The Music Man : Show Development and Promotion

[jo]

Peter Marks
@petermarksdrama
Entertainment first responder. Theater critic of the Washington Post and co-host of the Three on the Aisle podcast. Please do not Shipoopi-trigger me.

Do we really need this kind of cynical statements, especially from a theatre critic?

Why doesn't he just do a real piece on how Broadway is trying to survive the odds?
Surely, all the men and women involved in trying to organize theatrical shows for next spring should be supported, not made the subject of social media messages aimed at click-baits!


Jo

[jo]

Transcribed excerpts --

Multiple Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks, whose adaptation of the musical “The Music Man” starring Hugh Jackman was set to debut this summer before the pandemic hit, says it is unclear on when Broadway will reopen. "(If) anybody says they know, they are just guessing. The Music Man is scheduled to start up in May but no one knows," Zaks told WOR’s "Len Berman and Michael Riedel In The Morning."

During the interview Michael let Jerry know that the star of his show, Hugh Jackman, is still rehearsing like the show will debut soon. "The greatest ones are like that; I know he's been working with our choreographer and can't wait to get back in the room," said Zaks....

Jerry won't make a great Impresario Barnum


Jo

[jo]

From the Tim Ferris podcast/interview --

Hugh Jackman: No. I don’t like going to an opening night. Like, do you? Opening night, you feel everyone like, “This is opening night. It’s going to be the best!” And I just want to go, “Hey, chill out everyone.” I prefer to go to Wednesday matinee six weeks into the run. That’s when you’re going to see the best show.

Lolol! I have a ticket on exactly the Wednesday matinee six weeks after the show officially opens ( on May 20, 2021)!

Not coincidental for me

Since I have to travel halfway across the world to see anything on Broadway - I try to time my trip relative to the opening of a favored show(s). I have 2 rules -

*Either the week before the TONYs -- as the performers would be at their best...and unlikely to miss any performance. Also, since that would be at least more than a month or so after the deadline for TONY consideration, I thought this is a good indicator of the show quality. I may also have a chance to be at the TONYs (although this is not so easy - only been able to do it only once) -- or least be in NYC for telecast on TONY night.

*Or anywhere between 5-8 weeks after the show officially opens --
**The show is set/frozen, no changes expected
**The performers are still fresh and excited ( long into the run, some may already be just phoning in, Hugh excepted) - not yet jaded.
**Likely, minimal absences that occur due to injuries or illness.


I had once booked for a preview for a Mackintosh/Boublil-Schonberg new show in London because it coincided with a European tour... It got postponed for some time... and it took some time to rewrite and re-stage the show.

Of course, it is not always easy to get the proper coincidence.


PS: Let's all hope that the conditions on which the reassignment of show dates hold!

Jo

[jo]

Regulations out for performances like Broadway theatre shows -- re workers.

From the workers union --

deadline.com/2020/07/iatse-broadway-covid19-safety-guidelines-testing-sick-leave-playbills-1202991920/?fbclid=IwAR1QeryQResMT1Ifbs2nA8nuxtf9rUCma3Y2PZ7qhV-swQHRUsXI2Yk8_Lk#comments


Re audiences -- NO backstage or stagedoor visits/hanging out.

[jo]

When Sutton was announced for the role of Marian --

What was her reaction to hearing the news that she’d be sharing the stage with Jackman?

“Well, there was this one moment where I woke up in the middle of the night and was thinking to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to have to kiss Hugh Jackman!’” she laughs. “I never thought that would happen in my life!”

Maybe not this time, Sutton

Sorry


Jo

[jo]

ATC'ers speculating on what happens to The Music Man if it is further delayed -- please follow thru the discussion ( links are choronologically indicated) --

www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat_new/d.php?id=2493627

[jo]

I am NO longer speculating as to when The Music Man can actually really open -- but here's somewhat related news re Sutton Foster and her TV show --

www.insider.com/hilary-duff-younger-season-7-filming-march-2021-2020-7

The Music Man is supposed to start rehearsals in February to March...so it can open for previews in April.

Maybe we should wait for another announcement re The Music Man?

Jo

[jo]

New tickets are now available on Telecharge for the general public.

In case you haven't visited the Telecharge Page of THE MUSIC MAN.


Jo

[jo]

News report from The New York Times --

Ad Agency Sues Scott Rudin, Saying Producer Owes $6.3 Million
At issue: payment for media buying and marketing strategy for the Broadway revivals of “West Side Story” and “The Music Man.”


