I remember him questioning young Rebecca Luker, who played and sung a magnificent Magnolia, about it and she, as well as the rest, had really been taken by surprise. Show Boat had been a landmark in the sympathetic depiction of African Americans. It was actually the first show ever to have whites and blacks on stage at the same time.
I guess that no one would be surprised now. Over the years the opening chorus lyrics had been changed three times.
"N*****s all work on the Mississippi,"
"Colored folk work on the Mississippi."
"Darkies all work on the Mississippi."
"Here we all work on the Mississippi."
Wouldn't you know it. That Larry King interview with the cast is on YouTube. Here is the joyful peak of the First Act, but "Mis'ry's Comin' Round" soon after.
Are we presuming a Labor Day/summer closing for My Fair Lady? I was thinking this may start Feb 2020, but maybe not. That’d be exciting if it’s earlier!
SmoothLover said: "The next show is a straight play that is being transferred.
I think La Mancha would work very well on the LCT thrust. And it would be fitting considering the times we are in."
I agree. What gives me pause is that the original production played over 2330 performance while the longest run of any of the four revivals was 304. Perhaps they were limited run.
It would be nice to hear the score of Camelot as well. I don't really remember the plot. Sher's three so far have all had some kind of hook to certain conditions in society today. Is there enough gravitas to Camelot?
I'm still holding out hope for a Sher helmed revival of The Sound of Music - with the rise of neo nationalism in the US it is certainly in the "hold a mirror to modern society" vein that Sher's previous R&H revivals have been, and it hasn't been on Broadway in 20 years.