What’s Next For The Barrymore?

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:22pm

Any thoughts? Im not sure what shows are rumored to be looking at coming next season besides K-Pop and (I think) a Funny Girl revival

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:38pm

YvanEhtNioj said: "Any thoughts? Im not sure what shows are rumored to be looking at coming next season besides K-Pop and (I think) a Funny Girl revival"

Almost Famous (?!) 

Dreamgirls (is this thing dead?) 

Glengarry Glen Ross (is THIS thing dead?) 

The Visitor (transfer from The Public if it does well?) 

The Wanderer (transfer from Papermill if it does well?) 

The Neil Diamond Musical? 

Beetlejuice?  

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:41pm

I’ve given up hope on Dreamgirls as much as I would looooovve that lol. I think Almost Famous is most likely next show to get announced.

Some guy at my gym in Hells kitchen is in The Visitor. I was being nosy and listening to his conversation in the locker room and he mentioned the possibility of a transfer if it does good

[bjh2114]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:43pm

I wonder if they'd consider transferring Little Shop...

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:47pm

bjh2114 said: "I wonder if they'd consider transferring Little Shop..."

I think it’s about time for a revival 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:49pm

They (Menken, Mayer, Groff) have repeatedly said that Little Shop's intention is to stay put. Menken said that part of the reason he believes the Broadway production was unsuccessful was because it's not a show that belongs on Broadway. It needs to be intimate and imperfect. They won't move.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:50pm

And I can't imagine it would be a difficult process for them to make the move. In fact, Jeremy Jordan is scheduled to START on March 17 (right after the March 15 closing date for The Inheritance). I wonder if they could just push the start by a week or two and start him up on Broadway.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:50pm

DramaTeach said: "They (Menken, Mayer, Groff) have repeatedly said that Little Shop's intention is tostayput. Menken said that part of the reason he believes the Broadway production was unsuccessful was because it's not a show that belongs on Broadway. It needs to be intimate and imperfect.They won't move."

Fair enough.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 10:51pm

No way. Not gonna happen.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 11:38pm

I actually was told by someone that The Inheritance was to close in February, followed by a very quick turn around with Almost Famous coming in this season, a month and a half ago.

Now, obviously this didn’t happen but a summer/fall opening could happen unless something fell through.

[Sebby150]

Posted: 2/20/20 at 11:39pm

I’m thinking it’s either The Visitor (if it transfers) or the Funny Girl revival.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 11:49am

Anything that opened before the April 23 cutoff date could only have about 2 weeks of Broadway previews, when you consider load-out for Inheritance and move-in/tech for the new tenant. (Mon, April 20 is the only available date in the final week before cutoff.) PLUS, the rush of trying to get a show on sale with just over one month of notice, which is very tricky if you don't have a big star or a hot title. It's been done (Betrayal, Lady Day, and to a lesser extent Spring Awakening revival), but it's incredibly risky. Also, raising the money if it isn't already in place.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 11:53am

It’s probably too large a house, but how perfect and poetic would it be for A STRANGE LOOP to move in sometime.

[Pashacar]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 12:03pm

VotePeron said: "It’s probably too large a house, but how perfect and poetic would it be for A STRANGE LOOP to move in sometime."

Seconded! I know OCTET was also eyeing a transfer, but CITS is probably the only viable theater there.

[Ledaero]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 12:28pm

There are so many reasons why OCTET and A STRANGE LOOP won't, or shouldn't, transfer to Broadway. They weren't built for commercialism and would have a very difficult time drawing in audiences to fill the house. OCTET is returning in some form, but they haven't confirmed how. I can only assume an Off-Broadway commercial run or the production playing in a LORT theatre somewhere outside of NYC.

I expect something with a limited run to hop into the Barrymore, like another concert series or a play revival in similar vane to Frankie & Johnny. Seems like something slipping in for this Tony season would be too rushed, and the big contenders for next season I assume will want to wait until the summer or fall to open.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 1:36pm

Ledaero said: "There are so many reasons why OCTET and A STRANGE LOOP won't, or shouldn't, transfer to Broadway. They weren't built for commercialism and would have a very difficult time drawing in audiences to fill the house. OCTET is returning in some form, but they haven't confirmed how. I can only assume an Off-Broadway commercial run or the production playing in a LORT theatre somewhere outside of NYC."

