Any Chance of an Assassins Broadway Transfer?

[lukeworsham]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 4:25pm

Title speaks for itself. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 5:15pm

I have no insider knowledge but it seems like there's been some buzz about it, though it would probably depend on the schedules of all involved if they're keeping the same cast etc.  They could also be waiting to see how well the cast album does to judge general interest in a full scale Broadway revival

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 5:19pm

There are people here who have claimed that it is very much in the works. I don't know if that's financially viable, but I sure would like to see it again. I bet John Doyle would even make some improvements.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 6:01pm

As for whether it SHOULD happen: 

On paper it seems like a good idea, since it was an Off-Broadway hit with a high-profile cast, at a time when Sondheim revivals are in-demand. 

But I don't think it would do well commercially in a larger house. The cast is starry for Off-Broadway, but not enough to sell out a limited run on Broadway when most of its NY audience has probably already seen it. I know people might mention the in-demand lottery and the sold out extensions, etc. But IIRC, the cancellation line was very easy, sometimes non-existent, and tickets weren't so difficult to come by if you kept your eye on the site. That doesn't bode well for leftover demand. 

And the production isn't bold or interesting enough to warrant a transfer to a larger space. Aside from the cast and the material, its strongest point IMO was the intimacy -  not just to the actors, but to the folksy instruments. I don't think it can be replicated on Broadway (no, not even at the CITS, since I know people will inevitably suggest it!) 

Whether it WILL happen though, is another question. MUCH stranger things have happened. This season alone had probably 8-10 other shows that were less likely to transfer than Assassins. Most of those shows have been doing badly, but that doesn't seem to stop people as much as you'd think. You really never know which projects people will put money behind. 

One thing to note: it seems unlikely that they'd record an album if they were planning to transfer. Most musicals transferring to Broadway will hold off on recording an album so they can market it as the "Broadway Cast Recording," and to help the album reflect the "final product." It's not unheard of, but it seems unlikely for them to transfer after having recorded the Off-Broadway album. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 6:25pm

Has CSC ever had a Broadway transfer? I know there were talks of something with Anika years back that never happened.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 6:31pm

I would love to see this transfer, but I don't know if it will. I definitely felt like the space really helped it at CSC. I wouldn't want to see it anywhere but the Circle in the Square and I don't know when the next time it'll be available is. 

[Bret Chisenhall]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 6:44pm

RippedMan said: "Has CSC ever had a Broadway transfer? I know there were talks of something with Anika years back that never happened."

CSC wasn't a lead producer (off broadway non-profits RARELY are, tho) but Venus in Fur was at CSC off-broadway and then transferred to broadway with MTC and then transferred to another theatre with another commercial producer.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 6:54pm

RippedMan said: "Has CSC ever had a Broadway transfer? I know there were talks of something with Anika years back that never happened."


The rumor was that Carmen Jones (the show with Anika Noni Rose) was competing against the Oklahoma revival for the Circle in the Square. And the rest is history. 

Speaking of the Oklahoma revival, though, that was another theater that basically never attracted Broadway transfers. At the end of the day, if a show is popular enough to attract commercial producers it will probably do so regardless of where it’s playing. I think the key variable is in nonprofit theaters that actively seek to put on shows that will attached commercial attention. And CSC has historically not been one of those companies.

[lukeworsham]

Posted: 2/14/22 at 7:03pm

That was my thought