The Classical test Source For All The Performing, Visual And Literary Arts & Entertainment News
broadway

Broadway's 'If/Then' Starring 'Frozen' Star Idina Menzel Will Close Due to Low Ticket Sales: Play Features 'Rent' Co-Star Anthony Rapp

"If/Then," the Broadway musical starring "Frozen" star Idina Menzel, will be closing March 22 after gradually deflating sales.Menzel, who has staked her claim on the Broadway stage in the original cast of "Rent" and "Wicked," is known to the non-theater world as the voice of Elsa in the Disney movie "Frozen." She also achieved mainstream success after the notorious name flub by John Travolta during last year's Oscars. But excitement about her return to Broadway slowly diminished, with the play peaking early in its run."If/Then" follows Elizabeth, played by Menzel, a city planner who moves back to New York to restart her life, which splits into two parallel paths told simultaneously, based on a single inconsequential decision. Some believe the unfamiliar title and the challenging storyline are what led to the show's closing, especially with family-friendly, crowd-pleasing Broadway shows such a "The Lion King" and "Aladdin" on the landscape. Also, reviews for the show have been mixed, with some raves and other pans. The possibility of a recoup for the $10 million show is still unknown.The play reunited Menzel with her "Wicked" producer David Stone and "Rent" director Michael Greif, as well as Anthony Rapp, who co-starred with her in "Rent." Music for the show was by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey.
By Jaime Prisco

  • 'An American In Paris' is a Hit in France, Comes to Broadway in the Spring

    “An American in Paris,” the first ever stage production of the 1951 Hollywood film starring Gene Kelly, has Parisians saying “Oh-la-la.”
    By Jaime Prisco

  • Boost in Broadway Ticket Sales This Holiday Season: 'The Lion King' Remains No. 1 While 'The Elephant Man' and 'The River' Recoup

    The holidays mean big money for Broadway producers. This season, 19 of the current 26 shows broke the $1 million mark for the week with almost 30,000 more people attending shows than last Christmas.The Broadway League says the shows pulled in $40,993,950 for the week ending Sunday, Dec. 28, better than the same week last year when 30 shows attracted $38,783,854. Also, attendance is on the rise from 290,386 in 2013 to 318,721 this year.The mild New York winter weather and Christmas falling on a Thursday may all be helpful factors in the increase in attendance. With a boost in celebrity casting in Broadway shows being another reason for people attending the theater, performances sans celebrities are holding their own.Despite having Hugh Jackman in "The River," Bradley Cooper in "The Elephant Man" and Sting in "The Last Ship" all onstage toward the end of the year, and "The Book of Mormon" hardly slowing down at all this year, an old favorite was once again king of Broadway in 2014.Disney's "The Lion King" set a weekly record at the Minskoff Theatre with a nine-performance haul of $2,885,321. The Disney favorite remains Broadway's highest-grossing show of the year for the second time in a row, despite six other shows having higher average ticket prices.
    By Jaime Prisco