ALMOST FAMOUS On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 9

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 2:56pm

KevinKlawitter said: "Do shows typically undergo workshops so soon after their Broadway run? This seems weird."

It's def unusual but there are no rules. If Kitt & Crowe are available and have ideas, there's no time like the present if licensing or touring is the main goal now. I assume they also intend to do an Australian production considering Michael Cassel was one of the lead producers on Bway.

BIG FISH closed on Broadway in December 2013 and its revised edition started in March 2015 in Boston. ADDAMS FAMILY was revised after Broadway and before the tour but I don't know if they did workshops to test the new material. The difference here may be that it's being announced & underwritten by the O'Neill.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 2:58pm

I wish I could see this. I’ve been listening the CR a lot lately - I loved this show so much. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 3:04pm

Not a perfect show by any means, but there were some good tunes in the score and it was a lot better than some shows that have run longer. A smaller, scrappier presentation might benefit it.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 3:08pm

I didn't see the show, but, given the lukewarm reaction, I was really surprised by how much I liked the cast recording, so I might drive the hour to see this.

[Voter]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 3:14pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Interesting:

ALMOST FAMOUS is being revised and is being presented at the O'Neill Center in CT. Perhaps ahead of touring or licensing. BIG FISH and some other poorly-received Broadway shows have done this, too.

No mention of Jeremy Herrin, who directed the show on Broadway (or any director for that matter).

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Workshop-Residency-for-Tom-Kitt-and-Cameron-Crowes-ALMOST-FAMOUS-to-Take-Place-at-Eugene-ONeill-Theater-Center-20231017"

This is... weird. What's the point in further developing a Broadway flop? That already had development at The Old Globe? Honestly, I feel it takes the place of a newer, emerging musical or writer. Not rehashing something that already failed miserably.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 3:28pm

Voter said: "This is... weird. What's the point in further developing a Broadway flop? That already had development at The Old Globe? Honestly, I feel it takes the place of a newer, emerging musical or writer. Not rehashing something that already failed miserably."

Nonprofit is simply a tax status and the O'Neill must be focused on their business just like any other producing entity. Continued associations with Kitt & Crowe could benefit them down the line, and they might also get a royalty on future productions or licensing for ALMOST FAMOUS, which will in turn help propel their mission and benefit emerging musicals or writers.

Just because they're choosing to be associated with ALMOST FAMOUS doesn't automatically hurt any other people or projects.

And the failure on Broadway was more of a commercial thing of not succeeding on a scale of selling 8500 tickets a week at $100. Now they're trying to improve it. If the O'Neill was workshopping KING KONG or WONDERLAND post-Broadway, then there might be cause for concern.

Updated On: 10/17/23 at 03:28 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 5:09pm

The cast album is fire. I’m not convinced further tinkering will help the show. Just because it wasn’t a success on Broadway doesn’t mean there is something “wrong” with the piece that needs to be “fixed” before they license it. It just means not enough people were willing to pay Broadway prices to see it during a troublesome time for the industry as it struggled to return after the pandemic. 

[Voter]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 6:56pm

Kitt also serves on the O’Neill Board of Trustees

 

just of note

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 7:01pm

I did not see this coming. 

Hope this bodes well for licensing or any sort of future life for this title. 

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 7:48pm

Really?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/17/23 at 11:36pm

CATSNYrevival said: "The cast album is fire. I’m not convinced further tinkering will help the show. Just because it wasn’t a success on Broadway doesn’t mean there is something “wrong” with the piece that needs to be “fixed” before they license it."

We don't know the extent of the revisions! It could be 2 or 3 new songs and some tightened book scenes and they just want to hear them out loud.

[Voter]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 6:17am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "CATSNYrevival said: "The cast album is fire. I’m not convinced further tinkering will help the show. Just because it wasn’t a success on Broadway doesn’t mean there is something “wrong” with the piece that needs to be “fixed” before they license it."

We don't know the extent of the revisions! It could be 2 or 3 new songs and some tightened book scenes and they just want to hear them out loud."

