Shuffle Along - What happened?

[Impossible2]

The show was selling out and then closed abruptly, wth happened? 

I know McDonald got pregnant and there was drama, did they really think a sellout show would fail without her?

[diem86]

On THR's Awards Chatter podcast recently, Billy Porter said that there are other reasons that show closed aside from Audra's pregnancy, but would not go into detail.  He didn't sound pleased. He also said he'd probably write about it in a book someday.  

[Impossible2]

I can remember being over there and it was THE ticket in town and I couldn't get in for love nor money and then went back home and it closed 2 weeks later.

Kinda shocking really. It sounded like an amazing show.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Impossible2 said: "The show was selling out and then closed abruptly, wth happened?
I know McDonald got pregnant and there was drama, did they really think a sellout show would fail without her?"

The problem is, it never sold out even when Audra was in it. It averaged 80% of its gross potential. The advance sales probably plummeted after her departure, and the show probably wouldn't have survived through 5-7 months of maternity leave. I don't know about any backstage drama, but it seems like it would have been unwise to continue.

Also, remember: Audra was always scheduled to take a leave of absence. She was doing Billie Holliday in London that summer/fall, until it got postponed due to the pregnancy.

[bdn223]

The producer’s realized quickly that the show was not the SRO hit they wanted and it would be a struggle to break even. Then when Audra became pregnant it gave the producers a chance to recoup the shows costs with little liability. This is due to keyman insurance taken out on Audra, which producers hopped to cash in since her pregnancy was unexpected. There was a lawsuit going on regarding the insurance company refusing to accept that Audra’s pregnancy was an “Act of God” covered under the policy. Producers and Audra herself argue the opposite as a she did not think she could still become pregnant at 45, I’m guessing she also thought at this point she was already going through menopause. I don’t know what the status of the lawsuit is, but its very much why the show closed early, as the producers wanted a nearly guaranteed way to recoup their costs then risk it with a show the was going to struggle without her.

Its similar to why War Paint closed on November 5, 2017, instead of playing through its announced closing of December 30, 2017. Patti LuPone’s hip injury allowed the producers to cash in in their Key man insurance policy and recoup costs for the entire production, instead of loosing more money by risking the show without her.

This is why Shuffle Along and War Paint are technically hits*, despite their short run, as they “recouped” their initial investments through their original Broadway productions.

[astorian_ofthe_heart]

Wow that's absolutely bonkers. Makes sense from a business perspective, though.

When I saw the show, it was SRO, but the problem was it came out exactly at the same time as Hamilton (and to a lesser extent, Waitress). It lost the majority of its Tony Award categories, so you add a departing star to that and I'm sure advance sales tanked. It was a good show, but not great. Definitely not one that I would have gone back to over and over, or taken more people to see it.

[aj88]

I remember the rush tickets always selling fast but then I managed to buy a ticket on TodayTix to see what I think was a Tuesday evening performance. Then at intermission, I turned my phone back on to find the announcement of its closing. A few theatre savvy people around me started to discuss it as well. It all just seemed so sudden but in retrospect, it was probably the best for them financially

[bdn223]

It should be noted the cast was unaware of this plan as far as I am aware and thought they were going to run without her, as producers had “announced” Audra’s replacement. Thus when they executed the plan and closed the show, it came as a surprise to much of the cast and rubbed them the wrong way. It didn’t help the producers essentially stopped marketing the show after Audra’s announced departure.

[Kad]

I'm sure finances had to do with it, but the abrupt nature of the closing is suspect. I am sure there was a lot more going on behind the scenes, particularly with personalities like Wolfe and Rudin in the mix. 

I thought it was a thrilling and challenging, if very flawed, show. 

[LarryD2]

diem86 said: "On THR's Awards Chatter podcast recently, Billy Porter said that there are other reasons that show closed aside from Audra's pregnancy, but would not gointo detail. He didn't sound pleased. He also said he'd probably write about it in a book someday."

Yeah, I heard an interview recently with Rhiannon Giddens where she was saying essentially the same thing -- there's a story there, just waiting to be told.

[jpbran]

This is why Shuffle Along and War Paint are technically hits*, despite their short run, as they “recouped” their initial investments through their original Broadway productions."

SA and WP recouped? Is that due to successful insurance claims? (Have just heard of more successful/buzzier shows taking way longer than I'd have thought to recoup, and neither of these seemed to have very long runs.)

[Pose2]

I just remember the announcement and how they made her pregnancy seem like a problem and inconvenience.  Gross.  

[bdn223]

jpbran said: "This is why Shuffle Along and War Paint are technically hits*, despite their short run, as they “recouped” their initial investments through their original Broadway productions."