Scott Rudin, right, a lead producer of “West Side Story,” at the February opening night.

By Michael Paulson
Aug. 7, 2020, 3:54 p.m. ET

A major Broadway advertising agency has sued the powerful producer Scott Rudin, claiming he owes the company $6.3 million.

The litigation, filed in New York State Court, is an unusual public break between two major players on Broadway, an industry that has been shut down and facing major economic distress since March. But the dispute predates the coronavirus pandemic: according to the lawsuit, the agency and the producer have been at loggerheads since last September.

The agency, SpotCo, says that Rudin has failed to pay it for advertising work done on eight shows, including a revival of “West Side Story” that opened in February and a revival of “The Music Man” that was supposed to open this fall but has been delayed because of the pandemic.

SpotCo, founded in 1997, is one of a handful of dominant players in the marketing of Broadway shows, and has worked on multiple Rudin projects. The company said the services it has provided, without a written contract, include media buying, ad production and marketing strategy.


The ad company alleged that Rudin and his production company “have had a practice of being delinquent on outstanding invoices” but said that the delinquency has worsened, prompting the litigation.

Rudin, through his lawyer, rejected the claim. “The case has no merit and the defendants intend to contest it vigorously,” said the lawyer, Jonathan Zavin.

The actual complaint --


iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=DGjwcdE8yql8qbS_PLUS_ZNad0g==

[jo]

From the Legal Complaint --

the Defendants are identified as :

SCOTT RUDIN; SCOTT RUDIN
PRODUCTIONS, INC.; NO ICE, INC.; THE
WAVERLY GALLERY LIMITED LIABILITY
COMPANY; ATTICUS LIMITED LIABILITY
COMPANY; NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER
NEVER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; NEW
HAMPSHIRE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY;
GARY A SEQUEL LIMITED LIABILITY
COMPANY; DANISH SAN JUAN LIMITED
LIABILITY COMPANY; THREE BROTHERS
BROADWAY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY;
WHAT A DUMP LIMITED LIABILITY
COMPANY; and IOWA STUBBORN LIMITED
LIABILITY COMPANY,
Defendants.

I think I can guess the name of the production company for THE MUSIC MAN --

as --

" IOWA STUBBORN LIMITED
LIABILITY COMPANY,"


Here's why --






Lol - Rudin does have a whimsical style for naming his many prodcutions


Jo

[jo]

[hu4601]

Aug 21, 2020 7:47:35 GMT -5 jo said:

  
   I can't see the show opening until the chance of "troubles" has gone away. Hopefully a vaccine will be available, properly tested and proven to be effective by the second half of 2021, but even that's a bit optimistic in my opinion. I'm happy with my decision to hand back my tickets for the opening night and week as I really think Hugh's optimism is not realistic. Happy to be proven wrong if the show does open on 7 April.

[jo]

Lol - I was referring more to Harold Hill's prediction in "Ya got trouble", one of his best numbers in the show

But in real life - the troubles we are all going through are something we never even imagined! It is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting

And Music Man is likely going to be one of the best things to help us get back our equanimity.

I think Hugh is simply toeing the line - he can't say that it is not going to hopefully open for previews in April because the production is selling tickets now. Any change will have to be announced by Scott Rudin ( who has so many productions on Broadway on hold - Mockingbird, West Side Story, Lehman Trilogy, etc)


Jo

[njr]

Aug 21, 2020 20:56:37 GMT -5 jo said:

Lol - I was referring more to Harold Hill's prediction in "Ya got trouble", one of his best numbers in the show

But in real life - the troubles we are all going through are something we never even imagined! It is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting

And Music Man is likely going to be one of the best things to help us get back our equanimity.

I think Hugh is simply toeing the line - he can't say that it is not going to hopefully open for previews in April because the production is selling tickets now. Any change will have to be announced by Scott Rudin ( who has so many productions on Broadway on hold - Mockingbird, West Side Story, Lehman Trilogy, etc)


Jo

I learned something new today. I always thought it was “towing” the line.


en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toe_the_line

Nancy

[jo]

[jo]

The Hollywood Reporter quotes Hugh --

"We are going to rehearse in February, open in May and yeah, I’ve been doing quite a lot of stuff on my own," Jackman, who will play Harold Hill, said. "I’m lucky I had enough floor space and good broadband so that Warren Carlyle my choreographer could be watching me, so I sort of know it already which is an odd thing to say eight months before you start rehearsals but we’ll be ready."

