Variety: "Even though it’s a follow-up to a play that swept essentially every legit award there is, 'Superior Donuts' isn’t necessarily a slam-dunk for Broadway.
Playwright Tracy Letts’ latest outing, about the owner of a run-down Chicago donut shop and the young employee he hires, follows the success of Letts’ 'August: Osage County,' the family epic that nabbed the 2008 Tony and Pulitzer (among other kudos), launching a national tour and a stint at London’s National Theater."
2 comments:
It is definatly going to be hard for Letts and Donuts to meet audience expectations. I saw August twice and have already bought my tickets fro Donuts. Although it may not be the "fang bearing" that August had it will definatly be great. Lett's plays are all incredible and have a certain sense of realism to them.
I dont know how it will stand up against the other plays on Broadway right now though. A Steady Rain has a strong draw due to it's leading actors. Often times I think that is what draws people to plays on Broadway, rather then musicals. Blithe Spirit with Angela Lansbury was a major draw because of Angela. It is sad though, that most plays require a big star has to be sucessful
I love seeing the process of producing a show told from an entirely economic and commercial point of view rather than the creative process. It really reminds me how much of a business theatre really is. The most interesting point for me was the remark regarding the competition between Broadway productions.
Many productions, if staged a year earlier or later, would have been hugely successful, or might have failed. It's kind of ridiculous hoe much what is currently running can effect the perceptions of new productions.
Case in point the whole WICKED vs. AVENUE Q debacle. If they were not staged in the same year as each other the Tony awards would have been distributed differently and the overall perception of the shows would have ended up differently.
However theatre is a business and the context must be considered.
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