THERE'S FAR TOO MUCH TO TAKE IN HERE, MORE TO FIND THAN CAN EVER BE FOUND: Over the weekend, Disney's The Lion King surpassed Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera to become the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time despite running for almost a decade less time. The reasons? Higher average ticket price ($155.09 vs. $98.97), slightly larger theater—resulting in a $2M v. $1.2M weekly revenue stream.
I saw The Lion King on tour in March 2010, and was wowed. I have never seen Phantom in any format, and am not sure why I have that gap.
Perhaps because you know Phantom is schlock?
ReplyDeleteHow young is too young to take a kid to The Lion King?
I've only ever seen the film of Phantom, which, despite a nice performance vocally from Emmy Rossum and lush production design, was pretty much drek. Not terribly interested in seeing the show.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of structural problems with Lion King on Broadway:
1. The new Lebo M material, particularly in the second act, drags badly (especially Shadowlands) and doesn't fit in terribly well tonally with the original Rice/John material--it's much darker and less poppy.
2. The show shoots its wad, production value/spectacular wise, with the opening "Circle of Life," and doesn't come anywhere close to topping it. "Hakuna Matata" is a mildly amusing character song, but not the strongest act closer, and there's no 11 o'clock character number.
I saw Lion King in previews and was absolutely floored. Haven't seen it since though, and am anxiously awaiting the twins' to be brave/old enough to enjoy it. My take has always been that the new material is much, much better than the John/Rice material, and that, Circle of Life excepted, I'd love to see a version with all the John/Rice stuff cut and new material by those songwriters added.
ReplyDeleteAnd while we are talking about musicals that played the New Amseterdam, the twins will be seeing their first Broadway show in a few weeks. Mary Poppins here we come!
The stuff from the film is wonderful (particularly Step In Time), but the show is a lot more faithful to the original Travers books than the film was, and especially in the UK, gets quite dark and scary.
ReplyDeleteWe need a "my first Broadway show was..." thread, because my story ends with "and then I made my Broadway debut dancing on stage with Four-Eyed Mo."
ReplyDeleteAugh, Guest was me, don't know why my computer is being a tool today.
ReplyDeletePhantom is completely skippable except for the parodies of 19th century opera, like "Hannibal." Webber and Rice nailed those parts.
ReplyDeleteI didn't make a Broadway debut ever (though I'm not dead yet, so there's time, theoretically) but my first Broadway show was The King and I with Yul Brynner.
ReplyDeleteSame as age for movie -- maybe younger insofar as I think the death's a little less traumatic on stage, but older insofar as the level of behavior required for any musical. 4? 5?
ReplyDeleteAnnie, with Sarah Jessica Parker in the lead.
ReplyDeleteThere's no need to see Phantom. Three hours, nothing but small variations on a single song.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a Broadway show - can I sub in something from London's West End? Or the RSC?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have the CDs and some of the omissions sadden me. No Stay Awake? Hoping the scariness isn't too much for the kids. They are VERY excited.
ReplyDeleteI mean a "Broadway show on Broadway" - I've seen plenty of traveling productions.
ReplyDeleteNon-musical Broadway show was something called Stones in Their Pockets (?) it was a straight play and Irish and funny but weird and long). Although first musical was "Thou Shalt Not" the Harry Connick Jr music written musical. Good things about it: Norbert Leo Butz is always awesome, Craig Bierko in a wifebeater, Debra Monk, the songs were good. Bad things about it: the lead chick, Craig Bierko is no singing Marlon Brando, the book, the lead chick dancing incessantly instead of singing, the book, the lead chick, the book.
ReplyDeleteI would've liked to see Phantom in Vegas in that theatre that was designed for it. Also where they shaved it down to just over an hour. That's a version of Phantom I could get behind.
ReplyDeletePhantom? Eh. If you must, watch the DVD of the anniversary version with Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo in the lead roles.
ReplyDeleteI believe Kim has an lengthy monologuue on Thou Shalt Not. And Kate Levering can actually be quite good (getting a Tony nod for 42nd Street), but the material was awful.
ReplyDeleteI assume you mean the Song That Goes Like This.
ReplyDeleteUgh, Phantom. Skip it. I'm a theater snob, but I don't necessarily hate big blockbuster musicals - I loved Les Mis. But Phantom has forgettable music, an icky plot, and "special effects" that are a letdown after the hype. (Don't get me started on that chandelier...)
ReplyDeleteSomehow I still haven't managed to see Lion King, despite working in theater and working two blocks from that theater for several years. Everytime a commercial comes on for it, I say, "I should see that..." And then I forget about it.
Hope they love it! Parts of it are so marvelous and joyous, I can see it being a great first Broadway show. Prep them for the darker parts -- if they read a couple of the Mary Poppins books, they might enjoy it more b/c they'll recognize those parts and not just see them as scary? Mainly it's Mr. Banks's old nanny, who shows up and takes over as nanny for a while, and is fearsome (Brimstone and Treacle is the scary song). The rest is not as bad, if I remember rightly. Maybe play them the scariest song, or tell them they can close their eyes if they like when that nanny is on stage? (that's what worked for my kiddo, who was dying to see Wicked but [having listened to the CD] thought the second act would be too scary -- we told him we could leave or he could close his eyes at that point, he was okay with that though a bit nervous, and as soon as the second act started he whispered "I'm fine." and never actually closed his eyes.)
ReplyDeleteTell, tell, tell!!!
ReplyDeletePeter Pan, on a 7th-grade trip to New York. My mom took to me to lots of shows in DC that were having their pre-Broadway tryout, back in the days before critic Lloyd Rose reportedly ruined that with her slashing reviews -- saw Les Miz, Little Shop, Evita, and others with original casts here.
ReplyDeleteWebber and Rice had long had their falling-out by the time Phantom came along. Charles Hart is responsible for the lyrics.
ReplyDeleteConcur with the consensus that Phantom is entirely skippable.
ReplyDeleteDamn, major fail on my part there.
ReplyDeletePhantom of the Opera -- I've never seen the show. I've listened to the soundtrack and it is horrible. However, I did see (1992-93?) a touring company of Maury Yeston's Phantom and would highly recommend it if anyone near you ever does it.
ReplyDeleteThe one and only Broadway show that I actually got to see on Broadway was Les Miz. It was a birthday treat to myself. Woohoo! Loved it ever since. I would love to see another Broadway show sometime although it need not be Phantom of the Opera (despite my owning a Ken & Barbie Phantom of the Opera set).
ReplyDeleteI was obsessed with Phantom of the Opera when it first opened--and I was in 4th grade. Listened to the cast recording, acted it out in my basement, etc., etc. I still hold a fond place for it in my heart; I have no way to judge it objectively. By the time I saw it (on Broadway, no less), I was obsessed with Les Mis.
ReplyDeleteFirst Broadway show: Cats, at age 6. The cats starting in the audience frightened me.
If Watts and I didn't mention - if Bring It On, The Musical actually makes it to Broadway, there is no reason to spend money to see it. Well, if you have a pre-teen child who cheers and can get cheap tickets, you can take him or her, but otherwise, sadly skippable.
ReplyDeleteNo. She was more awful than the material. WAY MORE AWFUL. To the point where I began to believe no one should ever let her talk again ever. I mean the material also was total crap. But she made more chicken shit out of chicken shit. There was no notion of chickens or salad on her end.
ReplyDeleteMeant to write this yesterday:
ReplyDeleteA little surprised the headline for this wasn't, "I didn't know we could do this!" and some variant about the summoning of the animals.