Artist: James Stevenson
Credit: James Stevenson The New Yorker Collection/The Cartoon Bank
Minimalism
Month: February 2015
Larry David’s Fish in the Dark First Broadway Preview Sold Out
Larry David was christened last night, Monday, February 2, 2015. Symbolically, that is, as the sultan of the comic schlemiel and schlimazel performed for the first time on Broadway in the first play he’s authored for The Great White Way. The Monday night crowd at the Cort Theatre had a sort of David laugh and love fest.
This is a show that has an automatic following, as two shows that he created, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), have had droves of loyal fans who love David’s humor. In Seinfeld, Jason Alexander played the character based on David. In Curb Your Enthusiasm, David plays himself. The same seems to be true in Fish in the Dark.
The Premise of the Comedy
David in rehearsal for Fish in the Dark.
David has said that the comedy Fish in the Dark was inspired by the death of a friend’s father. And although that situation may not seem to be fitting as inspiration for a comedy, in Larry David’s world it is. The characters David plays are guys who dress sort of casual-sloppy, like what they like, and say what they think without any filter.
The focus of Fish in the Dark is on two brothers, one played by David and the other by Ben Shenkman. Together they attempt to deal with the death of their dad while life goes on around them. There are a lot of David moments, such as wondering if you should tip the doctor, asking is it okay to bring a date with you when you visit someone in the hospital, and wondering what country most looks like death itself? (It’s Norway.)
What People Liked
David signing autographs.
From the moment David entered into the scene, the audience was enthralled. The theatre of fans saw the Larry David they know- the guy dressed in a floppy sport jacket, wearing a blousy T-shirt, ironed khakis, and comfortable sneakers. They were at home with him and with the lines he said and had written, some of which were straight from his HBO series. Those familiar lines seemed to sit just fine with the first night audience.
Many fans waited outside the stage door to catch a glimpse of David. The writer/actor signed autographs and clumsily chit chatted, noting that he had to do the show again tomorrow. Overall it was a good first preview for David and company. Fish in the Dark opens on March 5 for a limited run.
Broadway Ticket Sales and Grosses Down Due to Juno
Jackman in The River had a strong week.
Box office numbers for the week ending February 1, 2015 published by The Broadway League revealed the impact that the weather had on shows during the final week of January 2015. In terms of capacity, productions that struggled included On the Town (48.51%) and Honeymoon in Vegas (54.17%).
Others that came in on the low side included You Can’t Take It With You (58.08%), Mamma Mia! (64.90%), and Chicago (65.45%). Of those shows, Mamma Mia! and Chicago lost performances due to the weather forecast. The weather-shortened weekend caused grosses to fall from $21,335,320 the week before to $17,504,766 the week ending Feb. 1.
The River Going Strong
Bradley Cooper in The Elephant Man also sold well.
The River, starring Hugh Jackman, showed strength, selling 100.13% capacity. The play, which is at Circle in the Square, will close on February 8. Book of Mormon continued to play at over 100% and to out-gross all shows, bringing in $1,423,750. The top grossing shows that were second, third, and fourth were all family oriented musicals with The Lion King bringing $1,337,983, Wicked seeing $1,291,035, and Aladdin selling $1,119,398 worth of tickets.
Fifth on the list was the revival of the Bernard Pomeranz play, The Elephant Man, starring Bradley Cooper. The show, which will transfer to London, grossed $976,936 last week.
Not Just the Weather
Book of Mormon is still going strong.
Although slumping box office numbers can be blamed on the weather, it’s more than that. It seems as if this Broadway season many of the new productions have failed to capture the interest of the public, despite the fact that various shows have garnered very strong reviews.
Perhaps the announcement of the Tony nominees on April 28, 2015, will help some shows. Unfortunately, Sting’s The Last Ship could not sustain itself to possibly benefit from the awards. The musical, which did receive good notices, closed on January 24. The Tony Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on June 7, 2015 on CBS.
Everyone will be carefully eyeing February’s weekly numbers. There should be a flurry of Broadway activity in March and April when four shows open in March and 14 more take to the Broadway boards in April just before the Tony cutoff date. Numbers usually spike upwards at that time.