-eye roll- Do you know how many shows people on here said would “never transfer” because they “shouldn’t”? Fun Home, Oklahoma, Hadestown, Constitution, Sing Street, Six - the list is endless. People on here think they’re the Gods of artistic integrity, but Broadway is a big place. The shows possible to produce commercially is growing. I would not be surprised at ALL if we see Strange Loop or Octet in a small broadway house in the next few years. 
 

Edit to say, I know for certain that Little Shop has zero intention of transferring. It was designed and cast for the purpose its serving now and will not move even if the stars aligned. They don’t want to. 

Updated On: 2/21/20 at 01:36 PM

[Ledaero]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:24pm

-eye roll- Do you know how many shows people on here said would “never transfer” because they “shouldn’t”? Fun Home, Oklahoma, Hadestown, Constitution, Sing Street, Six - the list is endless. People on here think they’re the Gods of artistic integrity, but Broadway is a big place. The shows possible to produce commercially is growing. I would not be surprised at ALL if we see Strange Loop or Octet in a small broadway house in the next few years.

I hope you're not misinterpreting my statement as a bash against those shows. Really the contrary, and I particularly think OCTET is one of the finest achievements in musical theatre in this century thus far. I would love to live in a world where OCTET and A STRANGE LOOP would be exciting Broadway transfers that the public goes crazy for and keeps the shows running long enough to recoup, but I just have a very difficult time seeing a mass appeal for the shows when it comes to tourists and average ticket buyers. And really ever since Disney came in during the 90s and changed the entire economy of Broadway, it's just too expensive from a financial perspective to take risks on shows like that. I mean that's exactly why Sondheim left Broadway after Merrily, he realized that the work he wanted to do wasn't what was viable in Broadway houses (and then his Off-Broadway productions were almost all well-received enough to get transfers).

So please don't think I'm bashing the shows. I just think it's incredibly unlikely due to the financial risks. Every once in a while there are the FUN HOME's and BANDS VISIT's that end up being successful (with the help of Tony wins), but just so many are financial failures, regardless of artistic integrity. GREAT COMET is a fabulous example. Huge artistic success, but ended up recouping something like $-10 million when it closed? Or BE MORE CHILL's disastrous box office results from last year, another financial failure in new musical theatre. It's trends like that which keep Britney Spears and Jimmy Buffet on Broadway while new works are not.  And I anticipate SING STREET and NORTH COUNTRY having similar results (though I hope they don't and wish them the best). It's just not what tourists are interested in, nor the people with enough money to keep Broadway shows afloat.

So to your point, I would absolutely be surprised if either of the shows transfer. And if they did, I would be nervous for them from the day they announce (with my fingers crossed for their success the entire time).

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:49pm

I was thinking Bug wouldn’t be a bad fit for the Barrymore.

[inmyownlittlecorner]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 2:57pm

I don’t care what theatre it goes to but can we get Soft Power on Broadway please?

[hork]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 5:15pm

inmyownlittlecorner said: "I don’t care what theatre it goes to but can we get Soft Power on Broadway please?"

God, no.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 5:26pm

GreasedLightning said: "
Glengarry Glen Ross (is THIS thing dead?)"

Glengarry is still in the works, at least as of September. When they announced American Buffalo, the lead producers said Glengarry was deferred to the 2020-2021 season in order to get the theatre they want:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/theater/sam-rockwell-lawrence-fishbourne-american-buffalo-broadway.html

 

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 2/21/20 at 5:39pm

I know it has been on Broadway recently and won a Tony for Kevin Kline..

But could a quick transfer, as Betrayal did with Tom Hiddlestone of the Old Vic’s Present Laughter with Andrew Scott?

Tom Stoppard new play Leopoldstadt got critics pick from Ben Brantley when he reviewed this in London recently.

Tennesssee William’s Night of the Iguana, starring Clive Owen and Lia Williams also was loved by Ben when it played last year.

[grumpyoptimist]

Posted: 2/23/20 at 9:42pm

Several of the Almost Famous cast have been posting this weekend about seeing the other people involved in the show next week.  Be willing to bet money it will be announced then, as others here have speculated.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 2/23/20 at 10:02pm

I thought Almost Famous was doing the Nederlander? Barrymore seems appropriate though.

It is a good season to come in. No real contenders.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 2/23/20 at 10:09pm

85% sure it’s Almost Famous.