Well, this is a first. I got to the news before Playbill.com did.
Congrats to an INCREDIBLE run for the entire cast and creative team. I saw the show with Melissa Benoit and Kara Lindsay, and it was a great afternoon at the theatre, as well as a well-done jukebox musical that has inspired a lot of copycats. While it wasn't my favorite thing I've seen in the theatre, it was still a great show, and it was the first time I cried in a Broadway theatre. "You've Got a Friend" always gets me.
"I think that when a movie says it was 'based on a true story,' oh, it happened - just with uglier people." - Peanut Walker, Shucked
With both Waitress and Beautiful announcing this week... it has me wondering the next time we’ll see Jessie Mueller back on stage.
What a great run, but this closing announcement is long overdue.... I hope Roundabout gets to use The Sondheim theatre this spring.
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
An almost 6-year run for this show is an unqualified success, so the creative team should be proud. I also think it speaks to the quality of the Carole King-Gerry Goffin catalog.
I find this very troubling. I don't we've had this many closing notices since the recession a decade ago. And so far, we have mostly rumblings and rumors of shows that will be replacing them, nothing definite yet.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
Knew this was coming once the amateur rights were released.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
The Company revival would fit well beautifully into the Sondheim.
Unless Roundabout has some big plans up their sleeve for the space I don't see why not.
As for people being considered about the sudden availability of so many theaters. This isn't 1985. Broadway is still a billion dollar industry that is one the largest tourist attractions in the world. Things will come in.
Congrats on a great run. Saw one of the first previews in SF when the show was 3 hours long and then in NYC. It wasn't my favorite but my mother has always been a huge Tapestry/Carole King fan and it was great to take her. This will be a great high school musical - so many little girls will get to be Carole and fall in love with musical theatre.
"Observe how bravely I conceal this dreadful dreadful shame I feel."
When Beautiful closes, it will 1 month short of it’s 6 year anniversary since previews began and 3 months short of it’s 6 year anniversary from opening. When it comes down to it, the run has been nothing short of spectacular.
Many talented people have come out of this show to move on to bigger things—Abby Mueller, Alysha Deslorieux, and Paris Nix, to just name three really started to start breaking through with Beautiful. For people who grew up with Carole King, the joy it brought was intense. In 30 years of seeing theater with my parents, I’ve seen them enjoy few things as much as it. But it’s because it was something they lived and loved. If a show does that to someone, I don’t care about issues with the book or anything else.
In the end, Broadway is a business. Like any business, it runs with the money. I think people are perceiving the number of closings announced in a short span of time as being unusual, but when we look at it, this week, two long running shows with dropping numbers closed. Be More Chill never lived up to it’s off Broadway hype, Pretty Woman saw it’s grosses drop dramatically after that newness wore off, and King Kong never managed to put it together in a way that appealed to audiences or critics.
I feel like part of the shock is coming from because we’ve seen 5 musicals announce their closing in the past month. We like to view musicals as stable. In the end stability is the characteristic of an outlier.
Beautiful has had a phenomenal run and I know that cast and crew will be back to very soon.
Not surprising but sad to see this. Saw it on Broadway with the original cast and again on tour. Loved it both times. IMO, the best of the biomusicals and I'm including Jersey Boys.
Evan Todd (Gerry Goffin) announced on Instagram that his last day with the show is August 28, 2019.
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
I knew this was inevitable but was hoping they’d stick it out until January like Waitress. I wonder if Chilina will come back to close it out. She mentioned on Instagram that she was only taking a leave of absence to do The Band’s Visit tour.
This is sad. I may try to do the final show for this one.
RWPrincess said: "I knew this was inevitable but was hoping they’d stick it out until January like Waitress. I wonder if Chilina will come back to close it out. She mentioned on Instagram that she was only taking a leave of absence to do The Band’s Visit tour.
She might be able to as she will be finishing her run in the Toronto( a home base of hers) stop of The Band's Visit on Oct 20 . It would be pretty tight w no time to rehearse but maybe if the producers r willing...