Tonight Chicago, The Musical, Welcomes Country Girl Jennifer Nettles
Grammy winner Nettles plays Roxie Hart.
Jennifer Nettles, who formed the band Sugarland in 2003 with Kristian Bush and Kristen Hall, will open tonight as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s longest running American musical Chicago. Nettles told PEOPLE in a recent interview, “I’m working my ass off and my feet hurt, but I’m having a ball.” This is her Broadway debut.
Grammy Winner, Plus
Nettles as Hart.
In 2009, Nettles and Bush won two Grammys for their single, “Stay.” She received a third Grammy for the work she did with Bon Jovi. She also recently released her first solo album, and she’s been the CMA Country Christmas host. The extremely popular country performer has been up to this latest challenge.
In her interview with PEOPLE, she noted that learning the choreography was the toughest chore of her new adventure. Nettles joked, “I don’t want to look like a hack up there,” and added, “I’ll be standing beside fantastic veterans of Broadway and I want to feel comfortable. I don’t want to be the weakest link. And if I am going to be the weakest link, I want to be the strongest one they’ve worked with!”
Also Joining the Company
Broadway vet Carly Hughes joins the company as Velma Kelly.
Nettles is certainly in good company, as Broadway vet Carly Hughes will also join the cast at the Ambassador Theatre. Hughes’ Broadway credits are extensive and include Pippin, Beautiful, Ghost, and The Book of Mormon. She also appeared on Broadway in Ragtime, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Other Chicago cast members include Alexander Gemignani as Billy Flynn, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart, NaTasha Yvette Williams as Matron “Mama” Morton and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine. Hughes will play Velma Kelly.
Break A Leg!
Of her foray into bright light of The Great White Way, Nettles said, “Broadway has always been a special, magical place, with a wonderful tradition of singers and actors. I feel honored and proud to be part of this great tradition. Taking on such an iconic role as Roxie in Chicago is a dream come true.”
From Broadway IQ, we say “Break a Leg” to Nettles and Hughes as they start their run in Chicago. Nettles will play Hart through to March 29.
Will Broadway Ticket Sales See an Uptick This Week?
On the Town sees slumping sales.
As noted in an early story, the months of January and February can be especially tough on Broadway shows. The week ending January 25 (the 35th of the 2014-2015 season) saw almost every show lose ground. This time of year can be a tough sale due to weather, a lack of excess cash due to the holidays, and the overall physical and mental drain people feel this time of year.
Shows in the Plus Column
Shows that showed in creased sales few and far between. Those productions that enjoyed increased volume included Chicago (0.2%), It’s Only a Play (1.9%), Kinky Boots (2.0%), and Mamma Mia! (2.5%). Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and The Book of Mormon were both stable, with the former selling 93% and the latter overbooked at 102.6%.
The big winner was Sting’s musical The Last Ship, which closed on January 24. That show saw an increase of 4%, selling at 87.6%. Although The Last Ship garnered fine reviews, it just could not find an audience.
Slow Sales Overall
Sting appeared in The Last Ship in an attempt to boost ticket sales.
The Broadway front is seeing slow sales overall. The revival of On the Town, which received excellent notices, was at 60.3% for the week ending January 25, and the new musical Honeymoon in Vegas, which reviewers loved, came in at 71.3%. It will be interesting to see how Honeymoon in Vegas will perform in the next few weeks, and if, overall, as the weather improves, sales will spike up.
Figures for the week ending February 1, 2015 will include an extra dark night for some shows, which closed down due to the storm forecast. That forecast proved to be much ado about nothing.
Opera
Artist: Liam Francis Walsh
Credit: Liam Francis Walsh The New Yorker Collection/The Cartoon Bank
Broadway Snark
Abie’s Irish Rose was a Broadway comedy by Anne Nichols. It enjoyed a special combination of fame and notoriety that few shows manage to reach. The show was about an Irish Catholic girl and a young Jewish man. They get married over the objections of both of their families, with a lot of drama.
It opened on May 23, 1922, and ran for 2327 performances, closing over five years later. At the time, that was the longest run in Broadway history.
It must have been a great show.
But not according to the critics.
