Saturday, October 04, 2008
'Hairspray' to close on Broadway
Variety: "Six years after it elevated John Waters from underground bad-tastemeister to Broadway baby, the Tony-winning musical 'Hairspray' is expected to shutter its Rialto production in January, with original star Harvey Fierstein poised to step back into the slingbacks of Edna Turnblad for an encore stint."
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6 comments:
It is so sad that now big beloved shows are starting to close. Hairspray has a fairly large fan base and still it is closing. Hopefully the economy won't cause to many more shows to turn off their lights!
I agree with Katherine--it's sad to see shows like this leave. But, then again, I'm also excited as to what new is to come in the opened slot.
Anyone else a little surprised to see "SPRING AWAKENING" and "SPAMALOT" mentioned at the end of the article? "SPAMALOT" has been out for quite some time and I could see how it's losing its steam; however, "SPRING AWAKENING" is still fairly recent! I sure hope that show stays up in lights for a while longer.
What surprises me is that, apart from RENT, which we knew would be closing for a while, this is the first of the 'mainstay' broadway shows to be closing its doors this season. I look forward to not only the opportunities that an open theatre on Broadway creates but also to the opportunities it would offer regional theaters and educational institutions across the US. I can only hope that this was not a result of the economy and rather that the producers simply felt it was time.
I think its time for Hairspray to step aside and let another show have its turn. I only hope that this space is not given to Shrek the Musical or Legally Blonde. I really hope that we can put theater on that people can only see in a theater and not a movie as well. The recycling of shows and movies is hindering the creativity and innovation that theater should be exploring more.
I am quite surprised to see this show leave. Although Rent was a major player in NY for sure, its ticket sales recently have been less than desirable. Hairspray continues to bring in strong ticket sales, and they constantly bring in big stars to be in their show. There are plenty of shows in NY that have crappier houses than Hairspray (Spamalot and even Spring Awakening, I believe, would go into that category) that continue to live in NY. I have a feeling the run will be extended now that this announcement has come and ticket sales will likely go up even more.
While I am sad to see this show close it's doors, I am also very surprised. The sales did not seem to be dwindling, and it has relatively good hype. But even more than that, I am surprised that they believe that "Spring Awakening" has the same fate. Now maybe the community I am in biases me, but the desire to see this show now is just as strong as when it first came out. I believe closing it would be a horrible move.
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