CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Xanadu Will Now Close Sept. 28

Playbill News: "Xanadu, the Tony-nominated musical based on the infamous flop film of the same name, will end its run two weeks earlier than recently announced."

6 comments:

Brooke Marrero said...

I am honestly surprised that Xanadu did as well as it did in the first place. Considering that it was based on a "flop film," as the article says, it was pretty risky to run with that idea and turn it into a musical. I have never seen the musical myself, but it's sad that the state of the economy is what is forcing it to close early, when it could've run for two more weeks.

AllisonWeston said...

I am not surprised that Xanadu closed early. The present state of the economy is causing many lack luster shows to get swept under the rug promptly. This can be seen as a good or a bad thing depending on who you talk to. Besides basing a show on a flop is not a surefire plan for success.

NorthSide said...

I'm kinda surprised Xanadu is closing. I mean, it wasn't breaking box office records, but it wasn't exactly sinking either. Heck, they even got Whoopi to guest star for a while recently. It seemed like a show that was truly pleasing audiences. I mean, go to any Broadwayworld.com or Broadway.com article and tell me how many times Xanadu cast members are involved in events or special performances. Xanadu is everywhere! And yet it's a musical to fall after such a short run.

weandme said...

I agree that the state of the economy would cause shows like Xanadu to struggle a little bit, but at the same time I think upbeat and just plain fun shows like Xanadu should be embraced in hard times like this. During the depression theater became a place to escape all the hardships and just have fun.

Anonymous said...

It surprises me that Xanadu is closing so soon, even the original closing date seemed like a short run to me. I guess because it was nominated for best musical I feel like it should run for years. But then again, as many people have pointed out, basing a musical on a flop seems risky. I haven't personally seen the show, but I watched clips on the Tony's and the show had a good energy/color to it. All in all in this current economy it makes perfect sense to close shows, which is tragic.

MBerger said...

I am also not surprised that Xanadu would close this early. In fact I was a little surprised to see it get this far on broadway as it did. It seems to be a little ahead of the type of shows that are popular now. However, I am sad to see that the economy is taking another shot at musical theatre. It is a little frightening for those of us hoping to go into this industry to see these shows continually closing. I can only hope it is a temporary result of the current economic state, that I hope will be rectified soon, perhaps with a new White house administration.