SA and WP recouped? Is that due to successful insurance claims? (Have just heard of more successful/buzzier shows taking way longer than I'd have thought to recoup, and neither of these seemed to have very long runs.)"

Yes, they recouped due to their insurance claims, hence why they are “technically” hits

[henrikegerman]

Prefacing this as I saw the first preview only.
But based on it, I'm surprised the show lasted more than a week.

[Mister Matt]

Yeah, it didn't help that reports of early previews were disastrous.  The book and the execution of the show's concept were said to be rather muddy and confusing.  By opening, there seemed to be some drastic improvements, but I don't recall much positive buzz that the show would be a success. 

[Cora Hoover Hooper]

Was the show ever recorded?

[bwayphreak234]

I, personally, thought the show was an absolute mess from beginning to end. I was at the second preview which clocked in at roughly three and a half hours. There was a great deal of potential, but the show was ultimately a bogged down mess.

[Bettyboy72]

I saw it during previews as well and it was a spectacular mess. Show was stopped, numbers restarted, and it ran close to 3 hours and 30 minutes. The cast was being kept after performances for notes and they were not happy. The amount of talent on that stage and the dancing was off the charts. It was just never modulated into something palatable. It's a great story. 

[orlikethecolorpurple]

I saw it a week or two after opening and found it THRILLING. Billy Porter and Adrienne Warren's solos alone made it all seem worth it to me. Then on top of that, you have Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Joshua Henry, etc. And the dancing! Some of the most exciting tap I've seen in a musical. 

It wasn't perfectly constructed and was perhaps a bit long for some, but it was interesting, informative, entertaining, and representative. And each of those actors was giving incredible performances. In my opinion, it was far better than 4/5 shows nominated for Best Musical this year. 

 

Cora Hoover Hooper said: "Was the show ever recorded?"

There is an 8 track live recording issued to Tony voters, but no official recording otherwise. The irony of a show about a revolutionary hit musical being lost in obscurity and then meeting the same fate again. It's still disappointing. 

 

[BalconyClub]

As Shuffle Along closed after only 100 shows, it allowed Dear Evan Hansen to open at the Music Box instead of the Belasco.

And as others have said, the dancing was terrific with several wonderful production numbers.

[Robbie2]

I found it thrilling yet flawed in need of major book revisions (20 minutes needed to be cut)

Audra was terrific as always supported by a superb cast along with some of the best dancers on BWAY executing Savion Glover's breathtaking choreography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cWflBv1q6E

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Perhaps in a few decades we’ll get a musical about the making of the musical about the making of Shuffle Along.

[uncageg]

I too found it thrilling. I was to attend one of the cancelled performances during previews and went the week it opened back up.

Even before the curtain went up there was electric in the air. I remember the audience immediately quieting when the cast took the stage behind the curtain and started warming up. Just the sound of those tap shoes was thrilling. It told a straightforward story with no eye popping sets, or special effects and an extremely talented cast. That was good enough for me. the sets and costumes were just fine. 

I have also wondered if a contributor to its closing was also putting McDonald out front in the commercials. The ones I saw were touting her "return" to Broadway. I kept thinking, it was more Stokes-Mitchell's return. He had been away for about 6 years. And God was it great to see and hear him onstage. 

It is such a shame it lasted such a short time. I was unable to go back to see it but had it stayed open, I probably would seen it a few times more. JMO

[bear88]

By the time I saw the show, in the middle of previews, it wasn't as long as it started - but it wasn't the finished product either. (I recall that a couple of songs I saw in the second act were apparently replaced by the time it opened.)

Shuffle Along had a spectacular cast, made all the better for me because I hadn't seen any of them before. (It was my first trip to New York City in many years.) Audra McDonald was as good as advertised. Brandon Victor Dixon was terrific. Adrienne Warren was a revelation. Brooks Ashmanskas played all of the white characters. And that's not even counting performers like Joshua Henry, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Billy Porter. I have run across actors who had star turns in future shows who had smaller roles in Shuffle Along.

The first act was wonderful, and the choreography was often spectacular. The tap number, "Pennsylvania Graveyard Shuffle," is one of the most inventive, sharply performed dances I've ever seen. Savion Glover did marvelous work as the show's choreographer.

The second act didn't really work, and was a letdown as the "and all that followed" part felt more disjointed. But it was still often an interesting failure.

I have no clue about what happened beyond the obvious - McDonald was unexpectedly pregnant, and Scott Rudin closed the show. I can't say it was a bad business decision, as I wonder if it would have recouped in the midst of Hamiltonmania, but the way it unfolded certainly left a bad taste. It is bittersweet that the show ended up disappearing without a trace, just as the musical it was about had done. 

[diem86]

I saw it in previews as well, and while it was too long and slow in parts, I was in it 100% for the performances and the dance numbers, and absolutely loved it.  Totally worth it.