Hugh also mentioned Patrick Vacariello, the Music Director for the show.

Technically, it will be year's run on his own floor space before he steps into rehearsals (pandemic lockdowns started in March 2020 and his optimistic estimate is they may be able to start actual rehearsals in February 2021)

Other performers must be undergoing something similar, to keep their skills current.


Jo

[jo]

Sept 5, 2020 23:07:24 GMT -5 jo said:

I am putting this article on the impact of the temporary stoppage of filming activities for a major tentpople --

because it might be even more risky in a live stage production.


www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/how-robert-pattinson-s-covid-19-test-could-affect-the-batman-and-the-industry/ar-BB18JZwv?ocid=msedgdhp

Rehearsals for MusicMan won't start till February 2021 - approx 5 months from now -- but the above makes the thought of people working in close proximity with each somewhat scary.

Will Broadway plans to reopen go through another better-tuning process?

The article poses the question of where Pattinson might have gotten the virus - while filming or while on his personal time?


Jo

[jo]

Given the continuing uncertainty of the health crisis and the fact that live theatre will be in Part 4 (last phase) of the New York State's Reopening Plan, there is some surprise that The Music Man has now publicly unfolded its marquee at the Winter Garden.

It's interesting to re-read the announcement made by Scott Rudin et al when the show was officially postponed to open previews on April 7, 2021 and officially open on May 20, 2021, via The Hollywood Reporter --

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-jackman-broadways-music-man-back-track-spring-2021-1300086

Hugh Jackman in Broadway's 'Music Man' Back on Track for Spring 2021 (Exclusive)
9:00 AM PDT 6/24/2020 by David Rooney


Also starring Sutton Foster, the musical revival originally slated for the fall will now begin performances April 7, aiming to rouse Broadway out of its extended slumber.

If anyone can reawaken Broadway from an unprecedented shutdown that has left many insiders fearful for the theater industry's future, it's Hugh Jackman.

Producers Scott Rudin, Barry Diller and David Geffen on Wednesday confirmed that their large-scale revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, which will star Jackman alongside another returning Broadway treasure, Sutton Foster, is now scheduled to begin previews April 7, 2021, at the Winter Garden Theatre. Official opening night has been set for May 20.

The eagerly anticipated production originally was announced for the fall and had been logging brisk ticket sales before Broadway went dark on March 12 as part of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's pandemic mandate to suspend all large gatherings in an effort to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections.

That original shutdown was put in place through April 12, with subsequent extensions pushing the closure back to June 7 and then again through Labor Day. An announcement is expected from trade organization the Broadway League this week extending the blackout into January, though most insiders are looking at March/April as a more realistic period for reopening.

While many productions are waiting in the wings, keeping their casts and creative teams together through the unprecedented work stoppage, the announcement of firm dates for a show on the scale of The Music Man sends a clear signal that Broadway is gearing up to get back in business.

Whether appearing in plays or musicals, Jackman has proven himself the biggest star on Broadway in the past two decades. Having such a reliable box office draw lead a splashy remounting of one of the most beloved shows in the American musical canon is perhaps the best kickoff Broadway could hope for to resuscitate the sector at this most challenging time in its history.

"Performing on Broadway is a great honor for an actor, in fact, one of the greatest," said Jackman in a statement. "No two shows are exactly alike, in large part due to the audience. Show One is filled with anticipation, fear and excitement. It's like an opening night eight times a week; the energy in the theater is palpable. It is those same feelings that happen every show thereafter — and you and I are going through it together."

"The change of dates will not take any of that away," continued Jackman. "What it will do, however, is help to ensure that The Music Man audiences, and our company, are in a completely safe environment. Can't wait for that day!"

"We're obviously profoundly disappointed to be unable to start rehearsals for The Music Man as scheduled," added Rudin. "But safety is safety, and it has to take precedence over every other consideration — for both our audience and for our company. Despite the postponement, we are sticking together as a company, and we are grateful to be able to do so. And so we look forward to arriving at the Winter Garden — with a beautiful, heartening Music Man in tow — at the beginning of April, and to being just one part of what we expect will once again be a vibrant and exciting Broadway."



