^ I actually completely agree with you I was just using it as an example of a new production that differed from the original Broadway staging. Probably the ugliest set design I have seen for a production.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
bwayphreak, I loved the way that my sister described the set--"it looked like a blown-up page of a four-year-old's coloring book." It was an unbelievably cheap production that is somehow doing a five-week engagement in a 2,000+ seat theatre in Chicago with tickets up to $150. Updated On: 6/26/11 at 08:38 PM
^ LOVE your sister's comment. The stage looked like it was choking in dead sea weed and the village houses looked like little outhouses. I won't even get started on the costumes... And to top of that five week engagement in Chicago, it's a return engagement since the same production was there last summer!
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
Spider-Man is fantastic, other than that, the theatre has a perfect location and its large to hold procutions that no other house could. The Longacre is just gorgeous.
If I owned a Broadway theatre just for the $$$$$$$ I would have lost my soul.
The Belasco. I had been hoping for so long that it would get a major renovation and it did and the result was gorgeous. Now if only I also had the benjamins to renovate David Belasco's former living quarters and move into them myself.
And the Vivian Beaumont. Because it's at Lincoln Center. And Lincoln Center rocks. And is a lovely place. And because I certainly wouldn't mind owning a theatre so closely situated to PJ Clarke's.
Wow! This is such a fantastic thread! A lot of great ideas and so cool to see what everyone likes and why they like it.
LegallyBroadway2- "Spiderman is Fanastic" Couldn't disagree MORE with you. However, I did see Young Fankenstein in the Foxwoods (It was the Hilton Theatre then) and the grand scale of 42nd street really does play amazing to the larger then life musicals so I agree about that.
What is the Foxwoods like? Is it an ornate theatre? I know it's one of the biggest houses on Broadway, but unlike the other big houses it's not a barn is it?
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
Eugene O'Neill - and if possible I would buy the Time hotel along with it, bust out the rear doors in the back of auditorium (the way the theater was originally constructed in 1925) and make Sarafina the theater lounge and merchandising area.
Mark Helinger - and find some way to void that contract and kick the church out.
The Winter Garden because of it's excellent sight lines and it's opulence. The last show that I saw there was in 1980 whn the original production of 42ND STREET played there. This beautiful theatre was totally refurbished for the occasion. I have stayed away from the Winter Garden ever since because I have had no desire to see either CATS or MAMA MIA. These long running shows are ruining the opportunity to attend this unique theatre with a grand hIstory. It is there that I saw my first Broadway show in 1954: PETER PAN wih Mary Martin. Other shows that I loved there include THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN with Tammy Grimes, the original producion of WEST SIDE STORY, FUNNY GIRL with a young Barbra Streisand, and MAME wih the one and only Ann Miller.
The Shubert is a beautiful theatre also with excellent sight lines, in the heart of the Theatre Diistrict. One can see perfectly from the first row of the second balcony, which is where I usually sit. I have probably seen more shows at this Flagship theatre of the Shubert Organization and that is why I choose the Sam S. Shubert as one of the theaters I would like to own. I love the wood beams on the underside of the first balcony , the murals on the walls and ceiling, and the proscenium and house curtain (does anyone remember that all Broadway theaters have house curtains-- now when you enter a theatre all you see is the show curtain). Shows that I have enjoyed there include TAKE ME ALONG(1959) co- starring Jackie Gleason, I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE(1962) where Barbra Streisand made her Broadway debut, STOP THE WORLD--I WANT TO GET OFF (1962) with Anthony NEWLEY (I hated it), THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT--THE SMELL OF THE CROWD(1965) also wih Anthony Newley( I loved it), HERE'S LOVE(1963)-- a bomb,THE APPLE TREE (1966) with Barbara Harris and Alan Alda, PROMISES,PROMISES (1969), OVER HERE!(1974) including John Travolta, A CHORUS LINE (1975) 4 times, CRAZY FOR YOU(1992) 4 times with an under appreciated Harry Groener, GYPSY(2003) directed by Sam Mendes--my least favorite production of this greatest of musicals.
Both theatres are sentimental to me for various reasons; the Belasco is where I first saw Follies, which changed my life and turned me into a Sondheim freak, and the Shubert--way back when I was a young theatre fan, and totally obsessed with Chicago, I practically LIVED at that theatre. I spent many a morning in windy Shubert Alley waiting for those $20 front row tickets!
Plus, I really really like both theatres. I like the look and feel of them both, especially the Belasco.
"I chose and my world was shaken--so what? The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not. You have to move on"
Since many of my choices (Belasco, Booth, Shubert, St. James)have been claimed numerous times already, I'll go with the Lyceum and the Music Box. Love them both -- a lot!
The Walter Kerr. Not only is it beautiful, but I have so many memories of seeing great works there. I think it's track record for quality is outstanding.