Well here's one Spring that won't see a Summer... the multi-hyped Broadway import SPRING AWAKENING is closing at the end of the month. It's sad that an original show - not based on a pop act's songbook or a film - has not found an audience.But how telling that once again a big Broadway import has died on it's arse... the most obvious comparison being the dreaded RENT - and that's had three attempts in the west end!
Ok... time for number-crunching - 'cos God knows I've got the time on my hands.
Broadway is the home of The Musical but how are we at accepting it's supposed best? The following are the shows nominated for Tony Awards in the 2000s... let's see how many made it here.
2000: CONTACT won Best Musical along with 3 other awards, it ran on Broadway for over 2 years - and here for 7 months.Although I wanted to stick to just original shows KISS ME KATE! won the Best Revival and also ran for over 2 years - and here for 10 months.
We have yet to see AIDA (which won Elton John Best Score), JAMES JOYCE'S "THE DEAD", MARIE CHRISTINE, PUTTING IT TOGETHER, SWING! or THE WILD PARTY staged in the West End (although the latter turned up recently at the Bridewell by an amateur company)
2001: THE PRODUCERS won practically everything and ran for 6 years - here it ran for just over 2 years - so a success there! THE FULL MONTY ran for 2 years in NY and 8 months here.
We have yet to see BLAST, A CLASS ACT, JANE EYRE or SEUSSICAL.
2002: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE ran for over 2 years - here it managed 8 months. We have yet to see URINETOWN (which won the Best score), SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS and THOU SHALL NOT.
London transfers included OKLAHOMA and MAMMA MIA! - which didn't win anything!
2003: This was the year of HAIRSPRAY and low and behold - the show is still running in London after a year and a half. The hugely hyped MOVIN' OUT - a show built around Billy Joel's songbook and which won a Tony for Twyla Tharp's choreography - ran for over 3 years in New York. In London it limped in under 2 months.
No sign of AMOUR, URBAN COWBOY (thank God) or A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD.
2004 : This was the year covered in the excellent documentary "Show Business". It was also the year of two shows that bucked the trend and have been successful on both sides of the pond - WICKED and AVENUE Q.CAROLINE OR CHANGE played 4 months in NY to London's 3 months although it had played 4 months off-Broadway.
There has been no sign of THE BOY FROM OZ (a Hugh Jackman vehicle) and NEVER GONNA DANCE. It also saw the year of BOMBAY DREAMS and TABOO moving from London to New York, sadly not repeating their successes here.
2005: SPAMALOT ran for nearly 4 years on Broadway while in
London it made over 2 years.As yet there has been no sign of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, A LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (which won the Best Score award), LITTLE WOMEN or THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (gasp!).
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG went from London to NY.
2006: This was the year when the Best Musical Tony went to JERSEY BOYS, the first time a 'jukebox' show has won and both shows play on in New York & London.THE DROWSY CHAPERONE won for Best Score & Best Book and ran a year and a half - London welcomed it with closed arms and it closed after 2 months.
We have yet to see THE COLOR PURPLE, LESTAT. TARZAN or THE WEDDING SINGER (although this has toured regionally).
SWEENEY TODD and THE WOMAN IN WHITE went from London to Broadway - SWEENEY TODD won John Doyle the Best Director Tony... and WOMAN closed after 3 months.
2007: Ah yes - the year of SPRING AWAKENING... Best Musical, Director, Choreography, Score, Book... a run of over 2 years on Broadway... 2 months in London.
LEGALLY BLONDE managed a year and 5 months on Broadway so let's see what happens when it opens here in December.
We have yet to see CURTAINS, GREY GARDENS, HIGH FIDELITY or LOVEMUSIK.
MARY POPPINS flew from London to New York!
2008: The Latino musical IN THE HEIGHTS won Best Musical and Best Score and is still running. The autobiographical PASSING STRANGE won Best Book.
These have not appeared over here and neither have A CATERED AFFAIR, CRY-BABY (thank God for that), THE LITTLE MERMAID, XANADU (yaaaay!) or YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE made the move to Broadway from London.
Not that the Best Play winners have fared much better. This decade has seen four of the winning plays originate in London and of the others?
PROOF had a sell-out run of over a month at the Donmar but that was due in no small part to the casting of Gwyneth Paltrow, the play didn't transfer. THE GOAT opened at the Almeida with Jonathan Pryce in the lead and transfered to the West End. I AM MY OWN WIFE opened in the west end but closed early. DOUBT played at the fringe Tricycle Theatre with no transfer and AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY enjoyed a limited run at the National Theatre.
Nice to see our Special Relationship is as wonky in the theatre world as in the real world!
1 comment:
I don't know who is to blame for some shows closing early. I know the UK theatre-going public are partly to blame by not daring to try something different but I think the theatres themselves need to shoulder some of the blame as economics.
Part of the reason people are unwilling to try new shows is the cost. Broadway is relatively cheap for a New Yorker compared to the cost of the West End for a Londoner. People are unwilling to take an expensive chance on a new show but will fork out for something based on a film or music they already know.
I also think West End theatres are a tad greedy. I saw Drowsy three times and each time the theatre was well attended. No doubt there were some empty seats and probably the majority of the people there had discounted tickets. My guess is that the theatre (or its owning group) closed the show because it wasn't making enough of a profit. It was a well-loved show and could have ran for longer, in my opinion, if it was given more of a chance.
Post a Comment