I was reading about shows that had previously left Broadway, but also shows that have the potential to return to Broadway in the future. Be it, Fiddler On The Roof, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Beauty and the Beast, Kiss Me Kate, Gigi, A Chorus Line, Rent, etc. (* A few of these shows were recently revived but which revival of your choice (definitely doesn't have to be from this list) do you believe could draw audiences in as it does for Hamilton and Phantom?)
Great question. I've been wondering if Drowsy Chaperone might return and do well again. It has been 15 years and it recouped fairly quickly in its original run.
A mix of theatre and film/tv/music names in the roles might get people's attention and the show is so entertaining and upbeat.
During the early days of the pandemic, we were discussing this exact thing and Beauty and the Beast and Hairspray came up. With amazing casting, they could both be huge and exciting. I think a lot of people are looking for a fun evening out.
I feel like a Ragtime revival in the BLM/Stronger Than Hate/Trump era has been long overdue, although I almost want it to be one of the live shows done for NBC or Fox.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST would make the most sense. HAIRSPRAY is going on tour this fall, so I wouldn't expect it in New York until 2023 at the earliest. The DOLLY idea would be wonderful, assuming new producers would take it on. This would be a great way to get a big star back for a short run.
It'll either be big family shows or artsy shows with big stars to attract the NY crowd as international tourism bounces back.
"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop
I know this won’t happen, but my soul could use a return of the stage adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz” that played Madison Square Garden several years ago (or some version of the Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation - not that Lloyd Webber garbage) to return for a limited, perhaps holiday, engagement.
The list of reasons why this won’t happen are very long, I’m sure. However, the heart wants what the heart wants.
I would kill for Hello, Dolly to make a return engagement with Reba.
It’s definitely too early right now, but I think in a decade or two, Matilda and Gentleman’s Guide would be ripe for a great revival. Billy Elliot would be great too and could have the potential to happen before those two.
The glorious “Pirates of Penzance” that played Williamstown a few years back! Pepper in a high profile celeb or two, and it’ll run for ages. I can’t recall another show that had me grinning and applauding from start to finish!
Talks of the Spanish A Chorus Line with Banderas has come up again to come over next year for a limited run.
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.
Apologies! My bad! Barrington Stage indeed! Swenson was amazing, but imagine the throngs Jackman would pull in as the Pirate King? And while we’re dream casting, how about having Kline come back, this time to tackle “Modern Major General”?!
Mr Kline respectfully de-Klined but imagine if you will that the Major General’s song was probably considered as the first hip-hop before there was hip-hop… who would you like to see doin dat?!
That one-night-only all star Pirates of Penzance had a hell of a cast of actors-who-sing-more-or-less: Kevin Kline, Martin Short and Eric Idle as the Pirate King, the Major-General and the Sergeant. The women and Frederick do the musical heavy lifting, but the leading men are more for the comedy.
Hugh is absolutely the ideal Pirate King. But the Major and the Sergeant... there's a ton of great names that could be the Major. Martin Short was supposed to be fantastic, Nathan Lane would be wonderful too. But the Sergeant... it's almost a cameo role by comparison, but the Papp production really turned that part into a dynamo of dance and physical comedy. It IS, however, often cross-cast, and I can see Kate McKinnon in a walrus mustache leaving the audience in stitches.
copskid949 said: "I feel like a Ragtime revival in the BLM/Stronger Than Hate/Trump era has been long overdue, although I almost want it to be one of the live shows done for NBC or Fox."
Like it or not, Ragtime is not likely to be produced anytime soon precisely due to the factors you reference. A show about the African American experience written from a gaze of white saviorism by white writers based on a white man's novel is not what we need right now. The only way I think it could work is if it was an African American director and predominately BIPOC creative team, and even then it would need rewrites to move beyond the tropes of the past.
Like it or not, Ragtime is not likely to be produced anytime soon precisely due to the factors you reference. A show about the African American experience written from a gaze of white saviorism by white writers based on a white man's novel is not what we need right now. Theonlyway I think it could work is if it was an African American director and predominately BIPOC creative team, and even then it would need rewrites to move beyond the tropes of the past."
"I feel like a Ragtime revival in the BLM/Stronger Than Hate/Trump era has been long overdue, although I almost want it to be one of the live shows done for NBC or Fox."
I think any show that leans heavily on a popular star who is having a good time would do well, get butts in the seats and be a financial success for producers. A Dolly with a hot star, a Hairspray with a hot Edna, a Little Shop with a hot Seymour/Audrey, a Guys and Dolls with four hot stars. And when I say hot I don't mean Broadway hot, I mean marquee A list. Little Shop with Jake and Jessica Chastain, Guys and Dolls with Jake, Anne Hathaway, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. You get the idea. I'd love to see Carmen Jones with Beyonce, but I already can't afford the ticket just typing that out.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
These would never happen but I would like to see a Mean Girls limited engagement with the tour cast before going back on the road so that the show could get a proper NYC farewell. A 25th anniversary revival of Rent. Hairspray, a scaled down Legally Blonde, A Chorus Line, Hair.