New York has now entered Phase 2 of the state's reopening plan, including restaurants with outdoor dining and some retail stores. Indoor dining establishments and other nonessential businesses are due to follow in Phase 3, the timeline for which has not yet been set for the metropolitan area. Broadway theaters are included in Phase 4, along with other arts, entertainment and recreation enterprises, placing them in the final stage of the city's reopening.



"The plan of course is to follow the New York State health and safety protocols being developed right now, which will be the baseline of how shows will return," Rudin told The Hollywood Reporter.




Projections for reopening are being based on increased testing and lower infection rates — not on the expectation of a vaccine.


Rudin has high praise for the leadership of Cuomo and his task force — which includes top scientists, health care and infectious disease experts and industrial hygienists — calling them "astonishingly forward-thinking and cooperative" in working with Broadway industry leaders to map a path forward.



The Broadway economic model is not conducive to theaters making allowances for social distancing. While Rudin speaks only for his own productions, he said those shows will be sold at full capacity, albeit with the expectation of a slow start before business gets back even close to where it was before.




"It's going to take a lot of grit and fortitude to hang in until it's back, because I don't think it's going to come back that quickly," said Rudin. "I think we'll play to low grosses for a while and we have to be prepared to withstand it. And then as people understand that it's safe, more people will come back. It was also true after 9/11. Now 9/11 came back fairly quickly, but it didn't come back at capacity or anything like it right away."


The producer confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that his other shows that had been running prior to the shutdown, West Side Story, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Book of Mormon, all will reopen between mid-March and early April.


The future of The Lehman Trilogy, which had been selling well in previews before Broadway went dark, remains uncertain due to a booking conflict in the spring at the Nederlander Theatre, where it had been running. Rudin said the company remains eager to bring back the limited engagement to New York as planned, but that now depends on finding a suitable theater available.


Both Jackman and Foster have signed on for a year with The Music Man,which reassembles the creative team of Rudin's smash Tony-winning 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! That includes director Jerry Zaks, choreographer Warren Carlisle, production and costume designer Santo Loquasto, lighting designer Natasha Katz, sound designer Scott Lehrer and dance music arranger David Chase. Joining the team are Jonathan Tunick on orchestrations and Patrick Vaccariello as music director.


The cast also will feature Tony winners Jayne Houdyshell, Jefferson Mays, Marie Mullen and Shuler Hensley.

In theory, the new dates for The Music Man would position it outside the window for Tony Awards consideration, since its official opening will take place after the traditional late-April eligibility cutoff. But given the anomalous nature of both the 2019-20 season and 2020-21, most industry pundits expect the awards season to be pushed back to accommodate later openings. The Tony Awards administration has said only that this year's honors would be rescheduled to a later date to be decided once Broadway reopens.

Rudin said he is setting firm opening dates in March and April for his shows in order to release his casts from Actors' Equity's suspend and extend agreement, thus allowing them to seek other work in the interim months now that film and TV production are starting up.

So, there is a rhyme and reason to Rudin's thinking and solid plans!

The production is blessed with producers (Rudin, Geffen and Diller) who have very deep pockets. Geffen and Diller are well-known billionaires who made their money in the entertainment business and know the kind of highs and lows in this industry!

Given how well New York has managed its health crisis - from the worst in the nation, to one that has essentially flattened its curve and continuing to do so -- and how Rudin must be in constant touch with Cuomo and his group, it seems more reassuring now, after the seeming level of comfort given in his strategy,

But what if The Music Man becomes a solid hit week after week - and is practically sold out for each of its early performances ( which the producers do not expect at all)??

What a quandary!

But re-reading this makes one feels a little more reassured


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

Love all these photos taken by the BWW photographer!

www.broadwayworld.com/article/Up-on-the-Marquee-THE-MUSIC-MAN-Prepares-for-Broadways-Return-at-the-Winter-Garden-Theatere-20200918












As little Petey would sing --

"when you get your name in lights"

[jo]

It's already posted on a site in Spain --

[jo]

He came to see his name in lights

[jo]

But so much bitterness from BEETLEJUICE fans reacting to the tweet, mixes with those rejoicing that we are finally seeing a glimmer of hope!


Jo

[hughmanity]

The irony of the guy's hat😒

Sept 18, 2020 12:37:06 GMT -5 jo said:

He came to see his name in lights

[jo]

But I bet he was won over by The Music Man ( aka Hugh Jackman) - given what he tweeted

And wouldn't be surprised if he eventually gets a ticket to see the show - no matter that it won't happen till 2021!


Jo