For 3 public ticket buying audiences?

[BJR]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 8:04am

We all know the Sondheim adage: musicals aren't written, they're rewritten.

It's very likely they still had work they wanted to do, or weren't able to do for various reasons, on Bway. If someone is giving them the space to try some things out, good.

No different than someone doing it 10 years later for a revival, which is common.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 11:45am

Voter said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "CATSNYrevival said: "The cast album is fire. I’m not convinced further tinkering will help the show. Just because it wasn’t a success on Broadway doesn’t mean there is something “wrong” with the piece that needs to be “fixed” before they license it."

We don't know the extent of the revisions! It could be 2 or 3 new songs and some tightened book scenes and they just want to hear them out loud."

For 3 public ticket buying audiences?"

3 public ticketbuying audiences that will still be less than the capacity of one performance on Broadway.

Revising a show is not a bad thing! It's possible that there might have been disagreements between the Bway producers and director of the direction of the show, or Crowe & Kitt made compromises that they feel hurt the show to appease colleagues; now they can refine their version of the show. But again, we don't know the extent of the changes. Maybe we'll have more intel after these readings.

Did people complain about MERRILY being revised at La Jolla four years after its initial Broadway failure?

[macbeth]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 2:10pm

Has this happened before post-Broadway?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 2:32pm

macbeth said: "Has this happened before post-Broadway?"

If you scroll up and read the thread you'll see multiple examples cited.

Among the many shows that have been revised after the initial Broadway run:

MERRILY

ADDAMS FAMILY

BIG FISH

FOOTLOOSE

GOLDEN RAINBOW

I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE

COMPANY

FOLLIES

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

SHOW BOAT

CABARET

ON A CLEAR DAY

[missthemountains]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 4:10pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "macbeth said: "Has this happened before post-Broadway?"

If you scroll up and read the thread you'll see multiple examples cited.

Among the many shows that have been revised after the initial Broadway run:

MERRILY

ADDAMS FAMILY

BIG FISH

FOOTLOOSE

GOLDEN RAINBOW

I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE

COMPANY

FOLLIES

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

SHOW BOAT

CABARET

ON A CLEAR DAY"

The difference is though, that to my understanding, none of those shows were developed in spaces like The O'Neill, which specifically caters to new works and development for a public audience.

I'm positive there were private table reads/workshops for all of those revisions but The O'Neill is a public entity solely for development for a paying audience with the intention of highlighting new work/adaptations that hasn't been staged.

Perhaps I'm being overdramatic, but I say shame on The O'Neill for this. Someone pointed out Yorkey is on the board, so that's definitely how this happened, but it angers me that the space they're occupying could've been given to a new, greener team with a property that was either a) original or b) adapted from obscure, under-appreciated material. I guess I don't really understand the purpose, other than O'Neill benefitting financially from the short-term and the long term with licensing agreements, as to why this is happening. So many talented people I know with original projects in the industry have to all but sing for their supper to get anyone to give a rat's ass about their work and these guys already had a Broadway run. 

[Kad]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 5:33pm

I agree that it is very strange for the O’Neill to be hosting this workshop and that it feels greatly out of sync with their mission and history. 

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 10/18/23 at 11:32pm

If they get rid of the original songs in the first act and the second act and recast it and rewrite the book it might work in a small dinner theater somewhere.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/12/23 at 9:03pm

[Voter]

Posted: 11/13/23 at 9:36am

Did anyone go last night?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/13/23 at 2:29pm

This could work off Broadway in a small theater and also thousands of regional theater companies would be happy to put this on. It did well in San Diego. 

Damon better be Russell because he's the only attractive man who can play guitar in that group.

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/13/23 at 2:31pm

Sutton Ross said: "Damon better be Russell because he's the only attractive man who can play guitar in that group."

From what I hear, Alex Boniello is Russell and Damon is Jeff.

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/13/23 at 2:34pm

Jesus, really? He's like the angsty, weird, goth dude in high school who thinks painting their nails black is edgy. Nah. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 11:49am