The hugely popular Broadway revival of “Music man“Will end its broadcast on January 1, reflecting the producers’ decision not to recur following the departure of the show’s stars, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.
Production began on December 20, so Jackman and Foster will be on the show for more than a year after it ends. And both of them worked on the project for yearsbecause it, like many other shows, was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve been trying to get Hugh and Sutton up to the first of January, it’s been a remarkable undertaking and I feel really strongly that they have created such a unique event between the two. them, trying to think of someone who could follow that becomes impossible,” Kate Horton, one of the lead producers, said in an interview. “This is its own special magic.”
By the time it ends, the revival will feature 358 regular shows and 46 preview shows, according to the producer. Like many other shows, it took some performances to cancel coronavirusincluding during the normally lucrative period during the holidays last December when both Jackman and Foster tested positive for the virus.
Horton said that the manufacturing operation has yet to recover its $24 million in capitalization costs, but it will do so before it closes.
“Stopping and starting is expensive in many ways, including financial ones,” she said.
When the shows had to be stopped last December, it “was a huge blow to the show, and I had a moment where I didn’t know if we could actually continue it – we did.” everywhere about what Covid has thrown at us, and it was probably one of the most challenging moments I’ve had in my career,” she added. recalling doesn’t seem like a miracle, but to me it feels like it.”
Horton is co-producing the show with billionaires Barry Diller and David Geffen. The three took over when the original lead producer, Scott Rudin, stepped down from his roles amid alleged bullying.
Even though Insightful reviews from many critics, and despite not winning a Tony, the show consistently sold out with high average ticket prices. Resurrection was highest total revenue shown on Broadway during its run; For a long time, it grossed more than $3 million a week, a huge number for Broadway, although recently its gross has dropped slightly to still enviable levels from 2.7 million dollars to 2.9 million dollars a week.
As of September 4, the revival has grossed a total of $106 million and has been viewed by 400,435 people.
“The Music Man”, a classic musical of the golden age, was written by Meredith Wilson and performed for the first time on Broadway in 1957; This revival was directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle.
